Remote collaboration fuses fewer breakthrough ideas.

Theories of innovation emphasize the role of social networks and teams as facilitators of breakthrough discoveries1-4. Around the world, scientists and inventors are more plentiful and interconnected today than ever before4. However, although there are more people making discoveries, and more ideas that can be reconfigured in new ways, research suggests that new ideas are getting harder to find5,6-contradicting recombinant growth theory7,8. Here we shed light on this apparent puzzle. Analysing 20 million research articles and 4 million patent applications from across the globe over the past half-century, we begin by documenting the rise of remote collaboration across cities, underlining the growing interconnectedness of scientists and inventors globally. We further show that across all fields, periods and team sizes, researchers in these remote teams are consistently less likely to make breakthrough discoveries relative to their on-site counterparts. Creating a dataset that allows us to explore the division of labour in knowledge production within teams and across space, we find that among distributed team members, collaboration centres on late-stage, technical tasks involving more codified knowledge. Yet they are less likely to join forces in conceptual tasks-such as conceiving new ideas and designing research-when knowledge is tacit9. We conclude that despite striking improvements in digital technology in recent years, remote teams are less likely to integrate the knowledge of their members to produce new, disruptive ideas.

A study of inventiveness among Society of Interventional Radiology members and the impact of their social networks.

PURPOSE: To investigate the nature of inventiveness among members of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and learn what influenced the inventors and assisted their creativity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The membership directory of the SIR was cross-referenced with filings at the United States Patent and Trademark Organization (USPTO) and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The inventors were queried with an online survey to illuminate their institutions of training and practice as well as enabling or inhibiting factors to their inventiveness. Responses were analyzed through the construction of social network maps and thematic and graphical analysis. RESULTS: It was found that 457 members of the SIR held 2,492 patents or patent filings. After 1986, there was a marked and sustained increase in patent filings. The online survey was completed by 73 inventors holding 470 patents and patent filings. The social network maps show the key role of large academic interventional radiology departments and individual inventors in the formation of interconnectivity among inventors and the creation of the intellectual property (IP). Key inhibitors of the inventive process include lack of mentorship, of industry contacts, and of legal advice. Key enablers include mentorship, motivation, and industry contacts. CONCLUSIONS: Creativity and inventiveness in SIR members stem from institutions that are hubs of innovation and networks of key innovators; inventors are facilitated by personal motivation, mentorship, and strong industry contacts.