How Do Core Management Team Network Ties Affect Green Innovation? Evidence from the Chinese ICT Industry

In the context of green sustainable development, improving the quality of green innovation (GI) has become an urgent issue for enterprises. Corporate social networks play a vital role in improving the quality of GI, but there is a lack of research on how the social networks established by management team members influence GI, the pathways of their relationships, and their moderating effects. This study uses data from Chinese ICT industry listed companies between 2012 and 2022, employing social network analysis to construct the social network connections of core management team members. Mechanism analysis indicates that degree centrality and structural holes have positive effects on GI, while network density has a negative effect. R&D expenditure and personnel investment mediate the relationship between structural holes/network density and GI. Environmental information disclosure (EID) strengthens the relationship between structural holes/network density and GI. This research integrates the mediating effect and moderating effect models to elucidate the logical relationship among corporate social networks, R&D investment, EID, and GI, which has practical significance for further optimizing government environmental governance mechanisms, adjusting corporate social network structures, and enhancing innovation capabilities.