Exploring peer leadership and organizational culture in R&D: a social network and machine learning approach in South Korea’s construction industry

Purpose Peer leadership is a significant factor associated with innovation within organizations, particularly in the construction industry. However, the interaction between peer leadership and organizational culture has not been extensively studied. This study aims to explore the relationship between peer leadership and organizational culture among R&D job leaders in major large enterprises and public institutions within South Korea’s construction industry. The focus is on understanding the network positions of these leaders and the association between organizational culture and indicators of technological innovation. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a mixed-method approach combining social network analysis (SNA) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling. SNA was applied to patent data to identify leaders exhibiting peer leadership, using centrality indicators of inventors. LDA was applied to job-related data to derive organizational culture factors. To investigate the interaction, Spearman correlation analysis was conducted between leaders’ technological leadership indicators and organizational culture proportions for each topic identified. Findings The analysis revealed a significant positive correlation (0.719) between the technological leadership indicator “Structural Constraint” (SC) and the organizational culture corresponding to Topic 8 (supportive research culture). This cultural dimension emphasizes reward systems, fair treatment, stable employment and research-friendly environments. SC reflects the limitations individuals face in network interactions, and the findings suggest a link between technological leadership and navigating these network challenges. Practical implications The study provides actionable insights for construction organizations to optimize their organizational culture and leadership structures. The findings suggest that understanding and addressing SCs and enhancing peer collaboration may contribute to fostering an environment that supports technological innovation and leadership. Originality/value This study contributes to the limited body of research on the interplay between technological leadership and organizational culture in the construction industry. By emphasizing the people dimension, it provides a novel perspective on strategies to enhance peer collaboration and innovation in R&D-focused environments.