Gender-related aspects of invention networks: A firm-level analysis

This paper integrates insights from the literature on invention networks, gender, and the sociological literature to analyze differences in how firms participate in man-led and woman-led invention networks. We contribute to the current debate on whether clustering or boundary-spanning network properties are more important for invention by introducing gender as an important factor. We empirically test our hypotheses on a sample of more than 30,000 firms from around the world over time using OECD REGPAT global patent data. Our findings indicate that different network properties are important for firm invention in woman-led and man-led innovation networks. In man-led invention networks, firms strongly benefit from being in a boundary-spanning position and are negatively affected by clustering, whereas in woman-led invention networks, boundary spanning has a less pronounced positive effect, and clustering has a positive rather than negative effect. Our findings have substantial implications for firms and policymakers interested in invention and contribute to the studies of gender and invention networks. • Investigates how gender shapes the impact of network positions on invention outcomes. • Finds that clustering and boundary spanning affect invention differently across team genders. • Shows that cohesion can enhance invention performance depending on team composition. • Constructs innovation networks from global patent data. • Provides guidance for firms aiming to design inclusive, innovation-oriented collaborations.