Do high-impact scholars exhibit greater knowledge innovation and flash ideas?

Purpose Knowledge innovation manifests through the emergence of new keyword nodes or relational ties within co-word networks. Such structural changes enable individual scholars to perceive the field’s evolving knowledge architecture and support research teams in tracking innovation dynamics. While scholars stand as core agents driving scientific knowledge creation and dissemination, existing literature lacks granular analysis of how high-impact scholars shape these innovative processes. This study aims to examine how high-impact scholars contribute to knowledge innovation and the generation of emerging ideas by tracing structural changes in co-word networks over time. Design/methodology/approach To fill this gap, this study leverages the Normalized Scholar Academic Productivity (NSAP) index proposed in the authors’ prior work, alongside two bespoke metrics – the knowledge innovation score and flash idea score – to unpack scholar-led knowledge innovation. The authors further examine how cross-institutional mobility reshapes knowledge generation and quantify the dual effects of scholar relocation on individual and host institutional knowledge output. Drawing on sequential co-word network structures, the authors trace longitudinal knowledge evolution and identify pivotal actors involved in knowledge diffusion. Findings The empirical results reveal that high-impact scholars not only deliver superior knowledge innovation performance but also produce abundant flash ideas, signifying that pioneering knowledge creation carries inherent exploratory risks. Furthermore, inter-institutional scholar mobility delivers substantial novel intellectual stimuli, boosting innovative knowledge output for both migrating researchers and receiving organizations. Originality/value This study advances the field by constructing a multi-dimensional evaluation framework integrating NSAP, the knowledge innovation score and the flash idea score. The unified framework empirically demonstrates that elite scholars simultaneously exhibit robust innovative capacity and more conceptual risk-taking when generating nascent knowledge. These findings yield actionable implications for institutional talent management strategies and targeted policy support for exploratory frontier research.