FAN, Terence P. C.

GENG, Xuesong

Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University

Singapore Management University 
Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 
Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of 
Business Lee Kong Chian School of Business 
6-2016 
Collaboration imprint for entrepreneurs in innovative projects 
Terence P. C. FAN 
Singapore Management University, terencefan@smu.edu.sg 
Xuesong GENG 
Singapore Management University, xsgeng@smu.edu.sg 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research 
 Part of the Strategic Management Policy Commons, and the Technology and Innovation Commons 
Citation 
FAN, Terence P. C. and GENG, Xuesong. Collaboration imprint for entrepreneurs in innovative projects. 
(2016). Strategic Management Society Special Conference in Rome: Strategy Challenges in the 21st 
Century: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Coopetition, Italy, 2016 January 5-7. Research Collection Lee 
Kong Chian School Of Business. 
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5560 
This Conference Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at 
Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research 
Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business by an authorized administrator of Institutional Knowledge at 
Singapore Management University. For more information, please email library@smu.edu.sg. 
Collaboration Imprint and the 
Performance of Creative Projects
Terence Ping-Ching FAN and Xuesong GENG
Singapore Management University
2016 June SMS Rome
Background: 
• Creative activities are increasingly done by small groups of part-time 
amateurs or entrepreneurs outside of permanent organizations.
• These groups disband after the completion of the project and the 
individuals regroup for the next project.
• The creative process is highly uncertain and complex, and the outcome of 
the creative process is depending on the interactions in a group. 
• How would the collaboration pattern between individuals account for the 
performance improvement of successive creative projects?
• Our argument: repeated collaboration with “imprinting” partners is 
beneficial for performance improvement over successive creative projects. 
Repeated Collaboration in Creative Projects
• Repeated Collaboration helps Performance Improvement in 
Successive Creative Projects
• Repeated collaboration facilitates mutual communication with common 
knowledge and common language (Stasser and Titus, 1985). 
• Repeated collaboration promote a sense of “psychological safety” 
(Edmondson, 1999) and smoothed the “creative abrasions” (Skilton and 
Dooley, 2010) among group members. 
• Repeated collaboration help form the mental models or relational schemas 
among collaborators (Elsback et al. 2005; Skilton and Dooley, 2010). 
• Repeated collaboration helps the transfer of knowledge from one project to 
another (Taylor and Greve, 2006). 
Repeated Collaboration with Imprinting Effects
• Earlier events of individuals or founding condition of organizations can have the 
imprinting effects (Kimberly 1979; Simsek et al., 2015; Stinchcombe, 1965)
• Repeated collaboration with earlier collaborators carries more imprinting effects 
for future collaboration
• Collaborative mental models emerge quickly in the initial stages of collaboration (Barley, 
1986; Harrison et al., 2003). 
• The feeling of a good match of characters among group members, if formed in the early time, 
can be retrieved in later collaborations (DeFillippi and Arthur, 2002). 
• H1: Repeatedly working with imprinting collaborators leads to incrementally 
better performance in creative projects.
• H2: Repeatedly working with an imprinting collaborator leads to better 
performance in creative projects than working with a general collaborator.
Data
Context of Facebook Apps
• May 2007 to December 2008.
• Atomistic in choosing what to develop
• Incentives for more download 
• Commercial performance unpredictable ex ante.
• The know-how for successful apps is multi-dimensional.
Sampling: 
• Inclusion criteria: non-corporate entities, at least 5 apps; 
collaborated at least once with another developer
• 416 apps created by 80 developers 
• Then we include the entire history of these developers
Variables
Dependent variables
• Log downloads (end 2008), panel data analysis
• Killer apps (top 5% in downloads among apps in 30-day window), 
logit model
Independent variables
• (1) PriorAppsWithImprintPartner (H1, positive effect)
• (2) PriorAppsWithOtherPartners (H2, less positive than (1))
• Defining imprinting partner: the most frequent partner in a focal 
developer’s first 5 apps
Results: Impact on Downloads
Results: Impact on Killer Apps
Conclusion
• Repeated collaboration, especially with the imprinting collaborators, 
is good for performance improvement in successive creative projects.
•
• Implications: 
• The presence of mental model, not the superiority of a particular one, that 
matters for the creative performance. 
• The imprint is important for the on-and-off self-organized collaborations in 
creative projects. 


English

Collaboration imprint for entrepreneurs in innovative projects

Singapore Management UniversityInstitutional Knowledge at Singapore Management UniversityResearch Collection Lee Kong Chian School OfBusiness Lee Kong Chian School of Business6-2016Collaboration imprint for entrepreneurs ininnovative projectsTerence P. C. FANSingapore Management University, terencefan@smu.edu.sgXuesong GENGSingapore Management University, xsgeng@smu.edu.sgFollow this and additional works at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_researchPart of the Strategic Management Policy Commons, and the Technology and InnovationCommonsThis Conference Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Institutional Knowledge at SingaporeManagement University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business by an authorized administratorof Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University. For more information, please email libIR@smu.edu.sg.CitationFAN, Terence P. C. and GENG, Xuesong. Collaboration imprint for entrepreneurs in innovative projects. (2016). StrategicManagement Society Special Conference in Rome: Strategy Challenges in the 21st Century: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Coopetition,Italy, 2016 January 5-7. Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business.Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5521Collaboration Imprint and the Performance of Creative ProjectsTerence Ping-Ching FAN and Xuesong GENGSingapore Management University2016 June SMS RomeBackground: • Creative activities are increasingly done by small groups of part-time amateurs or entrepreneurs outside of permanent organizations.• These groups disband after the completion of the project and the individuals regroup for the next project.• The creative process is highly uncertain and complex, and the outcome of the creative process is depending on the interactions in a group. • How would the collaboration pattern between individuals account for the performance improvement of successive creative projects?• Our argument: repeated collaboration with “imprinting” partners is beneficial for performance improvement over successive creative projects. Repeated Collaboration in Creative Projects• Repeated Collaboration helps Performance Improvement in Successive Creative Projects• Repeated collaboration facilitates mutual communication with common knowledge and common language (Stasser and Titus, 1985). • Repeated collaboration promote a sense of “psychological safety” (Edmondson, 1999) and smoothed the “creative abrasions” (Skilton and Dooley, 2010) among group members. • Repeated collaboration help form the mental models or relational schemas among collaborators (Elsback et al. 2005; Skilton and Dooley, 2010). • Repeated collaboration helps the transfer of knowledge from one project to another (Taylor and Greve, 2006). Repeated Collaboration with Imprinting Effects• Earlier events of individuals or founding condition of organizations can have the imprinting effects (Kimberly 1979; Simsek et al., 2015; Stinchcombe, 1965)• Repeated collaboration with earlier collaborators carries more imprinting effects for future collaboration• Collaborative mental models emerge quickly in the initial stages of collaboration (Barley, 1986; Harrison et al., 2003). • The feeling of a good match of characters among group members, if formed in the early time, can be retrieved in later collaborations (DeFillippi and Arthur, 2002). • H1: Repeatedly working with imprinting collaborators leads to incrementally better performance in creative projects.• H2: Repeatedly working with an imprinting collaborator leads to better performance in creative projects than working with a general collaborator.DataContext of Facebook Apps• May 2007 to December 2008.• Atomistic in choosing what to develop• Incentives for more download • Commercial performance unpredictable ex ante.• The know-how for successful apps is multi-dimensional.Sampling: • Inclusion criteria: non-corporate entities, at least 5 apps; collaborated at least once with another developer• 416 apps created by 80 developers • Then we include the entire history of these developersVariablesDependent variables• Log downloads (end 2008), panel data analysis• Killer apps (top 5% in downloads among apps in 30-day window), logit modelIndependent variables• (1) PriorAppsWithImprintPartner (H1, positive effect)• (2) PriorAppsWithOtherPartners (H2, less positive than (1))• Defining imprinting partner: the most frequent partner in a focal developer’s first 5 appsResults: Impact on DownloadsResults: Impact on Killer AppsConclusion• Repeated collaboration, especially with the imprinting collaborators, is good for performance improvement in successive creative projects.•• Implications: • The presence of mental model, not the superiority of a particular one, that matters for the creative performance. • The imprint is important for the on-and-off self-organized collaborations in creative projects. 

Singapore Management UniversityInstitutional Knowledge at Singapore Management UniversityResearch Collection Lee Kong Chian School OfBusiness Lee Kong Chian School of Business6-2016Collaboration imprint for entrepreneurs ininnovative projectsTerence P. C. FANSingapore Management University, terencefan@smu.edu.sgXuesong GENGSingapore Management University, xsgeng@smu.edu.sgFollow this and additional works at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_researchPart of the Strategic Management Policy Commons, and the Technology and InnovationCommonsThis Conference Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Institutional Knowledge at SingaporeManagement University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business by an authorized administratorof Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University. For more information, please email libIR@smu.edu.sg.CitationFAN, Terence P. C. and GENG, Xuesong. Collaboration imprint for entrepreneurs in innovative projects. (2016). StrategicManagement Society Special Conference in Rome: Strategy Challenges in the 21st Century: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Coopetition,Italy, 2016 January 5-7. Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business.Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5560Collaboration Imprint and the Performance of Creative ProjectsTerence Ping-Ching FAN and Xuesong GENGSingapore Management University2016 June SMS RomeBackground: • Creative activities are increasingly done by small groups of part-time amateurs or entrepreneurs outside of permanent organizations.• These groups disband after the completion of the project and the individuals regroup for the next project.• The creative process is highly uncertain and complex, and the outcome of the creative process is depending on the interactions in a group. • How would the collaboration pattern between individuals account for the performance improvement of successive creative projects?• Our argument: repeated collaboration with “imprinting” partners is beneficial for performance improvement over successive creative projects. Repeated Collaboration in Creative Projects• Repeated Collaboration helps Performance Improvement in Successive Creative Projects• Repeated collaboration facilitates mutual communication with common knowledge and common language (Stasser and Titus, 1985). • Repeated collaboration promote a sense of “psychological safety” (Edmondson, 1999) and smoothed the “creative abrasions” (Skilton and Dooley, 2010) among group members. • Repeated collaboration help form the mental models or relational schemas among collaborators (Elsback et al. 2005; Skilton and Dooley, 2010). • Repeated collaboration helps the transfer of knowledge from one project to another (Taylor and Greve, 2006). Repeated Collaboration with Imprinting Effects• Earlier events of individuals or founding condition of organizations can have the imprinting effects (Kimberly 1979; Simsek et al., 2015; Stinchcombe, 1965)• Repeated collaboration with earlier collaborators carries more imprinting effects for future collaboration• Collaborative mental models emerge quickly in the initial stages of collaboration (Barley, 1986; Harrison et al., 2003). • The feeling of a good match of characters among group members, if formed in the early time, can be retrieved in later collaborations (DeFillippi and Arthur, 2002). • H1: Repeatedly working with imprinting collaborators leads to incrementally better performance in creative projects.• H2: Repeatedly working with an imprinting collaborator leads to better performance in creative projects than working with a general collaborator.DataContext of Facebook Apps• May 2007 to December 2008.• Atomistic in choosing what to develop• Incentives for more download • Commercial performance unpredictable ex ante.• The know-how for successful apps is multi-dimensional.Sampling: • Inclusion criteria: non-corporate entities, at least 5 apps; collaborated at least once with another developer• 416 apps created by 80 developers • Then we include the entire history of these developersVariablesDependent variables• Log downloads (end 2008), panel data analysis• Killer apps (top 5% in downloads among apps in 30-day window), logit modelIndependent variables• (1) PriorAppsWithImprintPartner (H1, positive effect)• (2) PriorAppsWithOtherPartners (H2, less positive than (1))• Defining imprinting partner: the most frequent partner in a focal developer’s first 5 appsResults: Impact on DownloadsResults: Impact on Killer AppsConclusion• Repeated collaboration, especially with the imprinting collaborators, is good for performance improvement in successive creative projects.•• Implications: • The presence of mental model, not the superiority of a particular one, that matters for the creative performance. • The imprint is important for the on-and-off self-organized collaborations in creative projects. 

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Collaboration imprint for entrepreneurs in innovative projects

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