Social networks, technology ties, and gatekeeper functionality: Implications for the performance management of R&D projects

R&D project teams concerned with efficiency under limited resources must cohesively coordinate cooperation, interactions, and the exchange of ideas to sustain innovation. This research investigated the management of social networks, technology ties, and gatekeeper functionality from a networking perspective and examined their contribution to R&D performance, which was evaluated using data envelopment analysis. This study verified the relationships by using data from the Taiwan National Telecommunication Program, which coordinates more than 100 R&D teams in pursuing next-generation broadband technologies. The results regarding these relationships varied. The density of social networking and the outward- and novel-oriented gatekeeper functionality of a project team was found to significantly promote its R&D performance, whereas the density of technology ties exhibits no significance. Accordingly, this paper presents strategic implications for the management of projects, team interorganizational linkages, and governmental subsidy policies, and discusses the networking activities of R&D teams at the project level.