How Scientist Experience Shapes Coordination and Innovation Value After Relocation

Coordination challenges are an integral part of creative group work, but most existing research underemphasizes how organizations may face these challenges. We address this gap by studying the effectiveness of prior experience that scientists possess to counter coordination challenges imposed on them from introducing new members into their teams, and from an exogenous shock which led many scientists to move to a new work place. Our difference-in-differences analysis of 496 scientists in the U.S. genomics industry indicates that prior to moving, scientist experience resulted in rigidity and introducing new members into a work group disrupted coordination, diminishing value created in R&D. Since repeat collaboration reinforced coordination, it was positively associated with value created. Scientist relocation due to the 1994 Northridge earthquake represents a disruptive exogenous event that lowered coordination in groups. We find that scientists moving after the earthquake benefitted from their prior experi...