Product development networks facilitate access to information, knowledge, and technologies that are otherwise difficult to obtain during innovation activities. Most current research on networks focuses on studying product performance benefits, but ignores the potential negative effects on confidentiality performance. Addressing this gap, we investigate how two key components of a firm's network position—network centrality and structural holes—affect both product and confidentiality performance. To do this, we assemble a panel of 1,468 electronic video games designed and developed by 591 developers over an 11‐year period. We find that higher network centrality relates to better product performance but worse confidentiality performance. Meanwhile, firms spanning more structural holes enjoy better performance across both dimensions. In an exploratory analysis, we find that product novelty strengthens the positive relationship between network centrality and product performance but mutes the positive relationship between structural holes and product performance. We discuss the importance of these findings to the literature on innovation in inter‐organizational networks.

中文翻译：

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产品开发网络位置对产品性能和保密性能的影响

产品开发网络可促进对创新活动期间难以获得的信息，知识和技术的访问。当前对网络的大多数研究都集中在研究产品性能优势，但忽略了对机密性能的潜在负面影响。为了弥补这一差距，我们调查了公司网络地位的两个关键组成部分（网络中心性和结构漏洞）如何影响产品和保密性能。为此，我们组装了由591个开发人员在11年内设计和开发的1,468款电子视频游戏。我们发现，更高的网络中心性与更好的产品性能有关，但与机密性性能有关。同时，跨越更多结构性漏洞的公司在两个方面的表现都更好。在探索性分析中，我们发现产品新颖性增强了网络中心性与产品性能之间的正向关系，但使结构漏洞与产品性能之间的正向关系无声。我们讨论了这些发现对组织间网络创新文献的重要性。