Researchers find that networking is an important part of the innovation process. Which of the following is not a benefit of connecting with dormant ties as found in the university research exposed in Insights from Research 12.1? Multiple Choice Dormant ties provide novel advice. The shared information is trusted. Dormant ties have range of other experiences developed over time. Interactions with dormant ties are longer than conversations with current ties. 12.1 INSIGHTS from Research THE BENEFITS OF DORMANT TIES D Overview Over the course of a career, individuals develop ties with thousands of other individuals, but most people only maintain 100 to 200 ties. As a result, most ties become dormant. Challenging the conventional view that these dormant ties are of little value, this study shows that reconnecting with dormant ties can efficiently provide novel insights into the innovation challenges managers face. What the Research Shows Researchers from Rutgers University, George Washington University, and Northwestern University had 224 students in Executive MBA classes reach out to someone with whom they once had a close relationship but hadn't interacted with for at least three years. They were instructed to pick someone whom they thought would have advice on how to deal with an issue the student was currently dealing with at work. They then measured how helpful the advice was that they received. Aa The results were quite striking. Study participants feared reaching out to dormant ties, thinking that they would be seen as a bother. They didn't want to be seen as being similar to an annoying telemarketer. However, the students found that people were very willing to provide their insights. More importantly, the advice they received was very helpful. The study found three key benefits of connecting with dormant ties. 1. The advice received was novel. While the study participant and the dormant tie may have shared a similar set of experiences when they were together, since separating, the dormant ties had a range of other experiences that helped them provide novel insights on the issue they were asked about. This is critical since novel insights are likely to be especially valuable in dealing with innovation-related challenges. 2. The exchange was efficient. Since the conversation had a specific purpose, study participants found that the interactions with dormant ties were quick, even shorter than everyday conversations with current ties. 3. The information shared was rich and was trusted by the students. The researchers found that when people reconnected, they still had strong feelings of trust between them. As a result, the dormant ties were willing to share meaningful and rich information, and the recipients of the advice valued the information shared. The researchers conducted a second study with 116 students. They asked them to list 10 dormant ties the executives could reach out to, ranked from most to least promising. The researchers had them contact their highest ranked dormant tie and one of the nine others randomly chosen by the researchers. Interestingly, the value of the advice received did not vary across the highly ranked and lower ranked dormant ties. This finding suggests that the pool of potentially valuable dormant ties runs deep. 40