Organizational innovation is increasingly shaped by how firms position and mobilize heterogeneous inventors within internal collaboration networks. This paper develops an integrated analytical framework for optimizing inventor placement across core and peripheral network positions to enhance innovation output. Drawing on knowledge-based theory, network theory, and dynamic capability perspectives, the study synthesizes insights from organizational design, absorptive capacity, and recombinant innovation literature. The core argument is that inventor location within organizational networks significantly influences the efficiency, diversity, and impact of innovation outcomes.

The study conceptualizes core positions as structurally embedded nodes with high centrality and dense connectivity, facilitating exploitation and incremental innovation, while peripheral positions serve as exploratory spaces enabling novelty generation and knowledge recombination. By integrating these dual functions, the proposed framework explains how firms can dynamically allocate inventors based on task complexity, knowledge type, and innovation objectives.

Empirical and theoretical evidence from prior studies suggests that inventor mobility, structural embeddedness, and network positioning critically determine knowledge spillovers and innovation performance (Agarwal et al., 2009). Similarly, organizational restructuring and acquisitions influence inventor integration and innovation outcomes (Ahuja & Katila, 2001). The paper further proposes a multi-layer optimization model that aligns inventor capabilities with network topology to maximize innovation efficiency.

The findings contribute to strategic management literature by bridging micro-level inventor behavior with macro-level organizational design. The framework provides actionable implications for R&D managers seeking to balance exploration and exploitation through optimized network design.