Functional centrality and innovation intensity: Employee-level analysis of the Telenor group

•Topic: Relationship between functional Departments (FD)’s centrality and employees’ innovation intensity.•Data: Telenor Organization Culture Survey (employee-level survey for the Telenor Group).•Methods: Hierarchical ordered probit econometric analysis.•Result 1: Innovation intensity is higher in FDs that have high organizational centrality.•Result 2:This relationship is moderated by FDs’ task characteristics.