The development of knowledge absorption capacity from environmental uncertainty

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5585/riae.v20i1.17393

Keywords:

Absorptive capacity, Environmental uncertainty, Furniture sector, Knowledge, Routines.

Abstract

Objective: Understand the process of knowledge absorption (ACAP) from the dimensions of PACAP and RACAP in a large company in the furniture sector.

Methodology / approach: This research used a qualitative, descriptive approach through a single case study. Data were collected in documents and through semi-structured interviews. The analysis was developed using the content analysis technique with the support of Atlas / TI software.

Originality / Relevance:  In the extant literature on absorptive capacity, few studies understand the influence of the external environment subject to environmental uncertainty for constructing organizational routines of PACAP and RACAP.

Main results: The company Rudnick developed routines to monitor and acquire information from the external environment, combining previous knowledge and experiences to assimilate it internally and competence to transform learning by disseminating with existing knowledge from employees, social integration mechanisms, organizational memory, and inter and intra-organizational interaction.

Theoretical /managerial contributions: This research contributed to the study of absorptive capacity under a multidimensional nature, from environmental uncertainties, and added a qualitative, longitudinal approach to identify the different knowledge absorption routines in PACAP and RACAP.

Social contributions for management: In the empirical field, the results will contribute to managers` understanding of the importance of developing routines to absorb knowledge and survive in an environment of uncertainty. It will also help managers reflect on what and how to implement their companies' practices to increase competitiveness. As for social contributions, it strengthens scientific research and optimizes industrial sectors' technological capabilities, particularly in developing countries.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Carlos Ricardo Rossetto, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí - UNIVALI, Santa Catarina

Doutorado em Engenharia de Produção pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina em 1998. Atualmente é professor visitante Universidade Nacional de San Aguntin (UNSA) e professor titular da Universidade do Vale do Itajaí. Coordenador do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração e Turismo onde estão inseridos os cursos de Mestrado em Administração e Doutorado em Administração e Turismo ministrando as disciplinas de Análise Macro-Organizacional e Planejamento e Estratégia.

Carlos Eduardo Carvalho, Universidade do Oeste de Santa Catarina - UNOESC

Mestre em Administração pela Universidade do Vale do Itajaí

Gustavo Behling, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí - UNIVALI, Santa Catarina

Doutor

Professor do Programa de Pós-graduação em Administração da Universidade do Vale do Itajaí

Fernando Cesar Lenzi, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí - UNIVALI, Santa Catarina

Doutor

Professor do Programa de Pós-graduação em Administração da Universidade do Vale do Itajaí

References

Ali, M., and Park, K. (2016). The mediating role of an innovative culture in the relationship between absorptive capacity and technical and non-technical innovation. J. Bus. Res. 69, 1669–1675. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.10.036

Apriliyanti, I. A. & Alon, I. (2017). Bibliometric analysis of absorptive capacity. International Business Review, 26(5), 896-907.

Bahrami, H. & Evans, S. (1987). Stratocracy in high technoly firms. California Management. Fall, 51-66.

Camisón, C., Forés, B. (2010). Knowledge absorptive capacity: New insights for its conceptualization and measurement. Journal of Business Research, 63(7), 707-715.

Carlos Eduardo Carvalho & Carlos Ricardo Rossetto & Andrezza Aparecida Saraiva Piekas. (2021). Innovativeness in Brazilian startups: the effect of the absorptive capacity and environmental dynamism. International Journal of Innovation and Learning, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 29(1), pages 1-17.

Cohen, W. M. & Levinthal, D. A. (1989). Innovation and learning: the two faces of R&D. The economic journal, vol. 99, issue 397, 569-596.

Cohen, W. M. & Levinthal D. A. (1990). Absorptive capacity: a new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative science quarterly, 35(1), 128-152.

Costa Junior, C. R., Rossetto, C. R. & Lenzi, F C. (2018). Capacidade Absortiva: Do Benchmarking à Transformação dos Processos Organizacionais. Artigo apresentado no XLII Encontro Anual da ANPAD, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil.

Creswell, J. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Crossan, M., Maurer C. & White, R. (2011). Reflections on the 2009 AMR decade award: Do we have a theory of organizational learning? Academy of Management Review, 36, 446-460.

Denzin, N. (1978) The research act: a theoretical introduction to sociological methods. (2a ed). New York: Mc Graw-Hill.

D´Souza, D. E. & Kulkarni, S. S. (2015). A framework and model for absorptive capacity in a dynamic multi-firm environment. International Journal Production Economics, 167, 50–62.

Easterby-Smith, M. & Lyles, M. (2005). Introduction: Watersheds of organizational learning and knowledge management. In Easterby-Smith, M. & Lyles, M. (ed.). The Blackwell Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management. Nova Jersey, EUA: Blackwell Publishing.

Ebers, M. & Maurer, I. (2014). Connections count: How relational embeddedness and relational empowerment foster absorptive capacity. Research Policy, 43(2), 318–332.

Egelhoff, W. G. (1991). Information-Processing Theory and the Multinational Enterprise. Journal of International Business Studies, 22, 341-368.

Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of management review, 14(4), 532-550.

Eisenhardt, K. M., & Martin, J. A. (2000). Dynamic capabilities: what are they? Strategic Management Journal, 21(10/11), 1105-1121. doi: 10.1002/1097-0266(200010/11)21:10/11<1105::AID-SMJ133>3.0.CO;2-E

Eisenhardt, K. M., & Graebner, M. E. (2007). Theory building from cases: Opportunities and challenges. Academy of management journal, 50(1), 25-32.

Enkel, E. & Gassmann, O. (2010). Creative imitation: exploring the case of crossindustry innovation. R&D Manage, 40, 256–270.

Enkel, E., Groemminger, A. & Heil, S. (2017). Managing technologial distance in internal and external collaborations: absorptive capacity routines and social integration for innovation. Spring Science Business Media New York.

Flatten, T. C., Engelen, A., Zahra, S. A. & Brettel, M. (2011). A measure of absorptive capacity: Scale development and validation. European Management Journal, 29(2), 98-116.

Flatten, T. C., Greve, G. I. & Brettel, M. (2011). Absorptive capacity and firm performance: the mediating influence of strategic alliances. European Management Review, 8, 137-152.

Fosfuri A. & Tribo J. A. (2008). Exploring the antecedents of potential absorptive capacity and its impact on innovation performance. Omega, 36, 173–187.

Fuchs, J. P. S. & Rossetto, C. R. & Carvalho, C. E. (2016). A Influência da Capacidade Absortiva Realizada no Desempenho da PME Vitivinícola. Desenvolvimento em Questão, vol. 14, núm. 37, pp. 144-167.

Godoy, A. S., Brunstein, J., Brito, E. P. Z., & Arruda Filho, E. J. M. (2020). Análise de dados qualitativos em pesquisa: múltiplos usos em Administração. Editora FGV.

Gold, A. H., Malhotra, A. & Segars, A. H. (2001). Knowledge management: An organizational capabilities perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 18(1), 185-214.

Hargadon, Andrew. (2002). Brokering Knowledge: Linking Learning and Innovation. Research in Organizational Behavior - RES ORGAN BEH. 24. 41-85. 10.1016/S0191-3085(02)24003-4.

Harvey, G., Jas, P. & Walshe, K. (2015). Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement. BMJ Quality & Safety, 24(1), 48-55.

Horvat, D. & Dreher, C. & Som, O. (2018). how firms absorb external knowledge - modelling and managing the absorptive capacity process. international journal of innovation management. 23. 1950041. 10.1142/s1363919619500415.

Jansen, J. J. P., Van Den Bosch, F. A. J. & Volberda, H. W. (2005). Managing potential and realized absorptive capacity: how do organizational antecedents matter? Academy of Management Journal, 48(6), 999-1015.

Kale, E., Aknarb, A. & Başarc, Ö. (2019). Absorptive capacity and firm performance: The mediating role of strategic agility. International Journal of Hospitality Management, (78)276-283.

Kogut B., & Zander, U. (1992). Knowledge of the firm, combinative capabilities and the replication of technology. Organization Science, 3, 383–397.

Kirk,J. & Miller, J. (1986) Reliability and validity in qualitative research. Beverly Hills, Califórnia: Sage, apud SPINK, M.J.P. (1993) O estudo empírico das Representações Sociais. In: SPINK, M.J.P. (org.) O Conhecimento no Cotidiano: as representações sociais na perspectiva da psicologia social. São Paulo: Brasiliense.

Lane, P. J., Koka, B. R. & Pathak, S. (2006). The reification of absorptive capacity: A critical review and rejuvenation of the construct. Academy of management review, 31(4), 833-863.

Lane, P. J. & Lubatkin, M. (1998). Relative absorptive capacity and interorganizational learning. Strategic Management Journal, 19, 461–477.

Lehner, F. & Maier, R. (2000). How Can Organizational Memory Theories Contribute to Organizational Memory Systems?. Information Systems Frontiers. 2. 277-298. 10.1023/A:1026516627735.

Lewin A.Y., Massini S. & Peeters C. (2011). Microfoundations of internal and external absorptive capacity routines. Organization Science, 22(1), 81–98.

Liao, J., Welsch, H. & Stoica, M. (2003). Organizational absorptive capacity and responsiveness: an empirical investigation of growth oriented SMEs. Entrepreneurship Theory and practice, 28(1), 63-85.

Martinkenaite, I. & Breunig, K. J. (2016). The emergence of absorptive capacity through micro–macro level interactions, Journal of Business Research, Volume 69, Issue 2, Pages 700-708, ISSN 0148-2963, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.08.020.

McEvily, S. K. & Chakravarthy, B. (2002). The persistence of knowledge-based advantage: An empirical test for product performance and technological knowledge. Strategic Management Journal, 23(4), 285-305.

McGrath, R. G. & MacMillan, I. C. (2000). The entrepreneurial mindset. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press namic theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17, 45-62.

Mennens, K., Van Gils, A., Odekerken-Schröder, G., & Letterie, W. (2018). Exploring Antecedents of Service Innovation Excellence in Manufacturing SMEs. International Small Business Journal, 36(5), 500-520.

Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education: revised and expanded from case study research in education (2a. ed.). São Francisco-CA: Jossey-Bass Education Series and The Josey-Bass Higher Education Series.

Minayo, M. C. S. (2000). O desafio do conhecimento: pesquisa qualitativa em saúde (7a. ed.). São Paulo: Hucitec.

Murovec, N. & Prodan, I. (2009). Absorptive capacity, its determinants, and influence on innovation output: Cross-cultural validation of the structural model. Technovation, 29(12), 859-872.

Najafi-Tavani, S., Sharifi, H., Soleimanof, S. & Najmi, M. (2013). An Empirical Study of Firm’s Absorptive Capacity Dimensions, Supplier Involvement and New Product Development Performance. International Journal of Production Research, 51(11), 3385-3403.

Nevo, D. & Wand, Y. (2005) Organizational memory information systems: a transactive memory approach. Decision Support Systems, 39(3), 549–562.

Paiva Jr. F. G., Leão, A. L. M. S. & Mello, S. C. B. (2007). Validade e Confiabilidade na Pesquisa Qualitativa em Administração. Artigo apresentado no Encontro de Ensino e Pesquisa em Administração e Contabilidade, Recife, Brasil.

Parida, V., Westerberg, M. & Frishammar, J. (2012). Inbound open innovation activities in high-tech SMEs: The impact on innovation performance. Journal of Small Business Management, 50(2), 283–309.

Roberts, N., Galluch, P. S., Dinger, M. & Grover, V. (2012). Absorptive capacity and information system research: review, synthesis and directions for future research. Information Systems, 6, 25–40.

Rossetto, Carlos. Ricardo. & Carvalho, Carlos & Ferreira, Gloria & Pery, C. (2019). Absorptive capacity: the role of external knowledge in organizational strategy. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie. 20. 10.1590/1678-6971/eramd190182.

Saccol, A. Z. (2009). Um retorno ao básico: compreendendo os paradigmas de pesquisa e sua aplicação na pesquisa em administração. Revista de Administração da UFSM, 2(2), 250-269.

Sun, P. Y. T. & Anderson, M. H. (2010). An examination of the relationship between absorptive capacity and organizational learning, and a proposed integration. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(2), 130-150.

Szulanski, G. 1996. Exploring Internal Stickiness: Impediments to the Transfer of Best Practice Within the Firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special Issue): 27-43.

Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997.). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509-533. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509:AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z

Todorova, G. & Durisin, B. (2007). Absorptive capacity: valuing a reconceptualization. Academy of management Review, 32(3), 774-786.

Tsai, W. (2001). Knowledge Transfer in Intraorganizational Networks: Effects of Network Position and Absorptive Capacity on Business Unit Innovation and Performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 44(5), 996-1004.

Tu, Z., Wang, L., Arbeitman, M. N., Chen, T. & Sun, F. (2006). An integrative approach for causal gene identification and gene regulatory pathway inference. Bioinformatics, 22(14), 489-96.

Van Den Bosch, F. A., Volberda, H. W. & De Boer, M. (1999). Coevolution of firm absorptive capacity and knowledge environment: Organizational forms and combinative capabilities. Organization Science, 10(5), 551-568.

Vega-Jurado, J., Gracia-Gutiérrez, A. & Fernándes-De-Lucio, I. (2008). Analyzing the determinants of firm´s absorptive capacity: beyond R&D. R&D Management, 38(4), 392-405.

Versiani, A., Cruz, M., Ferreira, M. & Guimarães, L. (2010). Mensuração da Capacidade Absortiva: até que ponto a literatura avançou. Artigo apresentado no XXXIV Encontro Nacional da Associação Nacional De Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Von Briel, F., Schneider, C., & Lowry, P. B. (2019). Absorbing Knowledge from and with External Partners The Role of Social Integration Mechanisms. Decision Sciences, 50(1), 7-45.

Vrontis, D., Thrassou, A., Santoro, G. & Papa, A. (2017). Ambidexterity, external knowledge and performance in knowledge-intensive firms. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 42(2), 374-388.

Wang, Catherine & Ahmed, Pervaiz. (2007). Dynamic Capabilities: A Review and Research Agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews. 9. 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2007.00201.x.

Weissenberger-Eibl, M. A. & Spieth, P. (2006). Knowledge transfer: Affected by organisational culture?. Artigo apresentado no I-KNOW ’06, Graz, Austria.

West, Joel & Bogers, Marcel. (2014). Leveraging external sources of innovation: A review of research on open innovation. Journal of Product Innovation Management. 31. 814-831.

Whittemore, R.; Chase, S. K. & Mandle, C. L. (2001). Validity in qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research, v. 11, n. 4, p. 522-537, July 2001.

Yao, F. K. & Chang, S. (2017). Do individual employees’ learning goal orientation and civic virtue matter? A micro-foundations perspective on firm absorptive capacity. Strategic Management Journal, 38(10), 2041–2060.

Yin, R. K. (2010). Estudo de caso: planejamento e métodos. (4a. ed.). Porto Alegre: Bookman.

Zahra, S. A. & George, G. (2002). Absorptive capacity: A review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of management review, 27(2), 185-203.

Zheng, W., Yang, B. & McLean, G. N. (2010). Linking organizational culture, structure, strategy, and organizational effectiveness mediating role of knowledge management. Journal of Business Research, 63(7), 763–771.

Published

24.03.2021

How to Cite

Rossetto, C. R., Carvalho, C. E., Behling, G., & Lenzi, F. C. (2021). The development of knowledge absorption capacity from environmental uncertainty. Revista Ibero-Americana De Estratégia, 20(1), e17393. https://doi.org/10.5585/riae.v20i1.17393