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Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation

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Abstract

In this paper, we argue that the ability of a firm to recognize the value of new, external information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends is critical to its innovative capabilities. We label this capability a firm's absorptive capacity and suggest that it is largely a function of the firm's level of prior related knowledge. The discussion focuses first on the cognitive basis for an individual's absorptive capacity including, in particular, prior related knowledge and diversity of background. We then characterize the factors that influence absorptive capacity at the organizational level, how an organization's absorptive capacity differs from that of its individual members, and the role of diversity of expertise within an organization. We argue that the development of absorptive capacity, and, in turn, innovative performance are history- or path-dependent and argue how lack of investment in an area of expertise early on may foreclose the future development of a technical capability in that area. We formulate a model of firm investment in research and development (R&D), in which R&D contributes to a firm's absorptive capacity, and test predictions relating a firm's investment in R&D to the knowledge underlying technical change within an industry. Discussion focuses on the implications of absorptive capacity for the analysis of other related innovative activities, including basic research, the adoption and diffusion of innovations, and decisions to participate in cooperative R&D ventures.
Copyright © 2001 All Rights Reserved
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... Czynniki te wpływają na trzy główne determinanty oddziałujące na kulturę organizacji: otoczenie konkurencyjne, wymagania konsumentów oraz oczekiwania społeczne wobec organizacji (Gordon, 1991, s. 410). Ponadto badacze wskazują jeszcze na dodatkowe czynniki związane z rodzajem działalności, które mogą mieć wpływ na kulturę organizacji, jak na przykład poziom nakładów na badania i rozwój w danej branży (Cohen, Levinthal, 1990) czy szybkość zmian w danej dziedzinie. Dla organizacji działających w obszarach szybko rozwijających ważne są szybkie procesy decyzyjne oraz kreatywność. ...
... Secondly violation becomes the cause for employees to not share their knowledge. In changing economy and technologically improved world knowledge is viewed as a key strategic and competitive source, and, hence, for organization it becomes a requirement to keep knowledgeable workers for organizational success (Cohen and Leventhal, 1990;Grant, 1996;Ipe, 2003). But how knowledge sharing behavior is related to psychological contract? ...
... Czynniki te wpływają na trzy główne determinanty oddziałujące na kulturę organizacji: otoczenie konkurencyjne, wymagania konsumentów oraz oczekiwania społeczne wobec organizacji (Gordon, 1991, s. 410). Ponadto badacze wskazują jeszcze na dodatkowe czynniki związane z rodzajem działalności, które mogą mieć wpływ na kulturę organizacji, jak na przykład poziom nakładów na badania i rozwój w danej branży (Cohen, Levinthal, 1990) czy szybkość zmian w danej dziedzinie. Dla organizacji działających w obszarach szybko rozwijających ważne są szybkie procesy decyzyjne oraz kreatywność. ...
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Kultura organizacji od wielu lat budzi żywe zainteresowanie zarówno badaczy, jak i praktyków w przedsiębiorstwach i instytucjach. Stanowi jeden z kluczowych elementów kształtujących tożsamość organizacji, przewagę konkurencyjną i wartość przedsiębiorstw. Jej znaczenie wzrasta w obliczu współczesnych wyzwań, takich jak globalizacja, postępująca digitalizacja i rosnąca potrzeba budowania inkluzywnych środowisk pracy. Monografia stanowi próbę kompleksowego ujęcia problematyki kultury organizacji z uwzględnieniem zarówno wewnętrznych, jak i zewnętrznych czynników ją kształtujących oraz wybranych aspektów procesu zmiany kulturowej. Jej autorami są współpracownicy oraz wychowankowie prof. Małgorzaty Czerskiej, której dorobek i działalność popularyzująca naukę były inspiracją do powstania niniejszej książki. Zawarte w monografii zagadnienia wpisują się w nurt postrzegania kultury organizacji jako procesu kształtowanego przez złożone interakcje czynników wewnętrznych i zewnętrznych. Tym samym jest to obszar dynamiczny, z trudem poddający się działaniom kadry zarządzającej. Publikacja jest adresowana do badaczy, studentów, ale również do praktyków, którzy w swojej codziennej pracy mierzą się z wyzwaniami związanymi z kształtowaniem kultury w zmieniającym się świecie.
Chapter
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Article
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