Absorptive capacity for need knowledge: Antecedents and effects for employee innovativeness

Information infrastructure and corporate green innovation quality incentive

We use a sample of Chinese firms from 2006 to 2020 to investigate the effect of information infrastructure on the quality of green innovation. Findings show that information infrastructure significantly improves corporate green innovation quality, and information infrastructure improves the pricing efficiency, improves valuation levels, accelerates the flow of innovation resources, and induces the growth effect of corporate innovation resources. Furthermore, we find that executive salary incentives, internal control quality, and market-oriented environmental regulation have adaptive incentives for information infrastructure to improve the quality of green innovation. Our findings provide justification to promote the construction of an information infrastructure and adopt market-oriented environmental regulations to improve corporate green innovation quality.

Managerial decisions and new product development in the circular economy model enterprise: absorptive capacity and a mediating role of strategic orientation

The study explains the flow of knowledge in the circular economy model enterprises. We analyze the impact of managerial decisions on the absorptive capacity, which is new product development, considering the role of critical elements of strategic orientation (innovation and costs) in the textile industry. Based on the verification of hypotheses by employing the SEM method, innovation orientation is a mediator between adaptability-oriented decisions and transformation, and between adaptability-oriented decisions and exploitation. Ambidexterity-oriented decisions affect absorptive capacity. These findings semanticize and extend previous research, indicating that strategic activities focused on eco-innovations are transformed into the process of creating a new product.

Is absorptive capacity the "panacea" for organizational development? A META analysis of absorptive capacity and firm performance from the perspective of constructivism

There is a long-standing academic consensus that the higher the absorptive capacity of an organization is, the better its performance. Recently, however, the assumption that absorptive capacity can unconditionally contribute to firm performance has begun to be challenged, and empirical results differentiating absorptive capacity and firm performance have also begun to emerge. Therefore, to effectively integrate the variability of different empirical results and reveal the mechanism by which absorptive capacity acts on firm performance, this paper explores the relationship between absorptive capacity and firm performance from the perspectives of both theoretical exploration and META analysis. Through the process of theoretical combing, this paper finds that the existing core concept of absorptive capacity is based on cognitivism, and the existing process behind absorptive capacity is based on a linear cognitive information processing process that focuses on the internal cognitive structure and process of the subject. However, due to the dynamic and complex nature of social phenomena, the process model cannot effectively reflect the influence of contextual factors on their relationships. Next, based on the results of theoretical sorting, the results of existing empirical studies are synthesized by means of META analysis and different contexts are examined, finding that the role of absorptive capacity on firm performance has significant contextual characteristics, among which the research context, economic context and sample context all have significant but distinct moderating effects on absorptive capacity and firm performance. Overall, by including contextual factors, this paper further deepens the understanding of the relationship between absorptive capacity and firm performance. It also provides a preliminary basis for the role of contextual factors in absorptive capacity.

The relationship between the interactive behavior of industry-university-research subjects and the cooperative innovation performance: The mediating role of knowledge absorptive capacity

Introduction

Industry-university-research cooperation innovation, which is often characterized by resource complementarity and the sharing technology, has become one of the most preferred innovation cooperation methods for enterprises. However, various problems still occur in the process of industry-university-research cooperations, such as poor innovation performance and difficulty in sustaining cooperation. Existing studies mostly focus on the macroscopic perspectives of geographic location, cooperation scale, concentration, and diversification of industry-university-research cooperation subjects, and fail to explore the microscopic behavioral mechanisms.

Methods

Therefore, this paper establishes the interactive behavior of industry-university-research subjects and defines its concepts and dimensions in an attempt to provide a mechanism for improving the cooperative innovation performance of industry-university-research from the micro-behavioral perspective. On the basis of theoretical analysis, this paper develops a model of the relationship between cooperative trust, cooperative communication, and cooperative innovation performance for interactive behavior, while exploring the mediating role of knowledge absorptive capacity. The model was validated by stepwise regression using data from 325 questionnaires.

Results

The paper found that cooperative trust and cooperative communication in the cooperative interactive behavior of industry-university-research positively contribute to the improvement of cooperative innovation performance. Knowledge absorptive capacity plays a partially mediating role between the interactive behaviors and cooperative innovation performance. More specifically, knowledge absorptive capacity partially mediates cooperative communication in cooperative innovation performance and completely mediates cooperative trust in cooperative innovation performance. The results are largely consistent with the results of the heterogeneity analysis of the sample.

Discussion

This paper not only explains why the cooperative innovation performance of industry-university-research is poor from the perspective of interactive behavior, but also enriches the research perspective of industry-university-research and provides theoretical support for enterprises to optimize the relationship between industry, university, and research institutes.

Employee well-being and innovativeness: A multi-level conceptual framework based on citation network analysis and data mining techniques

This study proposes a multilevel conceptual framework for a deeper understanding of the relationship between employee well-being and innovativeness. We overview 49 years of well-being research [1972-2021] and 54 years of research on innovativeness [1967-2021] to uncover 24 dominant themes in well-being and ten primary topics in innovativeness research. Citation network analysis and text semantic similarity were used to develop a conceptual framework featuring 21 components and three levels: individual, organizational, and market. These components consist of constructs, domains, and factors that can influence or be influenced by employee well-being and innovativeness either directly or indirectly. This is the first study to use citation network analysis and data mining techniques to investigate the relationship between employee well-being and innovativeness. This novel framework can aid organizations in identifying more holistic and efficient strategies for fostering innovativeness and enhancing the well-being of their workforce. It can also assist in developing new theories and serve as a roadmap for future research. We discuss the research limitations and theoretical and practical implications and propose three research themes that future studies may address.

Does updating education curricula accelerate technology adoption in the workplace? Evidence from dual vocational education and training curricula in Switzerland

In an environment of accelerating technological change and increasing digitalization, firms need to adopt new technologies faster than ever before to stay competitive. This paper examines whether updates of education curricula help to bring new technologies faster into firms' workplaces. We study technology changes and curriculum updates from an early wave of digitalization (i.e., computer-numerically controlled machinery, computer-aided design, and desktop publishing software). We take a text-as-data approach and tap into two novel data sources to measure change in educational content and the use of technology at the workplace: first, vocational education curricula and, second, firms' job advertisements. To examine the causal effects of adding new technology skills to curricula on the diffusion of these technologies in firms' workplaces (measured by job advertisements), we use an event study design. Our results show that curriculum updates substantially shorten the time it takes for new technologies to arrive in firms' workplaces, especially for mainstream firms.

Exploring the effects of problem- and solution-related knowledge sharing in internal crowdsourcing

Purpose

Firms increasingly rely on both external and internal crowdsourcing to capture ideas more broadly and enhance innovative problem-solving. Especially in internal crowdsourcing, knowledge sharing that contributes to develop or further the understanding of the problem the idea is focused on solving can take place between critical employees, and in that way improve ideas generated by others. This far, most crowdsourcing practices have focused on identifying solutions to proposed problems, whereas much less is known about how crowds can be used to share problem-related knowledge. There is thus an untapped potential in leveraging crowds not just to generate solution-oriented ideas but also to share knowledge to improve ideas and even to reframe problems. This paper aims to explore the effect of problem- and solution-related knowledge sharing in internal crowdsourcing for idea development.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on ideas and comments were collected from an idea management system in a Swedish multinational company. The investigation captures the influences of the problem- and solution-related knowledge sharing on ideas based on content analysis and logistic regression analysis.

Findings

The results from this study show that sharing knowledge related to solutions in idea development impacts idea acceptance positively, whereas sharing knowledge related to problems in idea development has a negative effect on the likelihood of idea acceptance and these effects of knowledge sharing are moderated by the active author responses.

Practical implications

This research provides managerial implications for firms to deliberately manage knowledge sharing in peer communities in internal crowdsourcing, especially by providing suggestions on problem reframing and solution refining for ideas.

Originality/value

The results contribute to existing theory in terms of extending the view of crowdsourcing in ideation to include how crowds contribute to the development of the problem and the solution during the development of ideas and providing new insights on knowledge sharing in internal crowdsourcing based on problem-solving theory.

The Influence Mechanism of Learning Orientation on New Venture Performance: The Chain-Mediating Effect of Absorptive Capacity and Innovation Capacity

New ventures have stronger learning motivation but higher failure rates. In the era of the digital economy, it is necessary to clarify whether and how learning orientation gives scientific guidance for new ventures. We developed a chain multiple intermediary model following the paradigm of “orientation → capability → performance,” which was empirically analyzed using data from 214 Chinese new ventures. The results show that learning orientation not only has a direct positive impact on new venture performance (NVP) but also has an indirect positive effect through the chain-mediating effect of absorptive capacity and innovation capacity. The study advances theoretical understanding of the effect and path of learning orientation on NVP, fosters in-depth research on organizational learning and dynamic capability, and provides targeted organizational learning solutions for new ventures in emerging economies.

The Development and Validation of a Cognitive Diversity Scale for Chinese Academic Research Teams

Cognitive diversity is an important concept stemming from western management research in the 1990s. With the rapid development of science and technology, there is a growing interest in the composition of an academic research team, such as team diversity. However, there is no tool available for measuring team cognitive diversity (TCD) for academic research teams. Based on Van der Vegt’s theoretical model of TCD, an Academic Research Team Cognitive Diversity Scale (ATCDS) is developed and validated for an academic research team in our research with two studies (N=737). In Study One, in-depth interviews and panel discussions were conducted to generate a preliminary questionnaire. In Study Two, the questionnaire was administered among academic research teams. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors regarding cognitive diversity: (1) the way of thinking, (2) knowledge and skills, (3) the view of the world, and (4) beliefs about what is right and wrong. The factor structure was further validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Moreover, correlation and regression analyses showed that academic research TCD was positively related to team creativity (r =0.306, p <0.01) and performance (r =0.204, p <0.10). To sum up, our newly developed 15-item ATCDS is sufficiently reliable and valid to be used for understanding cognitive diversity among academic research teams.

In search of virtuous learning circles: absorptive capacity and its antecedents in the education sector

Purpose

This study aims to identify context-specific antecedents to schools’ absorptive capacity (AC) and to show how those can enact “a virtuous learning circle.”

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a mixed method: an exploration based on semi-structured interviews with educational experts; the development of a measurement scale and a partial least squares structural equation modelling to test the impact of the antecedents.

Findings

The results yielded four empirically-grounded antecedents and their measurement scales, namely, prior knowledge, employees’ skills, educational projects and interactions with the environment (Studies one and two). All antecedents are significantly and positively related to AC processes (study three). Using the organizational learning theory perspective, the results have been interpreted as an AC “virtuous learning circle.”

Practical implications

With increasing pressures to adapt, a case of which was the COVID-19 pandemic, schools can greatly benefit from absorbing knowledge flows. This suggests the construction a favourable environment for AC. To this end, the individual (employees’ prior knowledge and skills), organizational (educational projects) and institutional level of managerial action (interactions with the environment) can be effective when create a recursive organizational learning circle. In addition, this study offers an expert-validated measurement scale for self-assessment of a school’s specific contingencies, and thus, for planning of punctual interventions to develop AC.

Originality/value

This study advances the existing body of knowledge management in the educational context by rigorously identifying and validating a scale for measuring the antecedents of AC and developing an interpretive approach to the AC “virtuous circle.”

Organisational agility, environmental knowledge and green product success

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyse the effect of organisational agility on environmental knowledge as an instrument for the successful development of eco-innovation in products.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a cross-sectional design to collect data on the study variables from a sample of 184 Spanish manufacturing organisations. Structural equations with partial least squares were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Organisational agility is significantly linked to internal and external environmental knowledge. The results of this study highlight the effect of external knowledge on the success of eco-innovation. Internal environmental knowledge positively moderates the effect of external knowledge on the success of green products.

Research limitations/implications

Based on the dynamic capabilities approach, a theoretical model has been proposed in which organisational agility is configured as an effective capacity for the development of environmental knowledge. The results confirm this relationship and indicate that, although internal environmental knowledge is not decisive in developing new green products, it does enhance the effect of external knowledge on the success of eco-innovation.

Practical implications

Innovative companies must implement organisational agility practices that promote environmental knowledge for the success of new green products. They should also promote both external and internal knowledge.

Originality/value

This study addresses the little explored area of the relationship between organisational agility and the successful development of new green products. The inherent particularities of eco-innovation prompt the need for further studies on the creation of specific knowledge for its promotion. This study concludes that adopting agile practices enables key environmental knowledge for this type of innovation to be created. Additionally, it explores the tensions arising from the dichotomy between internal and external knowledge, with scarce resources allocated to the most effective source. Although both types of knowledge seem to be equally relevant, external knowledge plays a more significant role in the case of eco-innovation. A final contribution of this study is the finding that internal knowledge can further enhance the effect of external knowledge on the development of successful green products.

Absorptive capacity in child welfare: A qualitative study with child welfare staff eliciting key factors for evidence-based practice adoption

Child Welfare (CW) provides an array of services to meet the needs of families, requiring agencies to be malleable in their ability to absorb new practices. Absorptive capacity (ACAP) refers to the routines and processes in which an organization acquires, assimilates, and applies new knowledge. ACAP has yet to be the focus of implementation research in CW settings. This exploratory study elicited feedback from CW staff in determining factors to consider when absorbing a new practice. Themes of logistic support, agency culture, and feedback from families emerged. Findings offer insights for CW agencies to consider when adopting a new practice.

Examining the effects of governmental networking with environmental turbulence on the geographic searching of business model innovation generations

Purpose

This study aims to explore the relationship between geographic search and business model innovation and proposed a contingent framework to focus on how governmental networking and environment turbulence are interdependent moderate the relationship between geographic search and business model innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

A large-scale questionnaire survey was carried out among the firms in three high-tech parks of the Pearl River Delta, with a total of 287 firms as empirical samples. Hypotheses are tested using ordinary least squares analyzes on hierarchical multiple regression to find out how geographic search can drive business model innovation generations.

Findings

The empirical results showed that the more frequent geographic search is, the more favorable it is for firms to generate innovative business models, and firms may be more effective in geographic searching and business model innovation with better governmental networking. However, the above relationship may be weakened if the environment turbulence in emerging markets is further considered. It was argued that firms must take into account both the positive effects of governmental networking and the negative effects of environmental turbulence in conducting a geographic search for external knowledge resources to generate innovative business models. The study results showed how and why governmental networking can be a key catalyst for firms to generate innovative business models.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the business model innovation literature by documenting the large-scale survey evidence that confirms the practicality of geographic search in the business model innovation generations. The findings advance previous studies in the business model innovation by identifying the moderating roles of governmental network and environment turbulence that predict business model innovation behaviors in the emerging market.

Practical implications

The results indicate that the geographic search can be easily operationalized for external resources acquisitions by managers in generating business model innovation. This has applications for external resource acquisitions on the basis of business model innovation in the emerging China market. In addition, to facilitate the business model innovation generations, the focus should be on critical contingency factors; on the one hand, to promote the continued use of external resources, the focus should be on enhancing benefits such as governmental networking.

Originality/value

The findings extend existing theory in three ways as the original value. First, the results show that geographic search is an important driver of business model innovation generations in an emerging market context. Second, this study is the first to take organizational learning and open innovation perspective to examine geographic search as a boundary-spanning search of external resources in business model innovation generations. Third, this study also explores the moderator role of governmental network and environmental turbulence on how to strengthen or impair the geographic search and business model innovation generations.

EXPLORING THE INDIVIDUAL: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIMENSIONS OF ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY

Absorptive capacity (AC) describes new knowledge absorption and its use for innovation on an organisational level. In this paper, we explore the role of individual AC (IAC) for corporate innovation. We focus on the individual and relationships among the capability dimensions of existing AC models. A quantitative online survey allows us to empirically explore and underline the role of the individual in AC. Our findings contribute to and extend existing theories of AC, by confirming the multidimensionality of IAC, shed light on the view of transformation and exploitation as alternative paths and their effect on different innovation processes. Our research highlights the individual’s central role in innovation and introduces, explores and evaluates individual capacities to absorb new knowledge. This in consequence will influence processes and structures within a company with regard to innovation and human resource management.

The role of supervisor knowledge sharing behavior in stimulating subordinate creativity

Purpose

Knowledge sharing is critical for employee creative performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of supervisor knowledge sharing behavior on subordinate creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected data by paper-based surveys at information technology organizations in southern Vietnam (N= 339). The hypotheses were tested by conducting a hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

The results showed that supervisor knowledge sharing behavior positively affected subordinates’ creative performance. Further, the positive association between supervisor knowledge sharing behavior and subordinate creativity was reinforced by subordinate absorptive capacity and partially mediated by subordinate task-efficacy and subordinate domain knowledge.

Practical implications

Companies should choose individuals who frequently share their knowledge with others when staffing supervisory positions. Moreover, companies should encourage supervisors as well as give supervisors a substantial amount of time and opportunities to share their knowledge with their subordinates. Further, companies should encourage employees to proactively gain valuable knowledge shared by their supervisors. Finally, companies should provide employees with job training programs as well as encourage them to join these programs to improve their absorptive capacity.

Originality/value

This is one of the first papers to investigate whether supervisors can stimulate their subordinate creativity by sharing explicit and tacit knowledge. This study also contributes to the creativity literature by examining the mediating role of subordinate task-efficacy and subordinate domain knowledge and the moderating effect of subordinate absorptive capacity.

The Impact of Industry–University–Research Alliance Portfolio Diversity on Firm Innovation: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Firms

Innovation is a key factor for the sustainable development of firms. Although it has been a prevalent phenomenon that firms maintain multiple industry–university–research (I–U–R) alliances simultaneously to generate innovation, there is a lack of explorations in this phenomenon in extant literature. In this study, we introduce a new construct, I–U–R alliance portfolio, and investigate the impact of its diversity on a focal firm’s innovation performance. Hypotheses are proposed and examined using datasets of 176 listed firms in the Chinese manufacturing industry. We find that I–U–R alliance portfolio diversity exerts a positive effect on a focal firm’s innovation performance and a firm’s absorptive capacity positively moderates this relationship. Furthermore, we contend that with increasing levels of government financial support, the positive relationship between I–U–R alliance portfolio diversity and firm innovation performance is strengthened. Finally, our findings provide several theoretical and practical implications for the I–U–R alliance portfolio and firm innovation.