The Reification of Absorptive Capacity: A Critical Review and Rejuvenation of the Construct

Peter J. Lane · Balaji R. Koka · Seemantini Madhukar Pathak

2,877 citations0/0 files storedAcademy of Management Review

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Innovation and Knowledge Management Knowledge Management and Sharing Intellectual Capital and Performance Analysis

Abstract

We conduct a detailed analysis of 289 absorptive capacity papers from 14 journals to assess how the construct has been utilized, examine the key papers in the field, and identify the substantive contributions to the broader literature using a thematic analysis. We argue that research in this area is fundamentally driven by five critical assumptions that we conclude have led to its reification and that this reification has led to stifling of research in this area. To address this, we propose a model of absorptive capacity processes, antecedents, and outcomes.

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References

1990Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation 1963The Structure of Scientific Revolutions 1999Communities of practice learning, meaning, and identity 1998Communities of Practice 1994A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation 1967The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge.1998Transforming Qualitative Information: Thematic Analysis and Code Development 1992Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and the Replication of Technology

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2007Absorptive capacity: Valuing a reconceptualization 2008Inter‐ and Intra‐Organizational Knowledge Transfer: A Meta‐Analytic Review and Assessment of its Antecedents and Consequences 2010PERSPECTIVE—Absorbing the Concept of Absorptive Capacity: How to Realize Its Potential in the Organization Field 2013The paradox of openness: Appropriability, external search and collaboration 2009A Capability‐Based Framework for Open Innovation: Complementing Absorptive Capacity

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