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Antecedents and consequences of organizations' technology sensemaking capability

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  • Akgün, Ali E.
  • Keskin, Halit
  • Byrne, John C.
  • Lynn, Gary S.

Abstract

As an intriguing concept, organizational sensemaking has attracted many researchers from a variety of disciplines. However, a specific context of the sensemaking concept, a firm's sensemaking capability on technology-related information and strategy development (i.e., technology sensemaking capability) has rarely been reported in the literature. In this study, we investigate how technology sensemaking capability of organizations influences their product and process innovativeness as well as how the use of organizational memory contents, such as declarative, procedural, and emotional memory, affects development of the technology sensemaking capability of organizations. By studying 203 firms, we found that (1) employing an organization's declarative, procedural, and emotional memory facilitates the development of its technology sensemaking capability, (2) technology sensemaking capability positively affects the product development and process implementation efforts of the firm, and (3) technology sensemaking capability partially mediates the relationship between organizational memory contents and firm product and process innovativeness. Also, we investigated the moderating role of environmental turbulence (e.g., technology and market turbulence) on the relationship between organizational memory contents and technology sensemaking capability. We found that declarative and emotional memory has an inverted U-shaped (∩-shaped) relationship with technology sensemaking capability with increasing levels of environmental turbulence. Theoretical and managerial implications of this study are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Akgün, Ali E. & Keskin, Halit & Byrne, John C. & Lynn, Gary S., 2014. "Antecedents and consequences of organizations' technology sensemaking capability," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 216-231.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:88:y:2014:i:c:p:216-231
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2014.07.002
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    1. Adriana Andrea Amaya & Ying-Kai Liao & Sixto Chang, 2019. "The Effects Of Innovation Implementation And Speed To Market On The Relationship Between Team Sense-Making, Trust, And Npd Success," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(04), pages 1-29, May.
    2. Lu Qiu & Die Hu & Yu Wang, 2020. "How do firms achieve sustainability through green innovation under external pressures of environmental regulation and market turbulence?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2695-2714, September.
    3. Die Hu & Lu Qiu & Maoyan She & Yu Wang, 2021. "Sustaining the sustainable development: How do firms turn government green subsidies into financial performance through green innovation?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2271-2292, July.
    4. Turulja, Lelja & Bajgorić, Nijaz, 2017. "From Learning to Knowledge: Analysis of Relationships between These Organizational Processes," Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference (2017), Dubrovnik, Croatia, in: Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 7-9 September 2017, pages 180-189, IRENET - Society for Advancing Innovation and Research in Economy, Zagreb.
    5. Martin-Rojas, Rodrigo & Garcia-Morales, Victor J. & Gonzalez-Alvarez, Nuria, 2019. "Technological antecedents of entrepreneurship and its consequences for organizational performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 22-35.
    6. Ali E. Akgün & Halit Keskin & Sumeyye Y. Kırçovalı, 2019. "Organizational wisdom practices and firm product innovation," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 57-91, February.
    7. Ding, Weirong & Ding, Jieyu, 2022. "New venture's product innovativeness strategy, institutional environment and new product performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).

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