IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jknowl/v10y2019i4d10.1007_s13132-019-00615-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Whether It is I or We to Praise for Absorptive Capacity: Data from Estonian Medicine

Author

Listed:
  • Mait Rungi

    (Tallinn University of Technology)

Abstract

Absorptive capacity (ACAP) is a key determinant of how capable an organization is in an innovation landscape. It is not known whether individual- or group-level behavior affects ACAP the most, but since ACAP is largely a mental process, a significant impact from both is presumed. Individual-level personality traits and group-level organizational culture have been widely studied in the literature, but not together, and research has focused mainly on country, educational, and industrial contexts, with little attention paid to the field of medicine. This paper uses a quantitative survey in one Estonian hospital to understand the influence of individual-level personality traits and group-level organizational culture on ACAP, with the sample being made up of participants of change-management training. Results indicate that individual-level traits influence ACAP more than group-level organizational culture. Additionally, the hospital’s organizational culture proved to be efficiency-oriented, or mercenary, not fragmented, as expected, i.e., it is task-oriented, not person-oriented. Potential and realized ACAP require different profiles, which makes it hard for the same individuals demonstrate both; diversity is necessary. Potential ACAP is influenced significantly more by traits and organizational culture than realized ACAP. From an organizational-learning point of view, organization–person fit is therefore, of little relevance, since individual traits’ impact on ACAP is clearly higher than that of organizational culture. Hospitals can use these findings for personnel selection and in implementing organizational change, innovation, and training.

Suggested Citation

  • Mait Rungi, 2019. "Whether It is I or We to Praise for Absorptive Capacity: Data from Estonian Medicine," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 10(4), pages 1536-1557, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:10:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s13132-019-00615-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-019-00615-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13132-019-00615-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13132-019-00615-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Flatten, Tessa C. & Engelen, Andreas & Zahra, Shaker A. & Brettel, Malte, 2011. "A measure of absorptive capacity: Scale development and validation," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 98-116, April.
    2. James G. March, 1991. "Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 71-87, February.
    3. Doris Gomezelj Omerzel, 2016. "The Impact of Entrepreneurial Characteristics and Organisational Culture on Innovativeness in Tourism Firms," Managing Global Transitions, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, vol. 14(1 (Spring), pages 93-110.
    4. John Hulland, 1999. "Use of partial least squares (PLS) in strategic management research: a review of four recent studies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 195-204, February.
    5. Ali, Murad & Park, Kichan, 2016. "The mediating role of an innovative culture in the relationship between absorptive capacity and technical and non-technical innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1669-1675.
    6. Yang, Yumei & Secchi, Davide & Homberg, Fabian, 2018. "Are organisational defensive routines harmful to the relationship between personality and organisational learning?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 155-164.
    7. Schein, Edgar H., 1996. "Organizational learning : what is new?," Working papers 3912-96., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management.
    8. Naqshbandi, M. Muzamil & Tabche, Ibrahim, 2018. "The interplay of leadership, absorptive capacity, and organizational learning culture in open innovation: Testing a moderated mediation model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 156-167.
    9. Cornelia Kolb & Marcus Wagner, 2015. "Crowding in or crowding out: the link between academic entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial traits," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 387-408, June.
    10. Matzler, Kurt & Renzl, Birgit & Müller, Julia & Herting, Stephan & Mooradian, Todd A., 2008. "Personality traits and knowledge sharing," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 301-313, June.
    11. Peter J. Lane & Jane E. Salk & Marjorie A. Lyles, 2001. "Absorptive capacity, learning, and performance in international joint ventures," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(12), pages 1139-1161, December.
    12. Christopher L. Shook & David J. Ketchen & G. Tomas M. Hult & K. Michele Kacmar, 2004. "An assessment of the use of structural equation modeling in strategic management research," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 397-404, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Engelen, Andreas & Kube, Harald & Schmidt, Susanne & Flatten, Tessa Christina, 2014. "Entrepreneurial orientation in turbulent environments: The moderating role of absorptive capacity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(8), pages 1353-1369.
    2. H. Emre Yildiz & Adis Murtic & Udo Zander & Anders Richtnér, 2019. "What Fosters Individual-Level Absorptive Capacity in MNCs? An Extended Motivation–Ability–Opportunity Framework," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 93-129, February.
    3. Flatten, Tessa & Adams, Daniel & Brettel, Malte, 2015. "Fostering absorptive capacity through leadership: A cross-cultural analysis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 519-534.
    4. Khan, Zaheer & Lew, Yong Kyu & Marinova, Svetla, 2019. "Exploitative and exploratory innovations in emerging economies: The role of realized absorptive capacity and learning intent," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 499-512.
    5. Peeters, T.J.G., 2013. "External knowledge search and use in new product development," Other publications TiSEM 300ebb34-b090-4210-b95e-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    6. Emre Yildiz, H. & Murtic, Adis & Klofsten, Magnus & Zander, Udo & Richtnér, Anders, 2021. "Individual and contextual determinants of innovation performance: A micro-foundations perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. Sirén, Charlotta & Kohtamäki, Marko, 2016. "Stretching strategic learning to the limit: The interaction between strategic planning and learning," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 653-663.
    8. Latukha, M. & Veselova, A. & Selivanovskikh, L. & Artukh, E. & Mitskevich, E., 2016. "Re-thinking the role of talent management in a firm’s performance: Talent management practices and absorptive capacity," Working Papers 6442, Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University.
    9. Ali, Tahir & Khalid, Saba & Shahzad, Khuram & Larimo, Jorma, 2021. "Managing international joint ventures to improve performance: The role of structural and social mechanisms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    10. Verreynne, Martie-Louise & Hine, Damian & Coote, Len & Parker, Rachel, 2016. "Building a scale for dynamic learning capabilities: The role of resources, learning, competitive intent and routine patterning," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 4287-4303.
    11. Héctor Cuevas-Vargas & Héctor Abraham Cortés-Palacios & Cid Leana-Morales & Eduardo Huerta-Mascotte, 2022. "Absorptive Capacity and Its Dual Effect on Technological Innovation: A Structural Equations Model Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-18, October.
    12. Mooradian, Todd & Matzler, Kurt & Uzelac, Borislav & Bauer, Florian, 2016. "Perspiration and inspiration: Grit and innovativeness as antecedents of entrepreneurial success," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 232-243.
    13. Camisón, César & Forés, Beatriz, 2011. "Knowledge creation and absorptive capacity: The effect of intra-district shared competences," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 66-86, March.
    14. Tor Guimaraes & Ketan Paranjape & Mike Cornick & Curtis P. Armstrong, 2018. "Empirically Testing Factors Increasing Manufacturing Product Innovation Success," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(02), pages 1-26, April.
    15. De Moortel, Kevin & Crispeels, Thomas, 2018. "International university-university technology transfer: Strategic management framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 145-155.
    16. Mohsin Shahzad & Abaid Ullah Zafar & Maoran Ye & Xiangan Ding, 2024. "Harmony in flux: Unraveling the green innovation with organizational forgetting, absorptive capacity, and the jazz of organizational improvisation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5), pages 4145-4161, July.
    17. Casillas, José C. & Moreno, Ana M. & Acedo, Francisco J. & Gallego, María A. & Ramos, Encarnación, 2009. "An integrative model of the role of knowledge in the internationalization process," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 311-322, July.
    18. Strobl, Andreas & Bauer, Florian & Matzler, Kurt, 2020. "The impact of industry-wide and target market environmental hostility on entrepreneurial leadership in mergers and acquisitions," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(2).
    19. Matzler, Kurt & Mueller, Julia, 2011. "Antecedents of knowledge sharing - Examining the influence of learning and performance orientation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 317-329, June.
    20. Kotabe, Masaaki & Jiang, Crystal Xiangwen & Murray, Janet Y., 2011. "Managerial ties, knowledge acquisition, realized absorptive capacity and new product market performance of emerging multinational companies: A case of China," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 166-176, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:10:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s13132-019-00615-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.