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Revisiting Absorptive Capacity with a Design Perspective

Author

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  • Pascal Le Masson

    (CGS i3 - Centre de Gestion Scientifique i3 - Mines Paris - PSL (École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris) - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Patrick Cogez

    (ST-CROLLES - STMicroelectronics [Crolles])

  • Yacine Felk

    (CGS i3 - Centre de Gestion Scientifique i3 - Mines Paris - PSL (École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris) - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Benoit Weil

    (CGS i3 - Centre de Gestion Scientifique i3 - Mines Paris - PSL (École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris) - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

We examine how teams working on radical innovation develop a novel type of absorptive capacity (AC) to make use of external knowledge. In the setting of the semiconductor industry we compare AC in incremental innovation and AC in radical innovation, relying on the most recent theory of design reasoning. We are led to propose a framework of how radical innovation teams leverage external knowledge using a specific type of AC. AC in incremental innovation can be described as 'epistemic absorptive capacity' (EAC), based on a stable set of design rules to address pre-identified problems; AC in radical innovation, which we label 'conceptual absorptive capacity' (CAC), is based on 'refined visions' with three facets: 1 'rule-breaking', to move from known to out-of-the-box 2 'hook building', to overcome cognitive crises by linking the unknown to multiple cognitive references 3 'milieu stimulation', to support the creation of new knowledge in the milieu.

Suggested Citation

  • Pascal Le Masson & Patrick Cogez & Yacine Felk & Benoit Weil, 2012. "Revisiting Absorptive Capacity with a Design Perspective," Post-Print hal-00870353, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00870353
    DOI: 10.1504/IJKMS.2012.051939
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-00870353v1
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    Cited by:

    1. Kokshagina, Olga & Le Masson, Pascal & Bories, Florent, 2017. "Fast-connecting search practices: On the role of open innovation intermediary to accelerate the absorptive capacity," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 232-239.
    2. Olga Kokshagina & Pascal Le Masson & Benoit Weil & Patrick Cogez, 2012. "Risk Management strategies in a highly uncertain environment: undesrtanding the role of common unknown," Post-Print hal-00734100, HAL.
    3. Kunyoung Hong & Boyoung Kim, 2020. "Organizational Resource and Innovativeness to Sustainable Design Outsourcing Service," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-16, June.

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