A measure of absorptive capacity: Scale development and validation

European Management Journal

Volumn 29, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 98-116

  Flatten, Tessa C ^a   Engelen, Andreas ^a   Zahra, Shaker A ^b   Brettel, Malte ^a  

^a RWTH AACHEN UNIVERSITY   (Germany)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA   (United States)

Author keywords

Absorptive capacity; Scale development; Survey based research

Indexed keywords

EID: 79952734721     PISSN: 02632373     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2010.11.002     Document Type: Article

References (141)

1. Ahuja G., Katila R. Technological acquisitions and the innovation performence of acquiring firms: A longitudinal study. Strategic Management Journal 2001, 22(3):197-220.
2. Alavi M., Leidner D. Knowledge management systems: Issues, challenges, and benefits. Communications of AIS 1999, 1(7).
3. Allen R. Collective innovation. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 1983, 4:1-24.
4. Argyris C., Schön D. Organizational learning - A theory of action perspective 1978, Addison Wesley, Reading. Mass.
5. Armstrong J., Overton T. Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. Journal of Marketing Research 1977, 14(3):396-402.
6. Auster E., Choo C. Environmental scanning by CEOs in two Canadian industries. Journal of American Society for Information Science 1993, 44(4):194-203.
7. Bagozzi R., Yi Y. On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 1988, 16(1):74.
8. Barney J. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management 1991, 17(1).
9. Baumgartner H., Homburg C. Applications of structural equation modelling in marketing and consumer research: A review. International Journal of Research in Marketing 1996, 13(2):139-161.
10. Bearden W., Netemeyer R., Teel J. Measurement of consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence. Journal of Consumer Research 1989, 15(4):473-481.
11. Beatty S., Smith S. External search effort: An investigation across several product categories. The Journal of Consumer Research 1987, 14(1):83-95.
12. Belderbos R., Carree M., Diederen B., Lokshin B., Veugelers R. Heterogeneity in R&D cooperation strategies. International Journal of Industrial Organization 2004, 22(8/9):1237-1263.
13. Bentler P., Bonett D. Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin 1980, 88(3):588-606.
14. Bierly P., Daly P. Alternative knowledge strategies: Competitive environment, and organizational performance in small manufacturing firms. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 2007, 493:516.
15. Bollen K., Ting K. A tetrad test for causal indicators. Psychological Methods 2000, 5(1):3-22.
16. Bontis N., Crossan M., Hulland J. Managing an organizational learning system by aligning stocks and flows. Journal of Management Studies 2002, 39(4):437-468.
17. Boynton A., Zmud R., Jacobs G. The influence of IT management practice on IT use in large organizations. MIS Quarterly 1994, 18(3):299-318.
18. Burgel O., Murray G. The international market entry choices of start-up companies in high-technolgy industries. Journal of International Marketing 2000, 8(2):33-62.
19. Chin W. The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. Modern methods for business research 1998, 295-358. Lawrence Erlbaum, Associates, Mahwah, NJ. G. Marcoulides (Ed.).
20. Choi, S., & Ko, I. (2010). The effects of electronic collaboration on interorganizational learning and firm performance. Proceedings of the 2010 43rd Hawaii international conference on system sciences.
21. Choo C., Bontis N. The strategic management of intellectual capital and organizational knowledge 2002, Oxford University Press.
22. Churchill G. A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of Marketing Research 1979, 16(1):64-73.
23. Cockburn I., Henderson R. Absorptive capacity, coauthoring behavior, and the organization of research in drug discovery. Journal of Industrial Economics 1998, 46(2):157-182.
24. Cohen W., Levinthal D. Innovation and learning: The two faces of R&D. Economic Journal 1989, 99(397):569-596.
25. Cohen W., Levinthal D. Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly 1990, 35(2):128-152.
26. Cohen W., Levinthal D. Fortune favours the prepared firm. Management Science 1994, 40(2):227-251.
27. Collins C., Smith K. Knowledge exchange and combination: The role of human resource practices in the performance of high-technology firms. Academy of Management Journal 2006, 49(3):544-560.
28. Cooke N., Salas E., Cannon-Bowers J.A., Stout R. Measuring team knowledge. Human Factors 2000, 42:151-173.
29. Coombs J., Bierly B. Measuring technological capability and performance. R&D Management 2006, 36(4).
30. Daft R., Sormunen J., Parks D. Chief executive scanning, environmental characteristics, and company performance. An empirical study. Strategic Management Journal 1988, 9:123-139.
31. del Carmen Haro-Dominguez M., Arias-Aranda D., Javier Lloréns-Montes F., Ruiz Moreno A. The impact of absorptive capacity on technological acquisitions engineering consulting companies. Technovation 2007, 27(8):417-425.
32. DeVellis R. Scale development: Theory and applications 2003, Sage, Thousand Oaks. 2nd ed.
33. DiBella A., Nevis E. How organizations learn: An integrated strategy for building learning capability 1998, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
34. Douglas S., Craig C. Comparative marketing systems 1984, Praeger, New York, pp. 93-113.
35. Drejer A. Situations for innovation management: Towards a contingency model. European Journal of Innovation Management 2002, 5(1):4-17.
36. Dyer J. Effective interfirm collaboration: How firms minimize transaction costs and maximize transaction value. Strategic Management Journal 1997, 18:553-556.
37. Edmondson A., Moingeon B. From organizational learning to the learning organization. Management Learning 1998, 29(1):5-20.
38. Espinosa A., Slaughter S., Kraut R., Herbsleb J. Team knowledge and coordination in geographically distributed software development. Journal of Management Information Systems 2007, 24(1):135-169.
39. Ettlie J., Pavlou P. Technology-based new product development partnerships. Decision Sciences 2006, 37(2):117-147.
40. Evenson R., Kislev Y. Investment in agricultural research and extension: A survey of international data. Economic Development & Cultural Change 1975, 23(3):507.
41. Fang, S., Huang, P., & Liu, C. (in press). Why governance matters in knowledge management: Examining organizational knowledge creation from knowledge governance perspective.
42. Farrell M. Developing a market-oriented learning organisation. Australian Journal of Management 2000, 25(2):201-222.
43. Feldvari, K. (2000). Thesauri usage in information retrieval systems: Example of LISTA and ERIC database thesaurus. INFuture2009: "Digital resources and knowledge sharing"
44. Fornell C., Larcker D. Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 1981, 18(1):39-50.
45. Fosfuri A., Tribó J. Exploring the antecedents of potential absorptive capacity and its impact on innovation performance. Omega 2008, 36(2):173-187.
46. Gee Woo B., Young-Gul K. Breaking the myths of rewards: An exploratory study of attitudes about knowledge sharing. Information Resources Management Journal 2002, 15(2):14.
47. Grant R. Toward a knowledge-based theory of the firm. Strategie Management Journal 1996, 17(Winter Special Issue):109-122.
48. Gupta A., Govindarajan V. Knowledge flows within the multinational accumulation: The case of R&D. Strategic Management Journal 2000, 21:473-496.
49. Hansen K. Measuring performance at trade shows: Scale development and validation. Journal of Business Research 2002, 57:1-13.
50. Helfat C. Know-how and asset complementarity and dynamic capability accumulation: The case of R&D. Strategic Management Journal 1997, 18(5).
51. Hinkin T.R. A review of scale development practices in the study of organizations. Journal of Management 1995, 21(5):967-988.
52. Hock-Hai T., Xinwei W., Kwok-Kee W., Choon-Ling S., Matthew L. Organizational learning capacity and attitude toward complex technological innovations: An empirical study. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 2006, 57(2):264-279.
53. Hofstede G. Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations 2001, Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage.
54. Holsapple C., Joshi K. An investigation of factors that influence the management of knowledge in organizations. Journal of Strategic Information Systems 2000, 9(2/3):235-261.
55. Holsapple C., Joshi K. Knowledge Management: A Threefold Framework. The Information Society 2002, 18:47-64.
56. Hu L., Bentler P. Evaluating model fit. Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications 1995, 76-99. Thousand Oaks. R. Hoyle (Ed.).
57. Huber G. Organizational learning: The contributing processes and the literatures. Organization Science 1991, 2(1):88-115.
58. Hult G., Ketchen D., Slater S. Information processing, knowledge development, and strategic supply chain performance. Academy of Management Journal 2004, 47(2):241-253.
59. Hurmerinta-Peltomäki L., Nummela N. Mixed methods in international business research: A value-added perspective. Management International Review 2006, 46(4):1-21.
60. Jansen J., Van den Bosch F., Volberda H. Managing potential and realized absorptive capacity: How do organizational antecedents matter?. Academy of Management Journal 2005, 48(6).
61. Jarvis C., MacKenzie S., Podsakoff P., Mick D., Bearden W. A critical review of construct indicators and measurement model misspecification in marketing and consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research 2003, 30:199-218.
62. Jick T. Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods: Triangulation in action. Qualitative methodology 1979, 135-148. Sage, London. J. van Maanen (Ed.).
63. Jones G., Lanctot A., Teegen H. Determinant and performance impact of external technology acquisition. Journal of Business Venturing 2001, 16:255-283.
64. Jöreskog K. Testing structural equation models. Testing structural equation models 1993, 294-316. Sage, Thousand Oaks. K. Bollen, J. Long (Eds.).
65. Kim D. From imitation to innovation: The dynamics of Koreás technological learning 1997, Harvard Business School Press.
66. Klassen R., Jacobs J. Experimental comparison of web, electronic and mail survey technologies in operations management. Journal of Operations Management 2001, 19(6).
67. Knapp S. The contemporary thesaurus of search terms and synonyms: A guide for natural language computer searching 2000, The Oryx Press, Phoenix. 2nd ed.
68. Ko D., Kirsch L., King W. Antecedents of knowledge transfer from consultants to clients in entreprise system implementations. MIS Quarterly 2005, 29(1):59-85.
69. Kohli A., Jaworski B., Kumar A. MARKOR: A measure of market orientation. Journal of Marketing Research 1993, 30(4):467-477.
70. Kotler P., Armstrong G. Principles of marketing 1991, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
71. Lane P., Koka B., Pathak S. The reification of absorptive capacity: A critical review and rejuvenation of the construct. Academy of Management Review 2006, 31(4):833-863.
72. Lane P., Lubatkin M. Relative absorptive capacity and interorganizational learning. Strategic Management Journal 1998, 19(5):461-477.
73. Lane P., Salk J., Lyles M. Absorptive capacity, learning, and performance in international joint ventures. Strategic Management Journal 2001, 22(12):1139-1161.
74. Laursen K., Salter A. Open for innovation: The role of openness in explaining innovation performance among U.K. manufacturing firms. Strategic Management Journal 2006, 27:131-150.
75. Lawson B., Samson D. Developing innovation capability in organisations: A dynamic capabilities approach. International Journal of Innovation Management 2001, 5(3).
76. Lenox M., King A. Prospects for developing absorptive capacity through internal information provision. Strategic Management Journal 2004, 25(4):331-345.
77. Liao L. A learning organization perspective on knowledge-sharing behavior and firm innovation. Human Systems Management 2006, 25:227-236.
78. Liao S., Fei W., Chen C. Knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity, and innovation capability: An empirical study of Taiwańs knowledge-intensive industries. Journal of Information Science 2007, 33(3):340-359.
79. Liao S., Welsch H., Stoica M. Organisational absorptive capacity and responsiveness: An empirical investigation of growth-oriented SMEs. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 2003, 1:63-85.
80. Lin C. To share or not to share: Modelling tacit knowledge sharing, its mediators and antecedents. Journal of Business Ethics 2007, 70:411-428.
81. Liu W. Knowledge exploitation, knowledge exploration, and competency trap. Knowledge and Process Management 2006, 13(3):144-161.
82. Liu X., White R. The relative contributions of foreign technology and domestic inputs to innovation in chinese manufacturing industries. Technovation 1997, 17(3):119-125.
83. Lu L., Leung K., Koch P. Managerial knowledge sharing: The role of individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors. Management and Organization Review 2006, 2(1):15-41.
84. McAdam R., Reid R. SME and large organization perceptions of knowledge management: Comparisons and contrasts. Journal of Knowledge Management 2001, 5(3):231-241.
85. Meeus M., Oerlemans L., Hage J. Patterns of interactive learning in a high-tech region. Organization Studies 2001, 22(1):145-172.
86. Mohr L. Explaining organizational behavior 1982, Jossey-Bass, San Franscisco.
87. Moorman C., Miner A. Organizational improvisation and organizational memory. Academy of Management Review 1998, 23:698-723.
88. Mowery D., Oxley J. Inward technology transfer and competitiveness: The role of national innovation systems. Cambridge Journal of Economics 1995, 1:67-93.
89. Mowery D., Oxley J., Silverman B. Strategic alliances and interfirm knowledge transfer. Strategic Management Journal 1996, 17(Winter 96 Special):77-91.
90. Mukherjee A., Mitchell W., Talbot F. the impact of new manufacturing requirements on production line productivity and quality at a focused factory. Journal of Operations Management 2000, 18(2):139-168.
91. Muscio A. The impact of absorptive capacity on smes' collaboration. Economics of Innovation & New Technology 2007, 16(8):653-668.
92. Nambisan S., Agarwal R., Tanniru M. Organizational mechanisms for enhancing user innovation in information technology. MIS Quarterly 1999, 23(3):365-395.
93. Nevis E., DiBella A. Understanding organizations as learning systems. Sloan Management Review 1995.
94. Newell S.J., Goldsmith R.E. The development of a scale to measure perceived corporate credibility. Journal of Business Research 2001, 52:235-247.
95. Newman D. Longitudinal modeling with randomly and systematically missing data: A simulation of ad hoc, maximum likelihood, and multiple imputation techniques. Organizational Reserach Methods 2003, 6(3).
96. Nielsen J., Pawlik K. The export intensity of foreign affiliates in transition economies. Economics of Transition 2007, 15(3):603-624.
97. Nonaka I. A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. Organization Science 1994, 5(1):14-37.
98. Nonaka I., Takeuchi H. The knowledge creating company 1995, Oxford University Press, NewYork.
99. Nunnally J. Psychometric Theory 1978, McGraw-Hill, New York. 2nd ed.
100. Oltra M., Flor M. The impact of technological opportunities and innovative capabilities on firms' output innovation. Creativity & Innovation Management 2003, 12(3):137.
101. Organ D., Greene C. The effects of formalization on professional involvement: A compensatory process approach. Administrative Science Quarterly 1981, 26:237-252.
102. Pavlou P., El Sawy O. From IT leveraging competence to competitive advantage in turbulent environments: The case of new product development. Information Systems Research 2006, 17(3):198-227.
103. Penrose E. The theory of the growth of the firm 1959, Oxford University Press, New York.
104. Podsakoff P., MacKenzie C., Lee J., Podsakoff N. Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology 2003, 88(5):879-903.
105. Reinartz W., Krafft M., Hoyer W. The customer relationship management process: Its measurement and impact on performance. Journal of Marketing Research 2004, 41(3):293-305.
106. Rossiter J.R. The C-OAR-SE procedure for scale development in marketing. International Journal of Research in Marketing 2002, 19(4):305.
107. Rulke D., Galaskiewicz J. Distribution of knowledge, group network structure, and group performance. Management Science 2000, 46:612-625.
108. Saris W., Satorra A., Sörbom D. The detection and correction of specification errors in structural equation models. Sociological methodology 1987, 105-129. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. C. Clogg (Ed.).
109. Schmidt, T. (2005). Absorptive capacity - One size fits all? A firm-level analysis of absorptive capacity for different kinds of knowledge. Center for European Economic Research (ZEW).
110. Schreiber C., Carley K. Network leadership: Leading for learning and adaptability. Complexity and leadership volume I: Conceptual foundations 2008, IAP Publications, Charlotte. M. Uhl-Bien, R. Marion (Eds.).
111. Shu S., Wong V., Lee N. The effects of external linkages on new product innovativeness: An examination of moderating and mediating influences. Journal of Strategic Marketing 2005, 13:199-218.
112. Sidhu J., Commandeur H., Volberda H. The multifaceted nature of exploration and exploitation: Value of supply, demand, and spatial search for innovation. Organization Science 2007, 18(1):20-38.
113. Soonhee K., Hyangsoo L. The impact of organizational context and information technology on employee knowledge-sharing capabilities. Public Administration Review 2006, 370:385.
114. Steiger, J., & Lind, J. (1980). Statistically based tests for the number of common factors. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Psychometric Society.
115. Stock G., Greis N., Fischer W. Absorptive capacity and new product development. Journal of High Technology Management Research 2001, 12(1):77.
116. Szulanski G. Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm. Strategic Management Journal 1996, 17(Winter 96 Special Issue):27-43.
117. Tahai A., Meyer M.J. A revealed preference study of management journals' direct influences. Strategic Management Journal 1999, 20(3):279.
118. Teece D., Pisano G., Shuen A. Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal 1997, 18(7):509-533.
119. Teo H., Wang X., Wei K., Sia C., Lee M. Organizational learning capacity and attitude toward complex technological innovations: An empirical study. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 2006, 57(2):264-279.
120. Tergan, S. (2003). Managing Knowledge with Computer-based Mapping Tools. In: D. Lassner & McNaught, C. (Eds.), Proceedings of the ED-Media (pp. 2514-2517). Honolulu, HI: University of Honolulu.
121. Thérin F. Absorptive capacity: An empirical test of zahra and george's contribution in small business settings. Gestion 2007, 2000:4.
122. Tilton J. International diffusion of technology: The case of semiconductors 1971, The Brookins Institution, Washington D.C.
123. Tiwana A., McLean E. Expertise integration and creativity in information systems development. Journal of Management Information Systems 2005, 22(1):13-43.
124. Torodova G., Durisin B. Absorptive capacity: Valuing a reconceptualization. Academy of Management Review 2007, 32(3):774-786.
125. Tsai W. Knolwedge transfer in interorganizational networks: Effects of network position and absorptive capacity on business unit innovation and performance. Academy of Management Journal 2001, 44(5):996-1004.
126. Tu Q., Vonderembse M.A., Ragu-Nathan T.S., Sharkey T.W. Absorptive capacity: Enhancing the assimilation of time-based manufacturing practices. Journal of Operations Management 2006, 24(5).
127. Tushman M., Nadler A. Information processing as an integration concept in organizational design. Academy of Management Review 1978, 3(3).
128. Van Den Bosch F., Van Wijk R., Volberda H. Absorptive capacity: Antecedents, models, and outcomes. Blackwell handbook of organizational learning & knowledge management 2003, 278-301. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA. M. Easterby-Smith, M. Lyles (Eds.).
129. Vandenbosch F., Volberda H., De Boer M. Coevolution of firm absorptive capacity and knowledge environment: Organizational forms and combinative capabilities. Organization Science 1999, 10(5):551-568.
130. Vanderwerf P., Brush C. Achieving empirical progress in an undefined field. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice 1989, 13:45-58.
131. Veugelers R. Internal R&D expenditures and external technology sourcing. Research Policy 1997, 26(3).
132. Veugelers R., Cassiman B. Make and buy in innovation strategies: Evidence from belgian manufacturing firms. Research Policy 1999, 28:62-80.
133. Vinding A. Absorptive capacity and innovative performance. A human capital approach. Economics of Innovation & New Technology 2006, 15(4/5):507-517.
134. Vorhies D., Harker M. The capabilities and performance advantages of market-driven firms: An empirical investigation. Australian Journal of Management 2000, 25(2):145-171.
135. Wang L., Ahmed K. Dynamic capabilities: A review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews 2007, 9(1):31-51.
136. Watson S., Hewett K. A multi-theoretical model of knowledge transfer in organizations: Determinants of knowledge contribution and knowledge reuse. Journal of Management Studies 2006, 43(2):141-173.
137. Weick K., Roberts K. Collective mind in organizations: Heedful interrelating on flight decks. Administrative Science Quarterly 1993, 38(3):357-381.
138. Wernerfelt B. A resource-based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal 1984, 5:171-180.
139. Wheaton B., Muthen B., Alwin D., Summers G. Assessing reliability and stability in panel models. Sociological methodology 1977, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. D. Heise (Ed.).
140. Wilkens U., Menzel D., Pawlosky P. Inside the black-box: Analysing the generation of core competencies and dynamic capabilities by exploring collective minds. An organisational learning perspective. Management Revue 2004, 15(1):8-26.
141. Zahra S., George G. Absorptive capacity: A review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of Management Review 2002, 27(2):185-203.