دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی اثر ساختار سازمانی بر ظرفیت جذب در حالتهای یادگیری تک و دوگانه - الزویر 2018

abstract

Structural theories of absorptive capacity (ACAP) usually aim to specify organizational design characteristics that lead to a high level of ACAP. Drawing on the theories of organizational design and knowledge management, this paper reviews how organizational structure relates to ACAP in single and dual learning modes. This study analyzed the structure of the ACAP relationship in management and organization studies based on a literature review of ACAP research. This study contributes to the ACAP literature in five ways: (1) it investigates the role of ACAP as an independent variable; (2) it focuses on the behavioral domain of ACAP; (3) it relates structural variables to ACAP in single and dual learning modes; (4) it establishes a link between structural variables and ACAP using a two-stage model, comprising initiation and implementation stages; and (5) it predicts ACAP by identifying several testable propositions and deriving two predictive contingency models. Several propositions and two predictive contingency models are recommended as directions for future research and theory construction.

Conclusions, limitations, and recommendations

This study concludes thatthe organizational dimensions needed by ACAP in a single-mode organization are radically different to those needed by a dual-mode organization. Examining the significant contributions from researchers and practitioners, this study provides a nuanced and in-depth understanding of the multidimensional nature of ACAP in single- and dual-mode organizations under different organizational structures. Based on our review, we propose two sets of propositions. In the single-mode case, organizations maintain the same structural pattern while ACAP takes place, and have no clear division of work for the various ACAP dimensions. In such a scenario, complexity and integration are high and positive, while formalization and centralization have a low effect on ACAP. The structural variables are initiation-viable and facilitate new knowledge initiation and propose development. In the dual mode case, organizations as a whole are involved in ACAP, throughout PACAP and RACAP, and are expected to change their structural patterns in each stage. In such a scenario, high complexity, high integration, low formalization, and low centralization facilitate PACAP, while low complexity, high formalization, high centralization, and high integration facilitate RACAP. Here, the structural variables are initiation-viable and implementationviable for PACAP and RACAP, respectively. Overall, this study joins the debate on the various perspectives of ACAP by connecting perspectives and the characteristics of organizational structure, an important variable, in order to better understand this issue. Several limitations and possible research directions are evident. A limitation of this study is that it focuses on two subsets of ACAP that are considered to be critical, owing to their special interrelation and because they are widely used in existing research. However, a re-conceptualization of ACAP that identifies four dimensions (i.e., acquisition, assimilation, transformation, and exploitation) could be considered. Furthermore, from a conceptual perspective, there is a need for a theoretical ACAP framework linking the environmental factors, contextual variables, individual attributes, human resource component, and multidimensionality of ACAP. Substantive contributions to the understanding of ACAP can be derived from research on the following topics: 1) linking the external environment, internal structure, context, and age of a firm to the multidimensionality of ACAP through longitudinal studies; 2) proposing multiple contingency models to determine the relative importance of the variables in the first topic; 3) testing the propositions developed in this study empirically; and 4) analyzing suitable exploratory and combinatory frameworks. Finally, this study proposes a theoretical framework, but this has not been validated empirically. In this vein, future research should test the model empirically using multivariate and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analyses (fsQCA; Roig-Tierno, Gonzalez-Cruz, and Llopis-Martinez, 2017) to verify its validity and determine its impact on organizational management and performance.