Absorptive capacity, organizational antecedents, and environmental dynamism

Abstract

I examine organizational antecedents to absorptive capacity. Specifically, I identify and empirically test how the interaction between data integration and connectedness affects absorptive capacity. I also integrate the role of the environment in my research model by determining whether the link between these organizational capabilities and absorptive capacity varies across different levels of environmental dynamism. I test my model with data collected from 178 high-tech firms. The results show that data integration and connectedness jointly influence absorptive capacity; however, connectedness does not contribute to absorptive capacity above and beyond data integration for firms competing in dynamic environments. This study has implications for research and practice on absorptive capacity and organizational learning.