Abstract
Taking stock of three decades of absorptive capacity (AC) research, we synthesize research on the development of this construct. We identify path- dependencies and managerial agency as two strands of research in this context. The first class of antecedents emphasizes a deterministic approach towards AC development, including experiential attributes, inter- organizational antecedents, and organizational practices. Managerial capabilities, in contrast, focus on managerial agency and include dynamic managerial capabilities. We discuss how different antecedents affect the development of absorptive capacity, and use meta-analytical techniques to gauge the strength of individual antecedents. Our results suggest that managerial cognition, in particular, leads to succesful AC development. Our findings hold within different field-level and methodological contexts.
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