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An examination of the relationship between absorptive capacity and organizational learning, and a proposed integration

Abstract
Since its inception, the concept of absorptive capacity has been closely linked with notions of organizational learning. Yet the precise nature of the relationship between these two concepts has never been established. This relationship is examined in a variety of ways, and it is suggested that the literature on these two concepts shares a conceptual affinity which needs to be delineated. It is suggested that absorptive capacity (a dynamic capability) is a concrete example of organizational learning that concerns an organization's relationship with new external knowledge. Using the 4I Model for organizational learning (Crossan, M.M., Lane, H.W. and White, R.E. (1999). An organizational learning framework: from intuition to institution. Academy of Management Review, 24, 522–537) and Zahra and George's conceptualization of absorptive capacity (Zahra, S.A. and George, G. (2002). Absorptive capacity: a review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of Management Review, 27, 185–203), this paper proposes an integration of the two concepts.
Type
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Sun, P.Y-T. & Anderson, M.H. (2010). An examination of the relationship between absorptive capacity and organizational learning, and a proposed integration. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(2), 130-150.
Date
2010
Publisher
Blackwell Publishing
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