Keywords:absorptive capacity emergence micro-macro level interactions learning process A firm's absorptive capacity involves two dimensions: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal dimension refers to a dynamic interplay between internal and external environments of the firm, which is extensively covered in the absorptive capacity research. However, the literature ignores vertical dimension involving individualorganization interactions. Scant knowledge is available about the mechanisms through which absorptive capacity emerges as an organizational learning capability. This study reviews the seminal works of Cohen and Levinthal and finds that the stickiness of knowledge, the multiple antecedents of absorptive capacity and their interactions are explicitly addressed therein, but are insufficiently problematized in subsequent research. Drawing on the knowledge-based view of the firm and the micro-foundations lens of organizational capabilities, the present study re-conceptualizes absorptive capacity as a set of three sequentially linked learning processes where individual and organizational antecedents interact, and explains how value recognition, assimilation and application capabilities emerge as organizational (macro) level phenomena.

Abstract:This paper posits that innovation management practices are contingent upon the type of industry, and examines the innovation management practices in a distinctive set of service firms: production-intensive service firms. Production-intensive services are standardized services produced at a large scale. These services have received little attention from prior comprehensive qualitative innovation management practices research. The examination in this paper is based on in-depth interviews with 21 keyemployees in five large Scandinavian production-intensive service firms. The results revealed a number of innovation management practices specific to productionintensive service firms in the four dimensions of strategy and culture, front end of innovation and portfolio management, development process as well as intellectual and organizational resources. The findings expose that production-intensive service firms are less likely to have an explicit innovation strategy and they are unlikely to measure the strategic impact of innovation activities. Furthermore, the innovation processes in production-intensive service firms tend to be flexible, although formal descriptions exist. The findings extend knowledge on innovation management practices research and provide useful lessons and implications for managers who seek to develop new production-intensive services. The findings also demonstrate that there is a need to acknowledge a contingent view of innovation management practices that are receptive to the type of context the innovation occur in.Response to Reviewers: Please see separate file. Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems CorporationInnovation Management Practices in Production-Intensive Service Firms Explanatory notes to the editor and reviewerThank you for the opportunity to revise and resubmit this manuscript. We appreciate the reviewer's efforts and valid suggestions for improvement of our paper. We have revised our paper by taking the suggestions into account and we think that the paper has been much improved by doing so. Please find our detailed response to all the comments made by the reviewer in the Putting ahead the lack of literature on the matter as the author did is very useful, but should not occupy such a huge place in the beginning of the paper, one paragraph suffices. As an example, I will start with the description of large firms and their specificity in the management of innovation services as the authors did at the end of page 3 and starting from it put ahead the value added of their work by showing the lack of studies on the matter in the empirical literature.We have carefully revised the introduction based on the reviewer's advice. We agree with the reviewer that it is better to start with the description of the context, and then discuss the literature gaps and the value of the research. Consequently, the structure of the introduction has been changed by removing the first general paragraph, and by explaining the context, i.e. service innovation in (larg...

Purpose This empirical paper aims to assess how social media can foster workplace learning within a globally dispersed project environment. In general, there are few studies on the use of social media in organizations, and many of these emphasize on issues related to knowledge transfer. Although learning traditionally has been as acquisition of knowledge, increasingly researchers point to learning-as-participation occurring through work collaboration. Social media promise increased opportunities for communication and collaboration, extending the context of collaboration beyond the local setting. However, there exists limited research on how social media can foster workplace learning, for example, between globally dispersed colleagues. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on an exploratory, in-depth single case study of an international professional service firm’s implementation of an internal wiki system to address the research question: how are social media utilized in an organization to foster workplace learning among its dispersed individual experts? Data are gathered in 35 semi-structured interviews, as well as documents studies and observations. Data are coded and analyzed utilizing the context and learning factors of workplace learning. Findings The paper shows how the wiki system enables hybrid knowledge management strategies linked to virtual collaboration on daily project tasks, involving documentation, search, interaction and knowledge exchange, as well as socialization and learning from practice among dispersed groups and individuals. The learning mechanisms involved in virtual collaboration do not differ much from what is reported on face-to-face workplace learning, however, the context factors are extended beyond the local setting. Practical implications The findings identify four determinants for using the wiki that can be of use to other organizations implementing similar virtual collaboration technology. First, the wiki must directly relate to the daily work by offering interactive and updated information concerning current project challenges. Second, the system must enable transparency in the daily project work to allow search. Third, the intention with the search is of lesser degree to identify encyclopedic information than it is to visualize individual competence. Fourth, the quality assurance of the data posted at the wiki is important. Originality/value The study reveals how an international knowledge-based organization can utilize social media to leverage knowledge and experiences from multiple geographically dispersed projects by enabling virtual collaboration. Extant empirical research on workplace learning emphasizes on face-to-face interactions in groups, for example, when engineers, or accountants, in teams interact and collaborate at client premises. However, there exists limited knowledge concerning how workplace learning can be achieved through virtual collaboration.

A stream of servitisation research has focused on the construction of taxonomies and typologies of product–service system business models (BMs). However, their relevance in the context of increased utilisation of digital technologies may be questioned. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to empirically revisit the existing product–service system BM taxonomies to explore the following research question: How can the BMs of servitised manufacturing firms be categorised in the digital era? The question is addressed through an embedded case study of five servitised firms. We found that the firms’ BMs varied with regard to the degree of the suppliers’ ownership of delivered products, degree of smartness of the services provided and degree of performance orientation of contracts. Based on these findings, we derived a new product–service system BM taxonomy with eight categories, presented in a 2 × 2 × 2 matrix, that significantly extends earlier taxonomies.

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