This article attempts to address a company’s absorptive capacity as a dynamic capability made up of a set of organizational learning capacities. We consider the different levels of organizational learning and distinguish between individual and collective absorptive capabilities. Unlike most previous studies, knowledge sharing is considered, here, as a crucial and a full dimension of the company’s absorptive capacity. An operationalization is proposed and a measure scale is constructed for the five absorptive capacity dimensions that are distinguished in this work. The Empirical study of 104 Tunisian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) validates the absorptive capacity conceptualization proposed in this article. It also outlines the main characteristics of this capacity in the Tunisian context.

This article proposes to decide on the impact of external and internal factors (competitive forces and strategic capabilities) on strategic competitive choices (pure or hybrid). Using a sample of Tunisian companies operating in the manufacturing industry, the results show that face to the competition’ intensity, companies opt for competitive hybrid strategies at the expense of pure ones only when they have strong combined strategic capabilities. However, when they have a stock of capabilities less rich and less diversified, they have interest to pursue a pure competitive strategy. Moreover, the study shows that the pure competitive strategy differs according to the nature of the strategic capabilities held.

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