Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity in Colombian Firms: The Mediating Role of the Organizational Climate for Innovation

Abstract

The absorptive capacity is related to knowledge evaluation and acquisition (Potential Capacity), as well as to the transformation and exploitation of such knowledge (Realized Capacity). This research aims to analyze the absorptive capacity in Colombian companies and to investigate whether the Realized capacity can be predicted from the Potential capacity. Likewise, due to the importance of the context on the absorptive capacity development, the mediating role of the organizational climate for innovation was tested. Through a cross-sectional study, a total of 260 employees from different companies completed the Absorptive Capacity Scale and the Organizational Climate for Innovation Scale. The results showed that Potential absorptive capacity is needed for Realized absorptive capacity, additionally, organizational climate for innovation exerted a mediator role in this transition. These findings highlight that companies should have an organizational climate that allows them to acquire and transform knowledge in order to increase their innovativeness and be more competitive. Further studies should analyze the organizational innovation in relation to the proposed and tested model, while considering employees from different industrial sectors.

Innovation and international business: A systematic literature review

“…Thus, Cantwell [ 3 ] remembers that there has been an increasing awareness of the importance of absorptive capacity on the part of firms [ 96 ]. In this same line, Contreras et al [ 97 ] show that companies should have an organizational climate that allows them to acquire and transform knowledge in order to increase their innovativeness and be more competitive in a globalized world. Having this in mind, firms and locations co-evolve with one another, and it is possible to appreciate the rise of knowledge connectivity in innovation systems, that is a new underlying reality of the international business field [ 98 ].…”

Capacidad de absorción del conocimiento y rendimiento de las pequeñas empresas colombianas

“…Es decir, organizaciones que cuenten con un liderazgo que fomente un entorno de aprendizaje y clima organizacional colaborativo que permita que los individuos puedan realizar actividades en su nivel óptimo para crear valor y, a su vez, identificar, asimilar, explotar y transformar el conocimiento interno y externo (Contreras et al, 2021;Estivalete & Pedrozo, 2018;Gibb et al, 2017;Mastio et al, 2020).…”

Where there is pressure, there is motivation? The impact of challenge-hindrance stressors on employees’ innovation performance

“…atmosphere and innovation performance, and negatively regulates the relationship between negative emotional atmosphere and innovation performance (Havlovic and Keenan, 1995;Contreras et al, 2021). Specifically, employees with a positive organizational climate are likely to find key information or inspiration for innovation with positive emotions, and are more likely to show innovative behaviors, and then promote the improvement of innovation performance (Bu et al, 2021), when faced with challenging stressors (Binnewies and Wrnlein, 2011).…”

“…Organizational climate refers to an overall attribute of an organization, which is the enduring characteristic of the organization or environment perceived by the organization or its members ( Forehand and Haller, 1964 ; Schneider and Bartlett, 2010 ). Based on the conservation of resource theory, positive organizational climate is a valuable social resource that has a significant impact on employees’ individual innovation performance ( Contreras et al, 2021 ). On the one hand, research have shown that, team members with positive organizational climate can effectively use social resources to explain and integrate different ideas and views, so they are more focused on creative tasks and less distracted by psychological anxiety, enhance the positive emotional atmosphere ( Bu et al, 2021 ).…”