Synonyms
Definition
Cohen and Levinthal (1990) introduced the notion of absorptive capacity as the firm’s ability to value, assimilate, and apply new knowledge for improving organizational learning. The notion of absorptive capacity refers to the capacity of a recipient to assimilate value and use the knowledge transferred. The higher the absorptive capacity, that is, the better the organization (for instance, a firm) is at understanding the knowledge received and thus unlock and capture the intrinsic value of such knowledge and apply it for commercial purposes. This is related to the concepts of strategic knowledge serendipity and strategic knowledge arbritrage (Carayannis et al. 2006). Kim (1998) identified two components of absorptive capacity, namely prior knowledge and intensity of effort, and distinguished between the ability to learn new knowledge and the ability to use new knowledge in problem solving.
Theoretical Background
Absorptive...
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Carayannis, E.G. (2012). Absorptive Capacity and Organizational Learning. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1620
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1620
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