AAA

Towards enhancing the absorptive capacity of the organization- the double-mediating effect

Monika Stelmaszczyk

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the relationships between intra-organizational knowledge sharing and the absorptive capacity of a company - under conditions of two mediators: job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Identifying the relationships between these variables contributes to the development of the literature in the field of strategic management concerning the mechanisms creating the absorptive capacity of the company. Absorptive capacity is understood as the ability to acquire, assimilate, transform, and exploit useful external knowledge. The object of study was a company specializing in the production of high-quality insulating glass and special glass - one of the leading producers in this line of business in Poland. To test the hypotheses, the author performed the regression analysis, which revealed a direct relationship between the process of knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity. Above all, the results achieved show that intra-organizational knowledge absorption and transmission stimulates an increase in job satisfaction, which in turn leads to an increase in organizational commitment. Both changes result in a perceptible increase in the absorptive capacity of the examined company. The observed double-mediating effect constitutes the added value of the above investigations.

Keywords: absorptive capacity, knowledge sharing, job satisfaction, organizational commitment

References

  • Agarwal, P., Sajid, S.M. (2017). A Study of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intention Among Public and Private Sector Employees. Journal of Management Research, 17(3), 123-136.
  • Ahn, J.M., Ju, Y., Moon, T.H., Minshall, T., Probert, D., Sohn, S.Y., Mortara, L. (2016). Beyond Absorptive Capacity in Open Innovation Process: The Relationships Between Openness, Capacities and Firm Performance. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 28(9), 1009-1028.
  • Aino K., Mika, V., Pia, H. (2016). The Impact of Knowledge Management on Job Satisfaction. Journal of Knowledge Management, 20(4), 621-636.
  • Akeke, N.I., Akeke, A.R., Awolusi (2015). The Effect of Job Satisfaction on Organisational Commitment Among Non-academic Staff of Tertiary Institutions in Ekiti State. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research Method, 2(1), 25-39.
  • Bartol, K.M., Srivastava, A. (2002). Encouraging Knowledge Sharing: The Role of Organizational Reward Systems. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 9, 64-76.
  • Batarseh, F.S., Usher, J.M., Daspit, J.J. (2017). Absorptive Capacity in Virtual Teams: Examining the Influence on Diversity and Innovation. Journal of Knowledge Management, 21(6), 1342-1361.
  • Cavaliere, V., Lombardi, S. (2015). Exploring Different Cultural Configurations: How Do They Affect Subsidiaries' Knowledge Sharing Behaviors? Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(2), 141-163.
  • Chiang, Y.W., Hung, K.P. (2010). Exploring Open Search Strategies and Perceived Innovation Performance from the Perspective of Inter-organizational Knowledge Flows. R&D Management, 40(3), 292-299.
  • Cohen, W.M., Levinthal, D.A. (1990). Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(1), 128-152.
  • Dai, Y., Goodale, J.C., Byun, G., Ding, F. (2018). Strategic Flexibility in New High-Technology Ventures. Journal of Management Studies, 55(2), 265-294.
  • Davenport, T., Prusak, L. (2000). Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage. What They Know. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
  • Denicolai, S., Ramirez, M., Tidd, J. (2016). Overcoming the False Dichotomy Between Internal R&D and External Knowledge Acquisition: Absorptive Capacity Dynamics Over Time. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 104, 57-65.
  • Ferreras-Méndez, J.L., Fernández-Mesa, A., Alegre, J. (2016). The Relationship Between Knowledge Search Strategies and Absorptive Capacity: A Deeper Look. Technovation, 54, 48-61.
  • Fleury, M-J., Grenier, G., Bamvita, J-M. (2017). A Comparative Study of Job Satisfaction Among Nurses, Psychologists/Psychotherapists and Social Workers Working in Quebec Mental Health Teams. BMC Nursing, 16, 1-12.
  • Gebauer, H., Worch, H., Truffer, B. (2012). Absorptive Capacity, Learning Processes and Combinative Capabilities as Determinants of Strategic Innovation. European Management Journal, 30(1), 57-73.
  • Hackman, J., Oldham, G. (1975). Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60(2), 159-170.
  • Kang, M., Lee, M-J. (2017). Absorptive Capacity, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovative Behaviour of R&D Employees. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 29(2), 219-232.
  • Kianto, A., Vanhala, M., Heilmann, P. (2016). The Impact of Knowledge Management on Job Satisfaction. Journal of Knowledge Management, 20(4), 621-636.
  • Kim, L. (1997). The Dynamics of Samsung's Technological Learning in Semiconductors. California Management Review, 39(3), 86-100.
  • Lane, P.J., Koka, B.R., Pathak S. (2006). The Reification of Absorptive Capacity: A Critical Review and Rejuvenation of the Construct. Academy of Management Review, 31(4), 833-863.
  • Liao, S.H., Fei, W.C., Chen, C.C. (2007). Knowledge Sharing, Absorptive Capacity, and Innovation Capability: An Empirical Study of Taiwan's Knowledge Intensive Industries. Journal of Information Science, 33(3), 340-359.
  • Lin, H.F. (2007). Knowledge Sharing and Firm Innovation Capability: An Empirical Study. International Journal Of Manpower, 28(3/4), 315-332.
  • Locke, E.A. (1976), The Nature and Causes of Job Satisfaction. In: M.D. Dunette (ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1295-1349.
  • Markovits, Y., Davis, A.J., Van Dick, R. (2007), Organizational Commitment Profiles and Job Satisfaction among Greek Private and Public Sector Employees. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 7(1), 77-99.
  • Meyer, J.P., Allen, N.J. (1997). Commitment in the Workplace: Theory, Research and Application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Meyer, J.P., Stanley, L.H., Herscovitch, L., Topolnytsky, L. (2002). Affective, Continuance and Normative Commitment to the Organization: A Meta-Analysis of Antecedents, Correlates and Consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61(1), 20-52.
  • Ozer, M., Vogel, D. (2015). Contextualized Relationship Between Knowledge Sharing and Performance in Software Development. Journal of Management Information Systems, 32(2), 134-161.
  • Pavlou, P.A., Sawy, O.A. (2011), Understanding the Elusive Black Box of Dynamic Capabilities. Decision Sciences Journal, 42(1), 239-273.
  • Probst, G., Raub, S., Romhardt, K. (2012). Wissen Managen: Wie Unternrhmen Ihre Wertvollste Ressource Optimal Nutzen (7. Aufgabe). Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler.
  • Rafique, M., Hameed, S., Agha, M.H. (2018). Impact of Knowledge Sharing, Learning Adaptability and Organizational Commitment on Absorptive Capacity in Pharmaceutical Firms Based in Pakistan. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(1), 44-56.
  • Robbins, S.P. (2003). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  • Spector, P. (1997). Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes and Consequences. California: Sage.
  • Sudoł, S. (2014). Podstawowe problemy metodologiczne nauk o zarządzaniu. Organizacja i Kierowanie, 1(161), 11-36.
  • Stelmaszczyk, M. (2017). Zdolność innowacyjna a "Innovative Ambidexterity": rola czynników dzielenia się wiedzą i procesu dzielenia się wiedzą. Marketing i Rynek, 7, 705-720.
  • Swarnalatha, C., Sureshkrishna, G. (2013). A Study on the Effects of Managerial Initiatives on Job Satisfaction Among Employees of Automotive Industries in India. Pakistan Journal of Statistics, 29(5), 659-672.
  • Tallman, S., Jenkins, M., Henry, N., Pinch, S. (2004). Knowledge, Clusters, and Competitive Advantage. Academy of Management Review, 29(2), 258-271.
  • Teece, D.J. (2012). Dynamic Capabilities: Routines versus Entrepreneurial Action. Journal of Management Studies, 49(8), 1395-1401.
  • Tortoriello, M. (2015). The Social Underpinnings of Absorptive Capacity: The Moderating Effects of Structural Holes on Innovation Generation Based on External Knowledge. Strategic Management Journal, 36(4), 586-597.
  • Van den Hooff, B., Van Weenen, F.D.L. (2004). Committed to Share: Commitment and CMC Use as Antecedents of Knowledge Sharing. Knowledge and Process Management, 11(1), 13?24.
  • Volberda, H.W., Foss, N.J., Lyles, M.A. (2010). Absorbing the Concept of Absorptive Capacity: How to Realize Its Potential in the Organization Field. Organization Science, 21(4), 931-951.
  • Zacher, H., Jimmieson, N.L. (2013). Leader-Follower Interactions: Relations with OCB and Sales Productivity. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 28(1), 92-106.
  • Zahra, S.A., George, G. (2002). Absorptive Capacity: A Review, Reconceptualization, and Extension. Academy of Management Review, 27(2), 185-203.
AUTHOR

Monika Stelmaszczyk

About the article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15219/em75.1364

The article is in the printed version on pages 63-71.

pdf read the article (Polish)

How to cite

Stelmaszczyk, M. (2018). W kierunku poprawy zdolności absorpcyjnej przedsiębiorstwa - efekt podwójnej mediacji. e-mentor, 3(75), 63-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15219/em75.1364