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Article: Absorptive capacity: a new perspective on learning and innovation. (Technology, Organizations, and Innovation)
- Article from:
- Administrative Science Quarterly
- Article date:
- March 1, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation
In this paper, we argue that the ability of a firm to recognize the value of new, external information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends is critical to its innovative capabilities. We label this capability a firm's absorptive capacity and suggest that it is largely a function of the firm's level of prior related knowledge. The discussion focuses first on the cognitive basis for an individual's absorptive capacity including, in particular, prior related knowledge and diversity of background. We then characterize the factors that influence absorptive capacity at the organizational level, ...