Author
Gautam Ahuja
Other affiliations: College of Business Administration, University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan ...read more
Bio: Gautam Ahuja is an academic researcher from Cornell University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Monopolistic competition & Technological change. The author has an hindex of 21, co-authored 34 publications receiving 17605 citations. Previous affiliations of Gautam Ahuja include College of Business Administration & University of Texas at Austin.
Papers
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TL;DR: In this paper, a theoretical framework that relates three aspects of a firm's ego network (direct ties, indirect ties, and indirect ties) is proposed to assess the effects of a firms network of relations on innovation.
Abstract: To assess the effects of a firm's network of relations on innovation, this paper elaborates a theoretical framework that relates three aspects of a firm's ego network—direct ties, indirect ties, an...
4,829 citations
TL;DR: The authors examine how firms search, or solve problems, to create new products and find that firms position themselves in a unidimensional search space that spans a spectrum from local to distant search.
Abstract: We examine how firms search, or solve problems, to create new products. According to organizational learning research, firms position themselves in a unidimensional search space that spans a spectrum from local to distant search. Our findings in the global robotics industry suggest that firms' search efforts actually vary across two distinct dimensions: search depth, or how frequently the firm reuses its existing knowledge, and search scope, or how widely the firm explores new knowledge.
3,110 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of acquisitions on the subsequent innovation performance of acquiring firms in the chemicals industry is examined, and the authors distinguish between technological acquisitions, acquisitions in which technology is a component of the acquired firm's assets, and non-technological acquisitions: acquisitions that do not involve a technological component.
Abstract: This paper examines the impact of acquisitions on the subsequent innovation performance of acquiring firms in the chemicals industry We distinguish between technological acquisitions, acquisitions in which technology is a component of the acquired firm's assets, and nontechnological acquisitions: acquisitions that do not involve a technological component We develop a framework relating acquisitions to firm innovation performance and develop a set of measures for quantifying the technological inputs a firm obtains through acquisitions We find that within technological acquisitions absolute size of the acquired knowledge base enhances innovation performance, while relative size of the acquired knowledge base reduces innovation output The relatedness of acquired and acquiring knowledge bases has a nonlinear impact on innovation output Nontechnological acquisitions do not have a significant effect on subsequent innovation output Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
2,147 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify three organizational pathologies that inhibit breakthrough inventions: the familiarity trap, the maturity trap and the propinquity trap, and argue that by experimenting with novel technologies in which the firm lacks prior experience, emerging technologies that are recent or newly developed in the industry, and pioneering technologies that do not build on any existing technologies firms can overcome these traps and create breakthrough inventions.
Abstract: We present a model that explains how established firms create breakthrough inventions. We identify three organizational pathologies that inhibit breakthrough inventions: the familiarity trap – favoring the familiar; the maturity trap – favoring the mature; and the propinquity trap – favoring search for solutions near to existing solutions. We argue that by experimenting with novel (i.e., technologies in which the firm lacks prior experience), emerging (technologies that are recent or newly developed in the industry), and pioneering (technologies that do not build on any existing technologies) technologies firms can overcome these traps and create breakthrough inventions. Empirical evidence from the chemicals industry supports our model. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
2,140 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between emissions reduction and firm performance is examined empirically for a sample of S&P 500 firms using data drawn from the Investor Responsibility Research Center's Corporate Environmental Profile and Compustat.
Abstract: Evidence can be marshalled to support either the view that pollution abatement is a cost burden on firms and is detrimental to competitiveness, or that reducing emissions increases efficiency and saves money, giving firms a cost advantage. In an effort to resolve this seeming paradox, the relationship between emissions reduction and firm performance is examined empirically for a sample of S&P 500 firms using data drawn from the Investor Responsibility Research Center's Corporate Environmental Profile and Compustat. The results indicate that efforts to prevent pollution and reduce emissions drop to the ‘bottom line’ within one to two years of initiation and that those firms with the highest emission levels stand the most to gain.
1,771 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify key dimensions of absorptive capacity and offer a reconceptualization of this construct, and distinguish between a firm's potential and realized capacity, and then advance a model outlining the conditions when the firm's realized capacities can differentially influence the creation and sustenance of its competitive advantage.
Abstract: Researchers have used the absorptive capacity construct to explain various organizational phenomena. In this article we review the literature to identify key dimensions of absorptive capacity and offer a reconceptualization of this construct. Building upon the dynamic capabilities view of the firm, we distinguish between a firm's potential and realized capacity. We then advance a model outlining the conditions when the firm's potential and realized capacities can differentially influence the creation and sustenance of its competitive advantage.
8,648 citations
TL;DR: A growing number of sociologists, political scientists, economists, and organizational theorists have invoked the concept of social capital in the search for answers to a broadening range of questions being confronted in their own fields as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A growing number of sociologists, political scientists, economists, and organizational theorists have invoked the concept of social capital in the search for answers to a broadening range of questions being confronted in their own fields. Seeking to clarify the concept and help assess its utility for organizational theory, we synthesize the theoretical research undertaken in these various disciplines and develop a common conceptual framework that identifies the sources, benefits, risks, and contingencies of social capital.
8,518 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a natural resource-based view of the firm is proposed, which is composed of three interconnected strategies: pollution prevention, product stewardship, and sustainable development, and each of these strategies are advanced for each of them regarding key resource requirements and their contributions to sustained competitive advantage.
Abstract: Historically, management theory has ignored the constraints imposed by the biophysical (natural) environment. Building upon resource-based theory, this article attempts to fill this void by proposing a natural-resource-based view of the firm—a theory of competitive advantage based upon the firm's relationship to the natural environment. It is composed of three interconnected strategies: pollution prevention, product stewardship, and sustainable development. Propositions are advanced for each of these strategies regarding key resource requirements and their contributions to sustained competitive advantage.
5,339 citations
TL;DR: Using a large-scale sample of industrial firms, this paper links search strategy to innovative performance, finding that searching widely and deeply is curvilinearly (taking an inverted U-shape) related to performance.
Abstract: A central part of the innovation process concerns the way firms go about organizing search for new ideas that have commercial potential. New models of innovation have suggested that many innovative firms have changed the way they search for new ideas, adopting open search strategies that involve the use of a wide range of external actors and sources to help them achieve and sustain innovation. Using a large-scale sample of industrial firms, this paper links search strategy to innovative performance, finding that searching widely and deeply is curvilinearly (taking an inverted U-shape) related to performance. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
5,167 citations