Showing papers by "Henk W. Volberda published in 2010"

PERSPECTIVE---Absorbing the Concept of Absorptive Capacity: How to Realize Its Potential in the Organization Field

Abstract: The purpose of this perspective paper is to advance understanding of absorptive capacity, its underlying dimensions, its multilevel antecedents, its impact on firm performance, and the contextual factors that affect absorptive capacity. Twenty years after the Cohen and Levinthal 1990 paper, the field is characterized by a wide array of theoretical perspectives and a wealth of empirical evidence. In this paper, we first review these underlying theories and empirical studies of absorptive capacity. Given the size and diversity of the absorptive capacity literature, we subsequently map the existing terrain of research through a bibliometric analysis. The resulting bibliometric cartography shows the major discrepancies in the organization field, namely that (1) most attention so far has been focused on the tangible outcomes of absorptive capacity; (2) organizational design and individual level antecedents have been relatively neglected in the absorptive capacity literature; and (3) the emergence of absorptive capacity from the actions and interactions of individual, organizational, and interorganizational antecedents remains unclear. Building on the bibliometric analysis, we develop an integrative model that identifies the multilevel antecedents, process dimensions, and outcomes of absorptive capacity as well as the contextual factors that affect absorptive capacity. We argue that realizing the potential of the absorptive capacity concept requires more research that shows how “micro-antecedents” and “macro-antecedents” influence future outcomes such as competitive advantage, innovation, and firm performance. In particular, we identify conceptual gaps that may guide future research to fully exploit the absorptive capacity concept in the organization field and to explore future fruitful extensions of the concept.

Top Management Team Advice Seeking and Exploratory Innovation: The Moderating Role of TMT Heterogeneity

Abstract: Research on strategic decision making has considered advice-seeking behaviour as an important top management team attribute that influences organizational outcomes Yet, our understanding about how top management teams utilize advice to modify current strategies and pursue exploratory innovation is still unclear To uncover the importance of advice seeking, we delineate between external and internal advice seeking and investigate their impact on exploratory innovation We also argue that top management team heterogeneity moderates the impact of advice seeking on exploratory innovation Findings indicated that both external and internal advice seeking are important determinants of a firm's exploratory innovation In addition, we observed that top management team heterogeneity facilitates firms to act upon internal advice by combining different perspectives and developing new products and services Interestingly, heterogeneous top management teams appeared to be less effective to leverage external advice and pursue exploratory innovation

The Interaction between Personality, Social Network Position and Involvement in Innovation Process

Abstract: text This dissertation proposal investigates how personality and individuals’ social network position affect individuals’ involvement into the innovation process. It posits that people would feel inclined to become involved into the different phases of the innovation process depending on their Big Five personality traits. Additionally, this research elaborates on personality antecedents of social relationships and network structure. Furthermore, it accounts for the dynamic relationship between stages in innovation process and social network structure. Finally, it posits that there is potentially a mismatch between social network structure in different stages of the innovation process, and that this mismatch is caused by individuals’ personality. The suggested conceptual framework contributes to the innovation literature by enriching our understanding of why people create markedly different patterns of social ties in the workplace and how this tie formation process and personality influence innovation process. An empirical study aimed at testing the suggested propositions is suggested.

Dormant Capabilities, Complex Organizations, and Renewal

Abstract: This chapter uses case studies carried out over significant time periods to explore the process of competence building capable of supporting major change in large, complex, diversified organizations. Analysis of multiple units, multiple levels, and historic patterns within four firms showed that change and renewal in large corporations is possible and that managers often have considerable- though sometimes unrecognized- latitude for choice. This chapter introduces the concept of dormant capabilities that are available to business managers to regenerate old competences, to build new ones, and to overcome existing core rigidities. Temporally dormant capabilities are the result of organizational competences that were created previously but were rejected or 'retired' by the organization at some time in the past. The concept of organizationally separated capabilities that can be 'imported' (at least in part) from other units in a large firm is also considered. This chapter explains the concepts of core competences, core rigidities, and organizational change in complex organizations.

Managing globally disaggregated teams: The role of organizational politics

Abstract: Introduction As economies and firm competitive advantage are increasingly based on knowledge rather than materials, firms are moving away from traditional modes of organization in order to meet new demands for competitiveness, flexibility, speed, and novelty (Child and McGrath, 2001; Kellogg, Orlikowski, and Yates, 2006; Volberda, 1996). As part of this broader paradigm shift, an increasing number of firms have outsourced and offshored many of their in-house activities – located them to a wholly owned company or independent service provider in another country – both in order to save costs and, increasingly, to acquire new skills and capabilities not available in-house (e.g., Carmel, 1999; Lewin and Peeters, 2006). Its potential benefits notwithstanding, such disaggregation of the value chain adds an additional layer of management complexity because of the need to manage and coordinate a complex web of knowledge flows and interdependent tasks being performed by distributed teams, marked by differences in geography, skills, norms, language, culture, and interests. Prior work has provided valuable insights into managing knowledge processes – the access, transfer, dissemination, sharing, and integration of knowledge among dispersed organizational teams (e.g., Argote et al., 2003; Gupta and Govindarajan, 2000). Scholars have emphasized the need for creating both technical compatibility (Ford et al., 2003; Montoya-Weiss et al., 2001; Oshri et al., 2008) and cultural compatibility (D'Adderio, 2001; Fiol and Connor, 2005; Tajfel, 1981) across boundaries in disaggregated value chains and dispersed social architectures.

The Influence of Top Management Team’s Corporate Governance Orientation on Strategic Renewal Trajectories

Abstract: Using the upper echelons perspective together with corporate governance and strategic renewal literature, this paper investigates how top managers’ corporate governance orientation influences a firm’s strategic renewal trajectories over time Through both a qualitative analysis (1907-2004) and a quantitative analysis (1959-2004), we investigate this under-researched question within the context of a large incumbent firm: Royal Dutch Shell plc Our results indicate that top managers having an Anglo-Saxon corporate governance orientation are more likely to pursue exploitative and external-growth strategic renewal trajectories, while those having a Rhine corporate governance orientation are more likely to pursue exploratory and internal-growth strategic renewal trajectories We also found a positive moderating effect of the proportion of shareholders from the Anglo-Saxon countries on exploitative and external-growth strategic renewal trajectories Our findings indicate that top managers’ corporate governance orientation can be an important antecedent of strategic renewal and of organisational ambidexterity, both of which influence corporate longevity

The Influence of Top Management Team’s Corporate Governance Orientation on Strategic Renewal Trajectories

Abstract: Using the upper echelons perspective together with corporate governance and strategic renewal literature, this paper investigates how top managers’ corporate governance orientation influences a firm’s strategic renewal trajectories over time. Through both a qualitative analysis (1907-2004) and a quantitative analysis (1959-2004), we investigate this under-researched question within the context of a large incumbent firm: Royal Dutch Shell plc. Our results indicate that top managers having an Anglo-Saxon corporate governance orientation are more likely to pursue exploitative and external-growth strategic renewal trajectories, while those having a Rhine corporate governance orientation are more likely to pursue exploratory and internal-growth strategic renewal trajectories. We also found a positive moderating effect of the proportion of shareholders from the Anglo-Saxon countries on exploitative and external-growth strategic renewal trajectories. Our findings indicate that top managers’ corporate governance orientation can be an important antecedent of strategic renewal and of organisational ambidexterity, both of which influence corporate longevity.

The Influence of Top Management Team’s Corporate Governance Orientation on Strategic Renewal Trajectories

Abstract: textUsing the upper echelons perspective together with corporate governance and strategic renewal literature, this paper investigates how top managers’ corporate governance orientation influences a firm’s strategic renewal trajectories over time. Through both a qualitative analysis (1907-2004) and a quantitative analysis (1959-2004), we investigate this under-researched question within the context of a large incumbent firm: Royal Dutch Shell plc. Our results indicate that top managers having an Anglo-Saxon corporate governance orientation are more likely to pursue exploitative and external-growth strategic renewal trajectories, while those having a Rhine corporate governance orientation are more likely to pursue exploratory and internal-growth strategic renewal trajectories. We also found a positive moderating effect of the proportion of shareholders from the Anglo-Saxon countries on exploitative and external-growth strategic renewal trajectories. Our findings indicate that top managers’ corporate governance orientation can be an important antecedent of strategic renewal and of organisational ambidexterity, both of which influence corporate longevity.