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Henk W. Volberda

Bio: Henk W. Volberda is an academic researcher from University of Amsterdam. The author has contributed to research in topics: Competitive advantage & Absorptive capacity. The author has an hindex of 71, co-authored 274 publications receiving 29582 citations. Previous affiliations of Henk W. Volberda include VU University Amsterdam & Tilburg University.


Papers
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Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate how corporate venturing influences an organization's competences and investigate the impact of various types of corporate ventures on the portfolio of strategic options of a firm's competence modes.
Abstract: In this conceptual paper we investigate how corporate venturing influences an organization's competences. The impact of various types of corporate ventures on the portfolio of strategic options of a firm's competence modes (Sanchez, 2004a; Sanchez & Heene, 2002) will be assessed by distinguishing two fundamentally different dimensions of corporate venturing: technology and product (Block & MacMillan, 1993). We argue that the level of product and factor market dynamism mediates the effect of corporate venturing on a firm's competence modes. Corporate ventures that significantly increase the level of product or factor market dynamics will increase the flexibility in all five competence modes. These ventures have a direct effect on the lower-order competence modes and an indirect, lagged effect on higher-order competence modes through feedback loops. The developed framework and the propositions contribute to managing the ability of a firm to change its coordination, resource, and operating flexibility in order to sustain value creation.

3 citations

01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the impact of technical change on European bank costs and profits between 1992 and 2000 and found that those banks that experienced the smallest cost reductions experienced the largest profit gains.
Abstract: This paper examines the impact of technical change on European bank costs and profits between 1992 and 2000 The estimates suggest that technological change reduced the total costs of European banks at an average rate of 38% per annum However, technical change reduced profits by 045% annually over the same period As found in an earlier study by Altunbas et al (1999) pure and non-neutral components of technical change appear to have contributed most to the reduction in total cost and the fall in profits Large banks and commercial banks are found to experience the smallest cost reductions but the largest profit gains from technical change Banking systems that experienced the smallest cost reductions seem to have experienced the biggest profit gains In general, the results indicate that technical change can have a differential effect on bank costs and profits While technology can reduce costs as well as increase the revenue earning capacity of banks it seems that some banks focus on the former and others the latter Large cost reductions may feed through into poorer service quality and lower earning capacity and this is presumably why those banks that gained the most on the cost side seem to suffer in terms of profitability Those banks that appear to have small reductions (or increases) in cost as a result of technical change see to gain most in terms of profits The results suggest that there may be a clear trade-off between how technology is implemented in terms of whether the focus is primarily on cost reduction or revenue (and therefore profits) growth To a certain extent, our findings confirm the recent findings on US banking of Berger and Mester (2002) who show that reductions in cost productivity between 1991 and 1997 resulted in increases in profit productivity They argue that banks increased their cost productivity to improve service quality that was reflected in greater profits Our results suggest a similar finding in that those banks that had the smallest cost reductions resulting from technical advances had the largest profit improvements

3 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a large-scale survey among 1,200 senior officers was conducted to investigate how modular organizing and organizational sensing have influenced the responsiveness of the Netherlands armed forces for crisis response deployment.
Abstract: Purpose – Crisis management entails among other things developing organizational systems that are capable of reacting to unpredictable and different types of crises. It also involves designing cohesive operational elements to deal with the local dynamics of an actual crisis situation. This challenge of responsiveness – where organizations simultaneously need to react to change demands of different task environments – has hardly been investigated in management theory. The purpose of this paper is to initiate to shed more light on this blind spot. Design/methodology/approach – Modular organizing and organizational sensing are introduced as key drivers of organizational responsiveness. Based on a large-scale survey among 1,200 senior officers the study investigates how these two variables have influenced the responsiveness of the Netherlands armed forces for crisis response deployment. Findings – The findings indicate that the level of modularization is an important facilitator of organizational responsivene...

3 citations


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Journal ArticleDOI
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

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors develop a knowledge-based theory of organizational capability and draw upon research into competitive dynamics, the resource-based view of the firm, organizational capabilities, and organizational learning.
Abstract: Unstable market conditions caused by innovation and increasing intensity and diversity of competition have resulted in organizational capabilities rather than served markets becoming the primary basis upon which firms establish their long-term strategies. If the strategically most important resource of the firm is knowledge, and if knowledge resides in specialized form among individual organizational members, then the essence of organizational capability is the integration of individuals' specialized knowledge. This paper develops a knowledge-based theory of organizational capability and draws upon research into competitive dynamics, the resource-based view of the firm, organizational capabilities, and organizational learning. Central to the theory is analysis of the mechanisms through which knowledge is integrated within firms in order to create capability. The theory is used to explore firms' potential for establishing competitive advantage in dynamic market settings, including the role of firm networks...

4,974 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence from varied research paradigms substantiates that consequences of perceived incongruity between the female gender role and leadership roles are more difficult for women to become leaders and to achieve success in leadership roles.
Abstract: A role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders proposes that perceived incongruity between the female gender role and leadership roles leads to 2 forms of prejudice: (a) perceiving women less favorably than men as potential occupants of leadership roles and (b) evaluating behavior that fulfills the prescriptions of a leader role less favorably when it is enacted by a woman. One consequence is that attitudes are less positive toward female than male leaders and potential leaders. Other consequences are that it is more difficult for women to become leaders and to achieve success in leadership roles. Evidence from varied research paradigms substantiates that these consequences occur, especially in situations that heighten perceptions of incongruity between the female gender role and leadership roles.

4,947 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a distinction is made between the learning processes taking place among actors embedded in a community by just being there dubbed buzz and the knowledge attained by investing in building channels of communication called pipelines to selected providers located outside the local milieu.
Abstract: The paper is concerned with spatial clustering of economic activity and its relation to the spatiality of knowledge creation in interactive learning processes. It questions the view that tacit knowledge transfer is confined to local milieus whereas codified knowledge may roam the globe almost frictionlessly. The paper highlights the conditions under which both tacit and codified knowledge can be exchanged locally and globally. A distinction is made between, on the one hand, the learning processes taking place among actors embedded in a community by just being there dubbed buzz and, on the other, the knowledge attained by investing in building channels of communication called pipelines to selected providers located outside the local milieu. It is argued that the co-existence of high levels of buzz and many pipelines may provide firms located in outward-looking and lively clusters with a string of particular advantages not available to outsiders. Finally, some policy implications, stemming from this argumen...

3,942 citations