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Multilevel absorptive capacity and interorganizational new product development: A process study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Lance Newey  and
Martie-Louise Verreynne
Lance Newey
Affiliation:
School of Business, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
Martie-Louise Verreynne
Affiliation:
School of Business, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
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Abstract

The objective of this paper is to deepen our understanding of the role of absorptive capacity in enabling interorganizational new product development (INPD). We contend that despite what is known about the benefits of absorptive capacity to innovating firms, this research is dominated by firm-level analyses using cross-sectional data. The accumulated knowledge about absorptive capacity thus does not help with understanding how absorptive capacity unfolds as a process within and between firms such as when firms collaborate in new product development. Using a longitudinal case study, we build new theory at the INPD system level of analysis that leads us to shed new light on the cross-level interactions between firm- and alliance-level absorptive capacities.

Keywords

interorganizational new product development systemsabsorptive capacitylongitudinal case studytheory-buildingcross-level interactions
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , January 2011 , pp. 39 - 55
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2011

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