Early efforts to develop absorptive capacity and their performance implications: differences among corporate and independent ventures

Bárbara Larrañeta (), José Luis Galán González () and Rocio Aguilar ()
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Bárbara Larrañeta: Universidad Pablo de Olavide
José Luis Galán González: University of Sevilla
Rocio Aguilar: Universidad Pablo de Olavide

The Journal of Technology Transfer, 2017, vol. 42, issue 3, No 3, 485-509

Abstract: Abstract This paper examines the performance implications of efforts in absorptive capacity development for new ventures, companies in their eight first years of existence. We distinguish between corporate ventures (CVs) and ventures created by independent entrepreneurs (IVs) and explore the extent to which they vary in: (1) the emphasis on building different absorptive capacity dimensions and (2) their performance gains from absorptive capacity dimensions. Using data from 140 new ventures, our results show that CVs emphasize potential absorptive capacity (combining external knowledge acquisition and assimilation) more than IVs. Conversely, IVs focus more on exploiting external knowledge. We also find that efforts in activating realized absorptive capacity (combining external knowledge transformation and exploitation) have a negative effect on the performance of new ventures that is stronger for CVs than IVs. Yet, this negative effect of realized absorptive capacity on new venture performance is mitigated when combined with efforts in potential absorptive capacity in the case of CVs. The implications of our study for research into the multidimensional nature of absorptive capacity and the dynamic capabilities approach are discussed.

Keywords: Absorptive capacity; Corporate ventures; Independent ventures; New ventures; Performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L25 L26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10961-016-9488-1

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