ABSORPTION CAPACITY AND INNOVATION IN SMALL COMPANIES

Authors

  • Andréia Paternolli Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina
  • Everton Luis Pellizzaro de Lorenzi Cancellier Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14210/alcance.v24n1.p050-065

Keywords:

Absorption Capacity. Innovation. Small Business.

Abstract

This study analyzes the absorption capacity of small businesses in Florianópolis, in their efforts to generate innovation. A way for the company to gain competitive advantage and ensure sustainability is through innovation, which in turn, lies in the capacity to absorb routines that facilitate the acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation of knowledge – dimensions proposed by Zahra and George (2002). The research methodology used was qualitative, with semi-structured interviews recorded with the entrepreneurs and collaborators of the companies. The results show that these companies are seeking knowledge in the external environment which they can then apply to their production processes, demonstrating the use of the four dimensions proposed by Zahra and George (2002), and they highlight the importance of complementary factors such as prior knowledge, triggering events, and social integration in the absorption capacity of the small businesses studied.

Author Biographies

Andréia Paternolli, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina

Mestre em Administração pela ESAG/UDESC

Everton Luis Pellizzaro de Lorenzi Cancellier, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina

Docente permanente do Programa de Pós-graduação Acadêmico em Administração e do Programa de Pós-graduação Profissional em Administração.

Downloads

Published

2017-05-11

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 1(Jan-Mar) (2017)

Section

Article

License

In this statement of responsibility, I/we certify that I/we participated in the preparation of the attached article, thus making my/our responsibility for its content public. I/we declare that we have not omitted any links or financing agreements between me/us and entities and/or institutions that may have an interest in the publication of this article. I/we certify that the article is original and the work, either in total or in part, or any other work of my/our authorship with substantially similar content, has not been nor will be sent in any format (printed or electronic) to another periodical while its publication is being considered by Revista Alcance. In this consent form, the associated authors give permission to Revista Alcance, in the case of approval by its Editorial Board, to publish the attached article in electronic copy in a regular edition of the journal and to load it to the database.