Ambidexterity in Technology Sourcing: The Moderating Role of Absorptive Capacity

Authors:
Frank T. Rothaermel;Maria Tereza Alexandre
Affiliations:
College of Management, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30308;Department of Business Administration, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois 61820
Venue:
Organization Science
Year:
2009

Citing 12
Cited 8

R&D and Global Manufacturing Performance

Management Science
The Coevolution of New Organizational Forms

Organization Science
External Technology Sourcing Through Alliances or Acquisitions: An Analysis of the Application-Specific Integrated Circuits Industry

Organization Science
Old Is Gold? The Value of Temporal Exploration in the Creation of New Knowledge

Management Science
Knowledge Networks as Channels and Conduits: The Effects of Spillovers in the Boston Biotechnology Community

Organization Science
Exploration vs. Exploitation: An Empirical Test of the Ambidexterity Hypothesis

Organization Science
The Multifaceted Nature of Exploration and Exploitation: Value of Supply, Demand, and Spatial Search for Innovation

Organization Science
In Search of Complementarity in Innovation Strategy: Internal R&D and External Knowledge Acquisition

Management Science
Technological Discontinuities and Complementary Assets: A Longitudinal Study of Industry and Firm Performance

Organization Science
Managing Strategic Contradictions: A Top Management Model for Managing Innovation Streams

Organization Science
Internet, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method

Internet, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method
Building Dynamic Capabilities: Innovation Driven by Individual-, Firm-, and Network-Level Effects

Organization Science

Organizational Ambidexterity: Balancing Exploitation and Exploration for Sustained Performance

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

Organization Science
Microfoundations of Internal and External Absorptive Capacity Routines

Organization Science
Integrative framework for assessing firms' potential to undertake Green IT initiatives via virtualization - A theoretical perspective

The Journal of Strategic Information Systems
Advancing the Conceptualization and Operationalization of Novelty in Organizational Research

Organization Science
Regions Matter: How Localized Social Capital Affects Innovation and External Knowledge Acquisition

Organization Science
The role of deliberate and experiential learning in developing capabilities: Insights from technology licensing

Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
Ambidexterity in Agile Distributed Development: An Empirical Investigation

Information Systems Research

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.00

Visualization

Abstract

A firm's organizational and technological boundaries are two important demarcation lines when sourcing for technology. Based on this theoretical lens, four possible combinations of exploration and exploitation emerge. Applying an ambidexterity perspective to a firm's technology sourcing strategy, we hypothesize that a curvilinear relationship exists between a firm's technology sourcing mix and its performance. We further introduce a contingency element by proposing that a firm's absorptive capacity exerts a positive moderating effect on this relationship. We empirically test these hypotheses on a random, multi-industry sample of U.S. manufacturing companies. We find support for the notion that the relationship between technology sourcing mix and firm performance is an inverted U-shape. Moreover, higher levels of absorptive capacity allow a firm to more fully capture the benefits resulting from ambidexterity in technology sourcing.