Unpacking the Black Box of Absorptive Capacity and Testing a Firm Level Theory of Innovation-Imitation Adaptation: A Panel Study of Firms Offshoring of White Collar Jobs

揭开吸收能力的黑匣子并测试企业层面的创新模仿适应理论：企业白领工作外包的小组研究

• 批准号: 0522359
• 负责人: Arie Lewin
• 金额: $ 11万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-01 至 2006-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0522359&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Unpacking; Black; Box; Absorptive; Capacity

The goal of this research project is to unpack the black box of absorptive capacity and test a firm level theory on role of innovation-imitation in firm adaptation. This longitudinal study uses new original firm-level panel data on offshoring of white collar administrative and technical jobs. Theory-guided field study of selected companies in the panel provides direct observation and description of underlying routines that make up absorptive capacity capability of firms. A series of case studies provides specific process description and expression of routines as input to the design of a new survey instrument specifically for measuring firm internal and external absorptive capacity. Two key research questions will be addressed econometrically. The first one is whether and how early and late adopters in same new offshoring business differ in terms of their absorptive capacity. The second one is whether successful early adopters of a new offshoring business practice exploit specific past experiences and develop certain absorptive capacity capabilities that enable them to persist in applying and innovating new offshoring business practices as offshoring of white collar jobs evolves over time and becomes an established industry practice. In addition the longitudinal panel data will also be used in developing heterogeneous diffusion models within sectors and across the entire population of organizations.Broader impacts of the research project. The project will build a community of researchers and practitioners for sharing best practices involving offshoring of white collar jobs while also advancing research on emergence and diffusion of offshoring and its associated organizational routines. The offshoring project findings have wider implications for sourcing and locating human capital anywhere in the world and for tracking the emergence of web based network organizational form. The research on unpacking black box of absorptive capacity has direct implications for advancing knowledge and managerial practices involving strategic renewal of companies and industries. Research findings will be disseminated through academic publications, the media, and CIBER-led National Forum on Trade Policy.

本研究的目的是解开吸收能力的黑箱，并检验一个关于创新模仿在企业适应中的作用的企业层面理论。这项纵向研究使用了新的原始公司层面的面板数据离岸的白色领行政和技术工作。理论指导下的实地研究选定的公司在面板提供了直接的观察和描述的基本惯例，使企业的吸收能力。一系列的案例研究提供了具体的过程描述和表达的惯例，作为投入的设计一个新的调查工具，专门用于衡量公司的内部和外部的吸收能力。两个关键的研究问题将解决计量经济学。第一个问题是，在同一个新的离岸外包业务中，早期采用者和后期采用者在吸收能力方面是否不同，以及如何不同。第二个问题是，随着白色领工作的离岸外包随着时间的推移而演变并成为一种既定的行业做法，成功的早期采用新的离岸外包业务做法的企业是否利用了过去的具体经验，并发展了某种吸收能力，使它们能够坚持应用和创新新的离岸外包业务做法。此外，纵向面板数据还将用于开发部门内和整个组织人口的异质扩散模型。该项目将建立一个研究人员和从业人员社区，以分享涉及白色领工作离岸外包的最佳做法，同时还将推进关于离岸外包的出现和扩散及其相关组织惯例的研究。离岸外包项目的研究结果对在世界任何地方寻找和安置人力资本以及跟踪基于网络的网络组织形式的出现具有更广泛的影响。研究如何打开吸收能力的黑箱，对于推进企业和产业战略更新的知识和管理实践具有直接意义。研究结果将通过学术出版物、媒体和CIBER领导的国家贸易政策论坛传播。