Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement
Summary. This study examines how organizational context affects quality improvement in healthcare using absorptive capacity theory. Three UK NHS organizations with performance problems were studied through interviews with managers and external improvement teams. The organization with the highest absorptive capacity—strong strategic priorities, effective information management, and learning orientation—achieved the fastest and most comprehensive improvements. Internal characteristics enabled better engagement with external knowledge and support, even in challenging environments. Lower absorptive capacity delayed improvement efforts.
Cite this article
Harvey, G., Jas, P., & Walshe, K.. (2014). Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement. BMJ Quality & Safety. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002928
Harvey, Gill, et al. “Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement.” BMJ Quality & Safety, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002928.
Harvey, Gill, Pauline Jas, and Kieran Walshe. 2014. “Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement.” BMJ Quality & Safety. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002928.
@article{harvey-2014-analysing-organisational-context-case-studies,
title = {Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement},
author = {Gill Harvey and Pauline Jas and Kieran Walshe},
journal = {BMJ Quality & Safety},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002928},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002928}
}
TY - JOUR TI - Analysing organisational context: case studies on the contribution of absorptive capacity theory to understanding inter-organisational variation in performance improvement AU - Gill Harvey AU - Pauline Jas AU - Kieran Walshe JO - BMJ Quality & Safety PY - 2014 DO - 10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002928 UR - https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002928 ER -
Details
- DOI
- 10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002928
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- Regions
- Europe
- Categories
- rural-healthcare, innovation-theory, general-innovation
- Added
- 2026-04-28