Absorptive Capacity, Environmental Turbulence, and the Complementarity of Organizational Learning Processes

Ulrich Lichtenthaler · 2009 · Academy of Management Journal

Summary. This study examines how organizations learn from external knowledge through three complementary processes: exploration, transformation, and exploitation. Using data from 175 industrial firms, the research shows that technological and market knowledge together form the foundation for absorptive capacity. The findings reveal that firms balancing all three learning types achieve better innovation and performance outcomes, particularly when facing rapid technological and market changes.

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@article{lichtenthaler-2009-absorptive-capacity-environmental-turbulence-complementarity,
  title   = {Absorptive Capacity, Environmental Turbulence, and the Complementarity of Organizational Learning Processes},
  author  = {Ulrich Lichtenthaler},
  journal = {Academy of Management Journal},
  year    = {2009},
  doi     = {10.5465/amj.2009.43670902},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.43670902}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Absorptive Capacity, Environmental Turbulence, and the Complementarity of Organizational Learning Processes
AU  - Ulrich Lichtenthaler
JO  - Academy of Management Journal
PY  - 2009
DO  - 10.5465/amj.2009.43670902
UR  - https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.43670902
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.5465/amj.2009.43670902

Countries

Germany

Regions

Europe

Categories

innovation-theory, regional-innovation-systems, general-innovation

Added

2026-04-28