The DOI matches its Crossref record, with a small difference in title or year; 62 of the 62 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Absorptive Capacity in a Non-Market Environment: A knowledge-based approach to analysing the performance of sector organizations
Abstract
Improved performance by public sector organizations is a political imperative in numerous countries. There are particular challenges in turnaround of poorly performing organizations. Theoretical explanations of the performance trajectories of public organizations, and especially the causes of failure, highlight the importance of knowledge processes, often from an organizational learning perspective. Absorptive capacity provides an alternative way of theorizing the relationships between organizational performance and knowledge processes, derived from the resource-based view of the firm and the broader concept of dynamic capabilities. The article reviews the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological implications of applying absorptive capacity to the performance of public organizations. It concludes that the approach has value and presents a number of propositions to be tested through empirical study, alongside some more general challenges for researchers who wish to study the concept further. The high political salience of public organizations' performance, and the costs of failure, mandates a major research effort on these issues.
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“Public organisations generally control large societal resources both in terms of workforce and tangible assets such as land, buildings, infrastructure, etc. (Clausen, Demircioglu, & Alsos, 2020;Harvey, Skelcher, Spencer, Jas, & Walshe, 2010).”
From AI adoption and diffusion in public administration: A systematic literature review and future research agenda (2023) · cites this paper as Harvey, Skelcher, Spencer, Jas, & Walshe, 2010
Citations
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Is the Resource-Based "View" a Useful Perspective for Strategic Management Research? Yes
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Administration Needs Knowledge
Pidun, T. (2025) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3693-9251-5.ch001
de Oliveira, S. A. F., & Werlang, N. B. (2025) · Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental · doi:10.24857/rgsa.v19n12-009
Luo, J., Shafiei, M. W. M., & Ismail, R. (2026) · Journal of Civil Engineering and Management · doi:10.3846/jcem.2026.26158
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An analysis of absorptive capacity within a public security institution
Schneider, R. E., Dias, C. N., Schreiber, D., & Resende, P. C. (2026) · Journal of Workplace Learning · doi:10.1108/jwl-05-2025-0121
Leveraging Big Data Analytics–AI for Circular Economy through Absorptive Capacity
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Yamin, M., Adam, M., Hafasnuddin, & Ibrahim, M. (2026) · International Journal of Public Leadership · doi:10.1108/ijpl-04-2026-0079
The paradox of experience: Public procurement and delivery timelines across digital solution types
Giaccardi, T., Gastaldi, L., & Patrucco, P. P. (2026) · Government Information Quarterly · doi:10.1016/j.giq.2026.102185
Armstrong, D. J., Riemenschneider, C., & Liu, Y. J. (2015) · Journal of the Association for Information Systems · doi:10.18151/7217269
Metadata
- Authors
- Harvey, G., Skelcher, C., Spencer, E., Jas, P., & Walshe, K.
- Affiliations
- University of Manchester (GB)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Harvey, Gill
- Skelcher, Chris
- Spencer, Eileen
- Jas, Pauline
- Walshe, Kieran
- Venue
- Public Management Review
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2010-01
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 77-97
- ISSN
- 1461-667X (ISSN-L)
- 1471-9037
- 1471-9045
- OpenAlex
- W1918593213
- Cited by
- 111
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 9.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Public Management Review (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Innovation and Knowledge Management
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Organizational Learning and Leadership
- Keywords
- absorptive capacity, public sector organizations, organizational performance, knowledge processes, organizational learning, resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, corporate turnaround, performance trajectories
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