Capacidades organizativas e innovación ¿Qué ocurre en la industria española del juguete?

Los resultados en innovación son siempre importantes, pero para algunos sectores manufactureros altamente competitivos es incluso imprescindible (Camisón y Villar, 2011). Este es el caso de la industria del juguete en España, caracterizada por su actitud altamente innovadora.Los autores agradecen la financiación recibida por el Ministerio Economía y Competitividad (ECO2011-29863) para llevar a cabo esta investigación. Además, se agradece al CSIC la financiación de la beca de investigación de Ana García Granero (JAE-Predoc del Programa «Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios»), co-financiada por la ESF.Peer Reviewe

'Getting out of the closet': Scientific authorship of literary fiction and knowledge transfer

Some scientists write literary fiction books in their spare time. If these books contain scientific knowledge, literary fiction becomes a mechanism of knowledge transfer. In this case, we could conceptualize literary fiction as non-formal knowledge transfer. We model knowledge transfer via literary fiction as a function of the type of scientist (academic or non-academic) and his/her scientific field. Academic scientists are those employed in academia and public research organizations whereas non-academic scientists are those with a scientific background employed in other sectors. We also distinguish between direct knowledge transfer (the book includes the scientist's research topics), indirect knowledge transfer (scientific authors talk about their research with cultural agents) and reverse knowledge transfer (cultural agents give scientists ideas for future research). Through mixed-methods research and a sample from Spain, we find that scientific authorship accounts for a considerable percentage of all literary fiction authorship. Academic scientists do not transfer knowledge directly so often as non-academic scientists, but the former engage into indirect and reverse transfer knowledge more often than the latter. Scientists from History stand out in direct knowledge transfer. We draw propositions about the role of the academic logic and scientific field on knowledge transfer via literary fiction. We advance some tentative conclusions regarding the consideration of scientific authorship of literary fiction as a valuable knowledge transfer mechanism.Comment: Paper published in Journal of Technology Transfe

The pivotal role of students’ absorptive capacity in management learning

Within a research context dominated by an increasing interest in innovative learning method- ologies in management education, an individual’s capacity to establish links between existing and new knowledge, that is, absorptive capacity (AC), has been surprisingly neglected in management (higher) education inquiry. This study helps to close this gap by investigating the role of management students’ AC on their academic performance. The study also examines the moderating effect on this relationship of using traditional learning methodologies (such as lectures), innovative learning methodologies (such as interacting with digital platforms), and having a cooperative climate in the classroom. Secondary and primary data are combined from samples of students enrolled in a strategic management course. Results show that students with higher AC achieve higher levels of academic performance. This relationship is moderated by the intensive use of traditional learning methodologies and by cooperative climates. Students who have higher AC benefit more from traditional learning methodologies and from a classroom with a cooperative climate than those with lower AC. Results will be useful to management education instructors, higher education administrators, and policymakers, when revising current educational programmes

Satisfacción laboral, clima cooperativo y rasgos de personalidad

The relationship between organizational climate and job satisfaction has been extensively studied. Current studies assume that a favorable working climate increases employees´ job satisfaction. Recent literature has differentiated types of organizational climate that can explain job satisfaction, such as the organizational climate of justice, organizational climate of entrepreneurship or organizational climate of collaboration. In this study we focus on the latter proposing that a collaborative climate will help employees to be more satisfied. In addition we also propose that issues related with individual personality traits, such as whether the employee is more responsible or more extrovert, will also affect the satisfaction of the workforce. The theory of personal traits helps us to demonstrate that character, besides influencing job satisfaction per se, also moderates the relationship between collaborative work climate and job satisfaction.La relación entre clima laboral y satisfacción laboral ha sido ampliamente estudiada. La investigación que existe hasta el momento asume que un buen clima laboral incrementa la satisfacción laboral de los empleados. Recientemente se diferencia entre distintos tipos de clima laboral, como por ejemplo el clima laboral de justicia, el de riesgo o el de colaboración. En este estudio nos centramos en este último, el clima laboral de colaboración, para explicar la satisfacción laboral de los empleados. Proponemos que un clima laboral de colaboración ayudará a que los empleados estén más satisfechos laboralmente. Además proponemos que cuestiones que tienen que ver con el carácter del individuo como por ejemplo si es más responsable o más extrovertido también influirá en su satisfacción laboral. De hecho, pese a que el carácter ha sido menos estudiado debido a su difícil medición, son cada vez más los estudios que tratan de observar cómo este influye en muchas de las cuestiones que se estudian en relación con la gestión empresarial. En el presente estudio, la teoría de rasgos que diferencia entre cinco tipos de carácter nos ayuda a demostrar que el carácter, además de influir de forma aislada en la satisfacción laboral, también modera la relación entre clima laboral de colaboración y satisfacción laboral

Linking entrepreneurial orientation and export intensity: How organizational learning capability and innovation performance affect this relationship?

Trabajo presentado al EU-SPRI Forum Conference: Management of Innovation Policies: new forms of collaboration in policy design, implementation and evaluation, celebrado en Madrid (España) del 10 al 12 de Abril de 2013.Firms that partake in export activity are entrepreneurial in nature because exporting firms would benefit by proactively seeking new markets, engaging in innovative action to meet local market’s needs, and be able and willing to take risks by venturing into previously unknown markets. While prior studies have looked at the importance of entrepreneurial orientation, organizational learning or innovation in export strategy, they have overlooked the process view that allows understanding the way through which firms with this kind of characteristics are able to assure better export results. Through the use of structural equation modelling in a sample of 182 small and medium enterprises ceramic firms, the authors demonstrate that entrepreneurial orientation is a precursor of export intensity but this relationship is mediated by organizational learning and innovation performance. This result highlights the process view; those firms with entrepreneurial orientation are able to have the capability of learning and superior innovation performance which finally increases export intensity. Political implications could be done with our study. Governments that reinforce innovation policies in the firms are helping the openness of the companies indirectly.Peer Reviewe

Aprendizaje organizativo, capacidades e innovación: tres estudios en el sector cerámico español e italiano

Tesis Doctoral presentada por Ana Isabel Fernández Mesa en el Departament de Direcció d'Empreses "Juan José Renau Piqueras" de la Universitat de València.La innovación se puede asociar a la habilidad de la empresa de cambiar y combinar recursos generando de forma interna habilidades que logren incrementar la capacidad de la compañía para desarrollar procesos o productos nuevos. En años recientes muchos estudios tratan de explicar este tipo de relaciones, sin embargo, la investigación se encuentra en una etapa preliminar y por ello algunos de estos estudios muestran resultados inconcluyentes e incluso contradictorios. Para poder llegar a entender estas relaciones es necesario observarlas con mayor detenimiento profundizando en variables que median entre los conceptos y que nos ayudan a darles una mejor explicación. Por lo que el objetivo de esta tesis es clarificar la relación entre diversas capacidades organizativas y los resultados en innovación. Para ello nos apoyamos en la perspectiva de capacidades dinámicas. La tesis está compuesta por tres artículos científicos independientes más un capítulo teórico en el que se desarrolla la perspectiva de capacidades dinámicas desde sus inicios. El objetivo del capítulo teórico es dar soporte a los estudios empíricos presentados. El primer artículo investiga la relación entre la capacidad de aprendizaje organizativo y el desempeño innovador. Proponemos a la gestión del diseño como una capacidad dinámica que media entre ambos conceptos. En el segundo artículo examinamos la relación entre la orientación emprendedora y los resultados en innovación tomando como variable mediadora la capacidad de aprendizaje organizativo. Por último, en el tercer estudio, proponemos al éxito comercial de la innovación como una variable dependiente de la competencia en tecnología de la información y demostramos que las competencias de aprendizaje interno y externo median entre ambos conceptos. Los tres modelos planteados son testados mediante la utilización de ecuaciones estructurales en una muestra de PYMES españolas e italianas de la industria cerámica.Peer reviewe

Entrepreneurial orientation and export intensity: Examining the interplay of organizational learning and innovation

Nowadays how to be a successful exporter has reach great importance. Some studies on the entrepreneurial orientation literature highlights the attitude of the manager to make risky strategies such as strategies toward exports. But might the CEO's attitude toward entrepreneurship be sufficient to achieve greater SMEs export performance? Through an analysis of a database of Spanish and Italian SMEs, we find that entrepreneurial orientation is a managerial attitude that enhances exports when managers also make efforts in organizational learning and innovation. Being entrepreneurially oriented is important, but it might not be sufficient for increasing export performance if the company is not able to learn and to innovate.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (ECO2011-29863) for their financial support for this research.Peer Reviewe

Dimensions and antecedents of the absorptive capacity, how are they related?

Trabajo presentado a la International Conference on Organizational Learning Knowledge and Capabilities, celebrada en Valencia (España) del 25 al 27 de Abril de 2012.Peer Reviewe

Exploring the determinants of TMT'S absorptive capacity

Resumen del trabajo presentado a la SMS Copenhagen Special Conference: “Microfoundations for Strategic Management Research: Embracing Individuals” celebrada en Copenhague (Dinamarca) del 13 al15 de junio de 2014.The aim of this study is to clarify the influence of the CEO, the top management team and their complementarities on absorptive capacity. We argue that a full understanding of macro-level constructs requires a deep study of their micro-foundations or subsystems. Firm level constructs are created and shaped by lower-level psychological and behavioral mechanisms. Through the study of 618 medium sized firms, we propose that the top management team absorptive capacity could be more oriented to potential or realized absorptive capacity depending on the diversity of top management team and the transactional memory of the CEO. Both are necessary to achieve a good balance between potential and realized absorptive capacity.Peer Reviewe