Authors:
Stefano D’Angelo
;
Antonio Ghezzi
;
Angelo Cavallo
;
Andrea Rangone
and
Luca Marchetti
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
Keyword(s):
Corporate Entrepreneurship, Digital Technologies, Effectuation, Absorptive Capacity, Digital Skills.
Abstract:
While most studies have viewed effectuation as a tool to manage resources in the context of new ventures, few of them have directly investigated the effects of effectuation as a tool for Absorptive Capacity (AC) in the context of incumbent firms. Specifically, the relationship between the usage of an effectual logic and its impact on the knowledge and learning abilities of individuals, remains underexplored in Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE) context. We reframe effectuation as a concrete activity that enhances knowledge absorption and enlarges the scope of opportunities and in turn fosters entrepreneurial actions in organizations. Hypotheses are thus developed to examine the relationship between effectuation and Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) as well as the mediating role of AC. Moreover, as digital skills can support the learning and knowledge absorption process, digital skills are proposed as a moderator that influences the positive effects of effectuation on AC. We test these hy
potheses using the survey data from employees of an incumbent firm. The empirical results generally support our hypotheses by showing that (i) effectuation positively influences AC, and (ii) digital skills have a positive moderating effect on the relationship between effectuation and AC. No significant results emerged concerning hypothesis (iii) AC mediates the relationship between effectuation and EO. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of effectuation in the context of CE in the digital era. Implications for managers are also included.
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