Title: Enhancing organisational absorptive capacity by reframing an outdated suggestion box: an action research study

Authors: Anne Kallio; Carsten Bergenholtz

Addresses: Lahti School of Innovation, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Saimaankatu 11, FI-15140 Lahti, Finland. ' Department of Business Administration, Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Haslegaardsvej 10, 8210 Aarhus V, Denmark

Abstract: The study explores the connection between the organisational and individual level absorptive capacity in the context of shopfloor employees. Most literature on absorptive capacity focuses on the organisational level, while there has been less focus on the social integration mechanisms between the individual and organisational level of absorptive capacity. Via an action research study on shopfloor employees in a low-tech industry, it is shown how innovation activators can facilitate social integration mechanisms and identify the potential of the individual level ideas and assist the transformation of these to an organisational level.

Keywords: absorptive capacity; suggestion boxes; action research; shopfloor employees; social integration mechanisms; organisational absorption; organisational capacities; individual capacities; individual levels; organisational levels; low-tech industries; low technology; individual ideas; idea transformation; forest industry; innovation activators; learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIL.2012.049353

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2012 Vol.12 No.4, pp.414 - 429

Published online: 28 Aug 2014 *

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