The Influence of Dynamic Capabilities in Knowledge-Intensive Enterprises: A Study on a Regional Program to Foster Innovation in KIE Firms
| Páginas | 46-62 |
| Fecha | 23 Diciembre 2024 |
| Fecha de publicación | 23 Diciembre 2024 |
| Autor | Brenno Buarque,Samuel Câmara,José Glauco Paula Pinto,Elias Pereira Lopes Júnior,José Iran Batista de Melo Filho |
| Materia | Ciencias sociales |
J. Technol. Manag. Innov. 2024. Volume 19, Issue 4
ISSN: 0718-2724. (http://jotmi.org)
Journal of Technology Management & Innovation © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economía y Negocios.
46
e Inuence of Dynamic Capabilities in Knowledge-Intensive
Enterprises: A Study on a Regional Program to Foster
Innovation in KIE Firms
Brenno Buarque1* , Samuel Façanha Câmara2 , José Glauco Paula Pinto3 ,
Elias Lopes Pereira Júnior4 , José Iran Batista de Melo Filho5
Abstract
e literature on innovation policies for knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship has discussed the implications of these policies on businesses and
how they relate to knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship and regional development. is article explores the relationship between dynamic capa-
bilities (network and absorptive) and entrepreneurial attitudes with the innovative capacity of knowledge-intensive companies participating in a
regional public policy for innovation and entrepreneurship. Forty-six questionnaires were administered, assessing dynamic capabilities and entre-
preneurial attitudes. Data underwent Factor Analysis and ANOVA. e ndings support prior research on the relationship between Causation/Ef-
fectuation, Network Capacity, and Absorptive Capacities. e study’s results indicate that both policymakers and managers of knowledge-intensive
companies can adopt several strategies to foster innovation, which are discussed in the main ndings of the research. is research lls a gap in
the literature by examining factors inuencing the development of innovative capabilities in knowledge-intensive companies within a government
innovation stimulus program. Most studies focus on regional policy impact or performance analysis, while this article emphasizes the evolution
of internal capabilities within such rms.
Keywords: Knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship, Dynamic capabilities, Innovation policy, Regional development, Absorptive capacity, Network
capacity.
Submitted: April 30, 2024 / Approved: November 15, 2024
(1) Federal University of Ceará. Brazil.
(2) State University of Ceará, Brazil.
(3) Federal University of Ceará – UFC, Brazil.
(4) Federal University of Cariri – UFCA, Brazil
(5) University of Fortaleza – Unifor, Brazil.
*Corresponding author: brenno.buarque@ufra.edu.br
1. Introduction
Foster programs and public policy mechanisms to stimulate innova-
tion have been used to promote regional development, especially in
emerging economies. (Trajtenberg, 2009; Cunningham et al., 2016). It
is possible to cite some actions created or enhanced by governments for
regional innovation policies, such as: i) formation of innovation hubs
and knowledge spillovers; ii) fostering technology transfer from uni-
versities to companies; iii) the stimulation of the creation and matu-
ration of knowledge-intensive companies (Da Cunha, Vilhena & Sela-
da, 2009; Patanakul & Pinto, 2014; Giord, Mckelvey & Saemundsson,
2021; Hope & Limberg, 2022). ese actions and mechanisms oered
by these policies are used to improve the capabilities of the beneciated
companies, especially considering their initial levels in human and so-
cial capital stocks and their entrepreneurial attitudes.
In this context, the Knowledge-Intensive Companies eld (KIC) has
been a widely studied point of research that seeks to identify which
factors enhance the creation and development of the KIC (Groen,
2005; Caloghirou et al., 2015; Protogerou & Caloghirou, 2016).
ese studies address both the regional level, which investigates the
interinstitutional dynamics that enhance the KIC, and the rm level,
seeking to understand the internal factors, such as the dierent dynam-
ic capabilities, such as absorptive and networking capabilities. ese ca-
pabilities adjust to the way these entrepreneurs build, accumulate, and
apply knowledge creating innovative capabilities, enabling the market
success of these companies (Boccardelli & Magnusson, 2006). Hence,
there is still room for studies that analyze which factors may lead these
rms to develop their innovative capabilities when they join a govern-
ment innovation stimulus program. is study seeks to reduce this gap
in the literature by answering the following research question: how do
dynamic capabilities (network and absorptive) and entrepreneurial be-
havior impact on the innovative capacity of the knowledge-intensive
companies during their participation in a regional public policy to fos-
ter innovation and entrepreneurship?
e research question is grounded in the increasing emphasis on un-
derstanding how rms build innovation capabilities through both
internal and external mechanisms. is study focuses on dynamic
capabilities, including network and absorptive capacities, and entre-
preneurial decision-making, as key drivers for fostering innovation,
particularly in knowledge-intensive rms.
J. Technol. Manag. Innov. 2024. Volume 19, Issue 4
ISSN: 0718-2724. (http://jotmi.org)
Journal of Technology Management & Innovation © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economía y Negocios.
47
Dynamic capabilities, such as absorptive capacity, have been shown
to enable rms to acquire, assimilate, and exploit external knowledge,
thereby enhancing their innovation potential. Recent studies, such as
Alves and Galina (2021), have emphasized the need for better measures
of dynamic absorptive capacity to evaluate how rms can leverage ex-
ternal knowledge for sustained innovation performance in national
contexts. Moreover, the role of entrepreneurial orientation, particularly
through the concepts of causation and eectuation, is seen as a crucial
mediator in rms’ innovation processes. Sarsah et al. (2020) highlight-
ed that entrepreneurial orientation can signicantly boost radical inno-
vation, especially when supported by absorptive capacities.
In regional innovation programs, several key factors signicantly con-
tribute to enhancing the innovation capacity of knowledge-intensive
rms. is study aims to investigate these factors through the follow-
ing hypotheses. First, companies with higher innovative power exhib-
it greater potential for developing new products, thereby positively
impacting their overall innovation capabilities (H1). Additionally,
entrepreneurial decision-making approaches, particularly causation
and eectuation, are expected to further augment these rms’ capac-
ity to innovate by fostering strategic adaptability and planning (H2).
Network capacity also plays a crucial role, as it promotes collaboration
and the exchange of knowledge, which, in turn, enhances innovation
capabilities (H3). Moreover, absorptive capacity—dened as the rm’s
ability to recognize, assimilate, and apply external knowledge—proves
to be a key factor in boosting innovation among knowledge-intensive
rms (H4).
is research aims to list variables that can determine how capabili-
ties and behaviors impact the Innovation Capacity of KICs, when they
are under the benet of public policies to encourage innovation. By
identifying key variables in this context, the study can provide crucial
insights for the development and implementation of more eective pol-
icies, aiming to promote an environment conducive to innovation and
technological progress.
is study is structured in ve more sections, in addition to this Intro-
duction. e second section deals with the Literature Review on public
policies of innovation, dynamic capabilities and entrepreneurial deci-
sion making (causation & eectuation). e third section discusses the
analytical framework that guides this research, presenting how the ad-
dressed constructs are related. e fourth section deals with the Meth-
odology approached in the research, while the following one presents
the Results obtained. Finally, the last section concludes by dealing with
the study’s Final Considerations.
2. Literature Review
a. Public Policies of Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Innovation plays a fundamental role in the economic success and
competitiveness of an organization. To be able to innovate, companies
need to demonstrate agility in adapting to changes in the environment.
Knowledge Intensive Companies (KIC) play a crucial role in this con-
text, as they depend heavily on knowledge and Research & Development
(R&D) activities to boost their operations. As a result, they have the
ability to innovate in a more agile and impactful way compared to
conventional companies. However, this characteristic also presents sig-
nicant challenges, as EICs require highly qualied professionals, sub-
stantial investments in R&D, robust nancial resources, and a broad
support network to ensure their survival and success in the face of com-
petition (Klimas & Czakon, 2022; Sikosek, 2024).
Public policies are important instruments in fostering entrepreneur-
ship and innovation, being more relevant for economic development
of the Knowledge-Intensive Companies. ese instruments can impact
the KIC from a set of policies and decisions from a systemic perspec-
tive (Caloghirou et al., 2015). Caloghirou et al. (2015) argue how public
policies are important in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation,
and they are most relevant to the Knowledge-Intensive Companies. e
authors state that public policies can impact the Knowledge-Intensive
Companies from a set of policies and decisions from a systemic per-
spective. In this way, an innovation policy can be conceptualized as a
series of governmental activities in plans, programs, projects, or actions
to foster innovation (Audretsch & Link, 2012; Bajmócy & Gébert, 2014;
Patanakul & Pinto, 2014; Silva, Serio & Bezerra, 2019). Edler & Fager-
berg (2017) add that these policies must be applied at dierent times
and under dierent motivations, including dierent approaches.
e authors demonstrate three types of innovation policies: i) oriented
to the mission, which, according to Ergas (1987), aim to provide new
solutions that work for specic challenges on the policy agenda; ii) in-
vention policies, which have a narrower focus, as they focus on activi-
ties (R&D), and transfer the exploitation and diusion of the invention
to the market; iii) oriented to the system, which concern resources at
the system level, such as the degree of interaction between the dierent
parts of the system.
Policies can not only provide a solution to a social challenge, but also
to stimulate entrepreneurship, innovation and growth and therefore
transform local economies and sophisticate local supply. e develop-
ment of new technologies that can emanate from policies can also sup-
port the diversication of relevant sectors of the local economy and cre-
ate opportunities in other related sectors (Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, 2022).
b. e importance of Entrepreneurial Behavior in Public Policies of
Innovation (PPI)
Public policies to stimulate science, technology and innovation (S,T&I)
aim to boost the creation of interaction environments between the acad-
emy and the market, by generating closer relationships between these
actors (Cóser, Brandão, Raposo, & Gonçalves, 2018), expanding the ca-
pacity of these actors to develop new products and generate technological
innovation. In this way, the decision making of managers involved in the
process of innovative entrepreneurship is a relevant factor for entrepre-
neurship. In this sense, the decision making related to risk and invest-
ment, for example, reects how well these companies can transform the
knowledge they possess into the development of new products and tech-
nological services for their customers (Cooper, 2011, 2019).
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