Individual and organizational antecedents of absorptive capacity: a multilevel mediation model

Purpose This paper aimed to investigate the impact of individual and organizational antecedents and their interactions on a firm’s absorptive capacity (ACAP) based on Coleman’s (1990) framework. Design/methodology/approach We used multilevel structural equation modeling based on 135 top managers and 307 core knowledge employees from 135 Tunisian companies in the chemical and electrical, electronic and appliance sectors. Findings The results show that flexibility-oriented human resource management (HRM) systems are positively associated with ACAP at the organizational level, suggesting that there is a micro-level process underlying this relationship. The results also show that flexibility-oriented HRM systems positively impact extrinsic motivation, which, in turn, fosters creative behavior, further boosting ACAP. Finally, extrinsic motivation and creative behavior mediate the relationship between flexibility-oriented HRM systems and ACAP. Originality/value This study provides new insights into the relationship between flexibility-oriented HRM systems and ACAP, highlighting the essential microfoundations that underlie organizational ACAP, i.e. creative behavior and extrinsic motivation. It is one of the first empirical investigations to validate Coleman’s (1990) multilevel framework for understanding organizational ACAP.