The organizational performance of a higher education institution: an analysis of potential absorptive capacity and innovation

Abstract

Absorptive Capacity Potential is an important non-observable variable, considering that it defines the influence of cognitive structures in an organizational learning context. As this is a very recent study, it was evident the presence of numerous theoretical gaps in relation to the history of publications related to this topic. With this, the present research had as general objective to analyze the impact of Perceptual Absorption Potential Perceived in Perceived Innovation and Perceived Organizational Performance, having as the focus of analysis the students’ perceptions about the university. A research was carried out with 150 respondents through a quantitative analysis using structural equations in their exploratory approach (PLS-SEM). As the main findings of the research, it was noticed that Perceived Potential Absorptive Capacity positively impacts Perceived Innovation and Perceived Internal and External Organizational Performance. Perceived Innovation partially mediated the relationship between Perceived Potential Absorptive Capacity and Perceived Internal and External Organizational Performance. The suggestion of a framework with an integration of the analyzed constructs, searching for Perceived Innovation as the mediating variable of the relation between Perceived Potential Absorptive Capacity and Perceived Organizational Performance can be seen as a contribution of this study, as well as the validation of a measurement scale of Organizational Performance aimed at Higher Education Institutions.

Keywords: Potential Absorptive Capacity, innovation, organizational performance, undergraduate students, perception.