Análise comparativa da capacidade de absorção de conhecimento das empresas de autopeças do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze companies in the auto parts sector in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in order to infer the composition of capabilities they use to absorb knowledge and, thus, identify the most important combinations to obtain Absorptive Capacity. The study starts from the neo- Schumpeterian and evolutionary theoretical analysis to understand innovation in a dynamic environment. From this, the Absorptive Capacity approach is considered as a dynamic capability. Therefore, the relationships between learning, innovation, and interaction in an environment with rapid technological transformations can enhance the capacity of companies to absorb new knowledge and, consequently, to increase their innovative capacity. The data obtained from a survey applied with the companies are analyzed from the fuzzy sets theory. By exploring the concepts of acquisition capacity, assimilation, transformation and development as prerequisites for the establishment of absorptive capacity, an analysis with important theoretical contributions is generated, allowing a comparative ascertainment of the data through a qualitative set. The use of fsQCA data processing software allowed for the testing of qualitatively distinct necessary and sufficient conditions, related to the dimensions and components that make up the firm's absorptive capacity. Based on the group of firms that presented acceptable paths - based on consistency and coverage criteria - only one causal combination was found to be sufficient, but not necessary, for a firm to obtain Medium Absorptive Capacity. This combination refers to all high antecedents, i.e., for a firm to obtain only Medium Absorptive Capacity, its acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation capabilities must be high. This means that the sector under study does not have a combination of potential and realized capabilities that allows for a high absorption of new knowledge oriented towards innovation.