Abstract

Research on absorptive capacity is vigorous. To date, however, more research is needed to understand the effect that several moderating variables could have on the associations among the components of the term. With a sample of 116 professionals surveyed in Brazil, this study tested the moderating effect of social integration mechanisms in two different models of absorptive capacity: the model proposed by Zahra and George (2002) and the model posited by Todorova and Durisin (2007). The results of a Partial Least Squares analysis (PLS) suggest that social integration mechanisms have a more pronounced moderating effect in the former model than in the latter. However, and contrary to expectations, we found a negative rather than a positive effect. Results are discussed and opportunities for future research are outlined.