University’s absorptive capacity for collaborative research

Examining Challenges and Opportunities for Organizational Learning to Engage in Research With Community Partners

Bibliographic Data

ID6077226
AuthorsMoonhawk Kim (0000-0001-8376-3908, Research, Planning, and Assessment, San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco, California, USA, corresponding author), Valerie B Shapiro (0000-0003-4493-8829, University of California, Berkeley), Emily J Ozer (0000-0002-4714-6061, University of California, Berkeley), Susan Stone (0000-0003-0243-3048, University of California, Berkeley), Brian Villa (University of California, Berkeley), Marieka Schotland (University of California, Berkeley), Colleen Kohashi (Office for Protection of Human Subjects (OPHS), UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA)
Year2023
Volume31
Issue3-4
Pages397-409
Publication date2023-10-02
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Community Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1070-5422 • E-ISSN: 1543-3706
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10705422.2023.2273912
OpenAlexW4387906711
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited16

The study and the practice of collaborative research between university researchers and community entities of various types have generally focused on the organizational conditions that facilitate community partners to make use of research knowledge. In this article, we propose a conceptual innovation that absorptive capacity – the ability to identify helpful new information and to absorb and apply it in new ways – is important not only for community entities but also for universities. Using our experience of collaborating at the University of California Berkeley between scholars engaged in collaborative research and Institutional Review Board (IRB) analysts, we examine the dimensions of absorptive capacity – prior knowledge, communication pathways, strategic knowledge leadership, and resources – in the university context. The analysis generates insights that recommend 1) further research into the conditions and the processes of organizational learning for collaborative research in universities and 2) strategies for practitioners of collaborative research to strengthen and improve universities' capacity to engage in it

Absorptive capacity · Business · Conceptual framework · Context (archaeology · Knowledge management · Organizational learning · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Computer Science · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Health Policy Implementation Science · Service-Learning and Community Engagement

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