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Today, in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurs must take a more strategic perspective that is evidenced by the need to scan the enterprise to discover how they might improve customer relations as well as promote improved entrepreneurial actions. The paper aims to focus on this issue.

This study examines the impact of the existence of an “open‐minded context” in an organisation at time (T) on actions that concern the challenging of entrepreneurial actions at time (T+1). It also examines the relationship between explorative and exploitation processes and customer relations. These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of data obtained from 107 SMEs from the Spanish telecommunications industry, using partial least squares (PLS).

The results indicate that the effects of an “open‐minded context” at time (T) on customer relations at time (T+1) are mediated through the existence of explorative and exploitation knowledge processes at time (T+1).

Practices which may be based on explicit knowledge or on tacit knowledge in the form of processes and routines need to be challenged prior to the adoption of new knowledge by the organisation. In such situations, it will be necessary to modify or even delete some knowledge in order to ensure that employees have access to the up‐to‐date explorative and exploitative knowledge processes necessary to maintain or enhance customer relations.

In situations where organisations and their members face rapidly changing environments it is necessary to challenge the entrepreneurial actions which have been derived from the founding entrepreneurs.

The paper examines how the nature and existence of an open‐mindedness context is linked to the nature and existence of knowledge exploration and exploitation processes enacted by the workforce of an organisation.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of an organization's unlearning context and information systems (IS) capabilities on the organization's ability to challenge basic beliefs and to implement processes that are explicitly or tacitly helpful in the reception of new ideas (absorptive capacity). The authors also seek to examine the relationship between absorptive capacity and the existence and enhancement of innovativeness.

These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 54 doctors and 62 nurses belonging to 44 hospital‐in‐the‐home units (HHU) in Spain.

The results show that absorptive capacity is an important dynamic determinant for developing a HHU's innovativeness. Moreover, this relationship is best explained with two related constructs. Firstly, the HHU's unlearning context plays a key role in managing the tension between potential absorptive capacity and realized absorptive capacity. Secondly, the results also shed light on a tangible means for health managers to enhance their units' innovativeness (quality of service) through IS capabilities.

The cross‐sectional design does not allow observation of the short‐ and long‐term impact of absorptive capacity on the unlearning context, information systems capability and HHU's innovativeness. Although the model presented here proposes sequenced relationships between absorptive capacities (PACAP and RACAP), the unlearning context and IS capability, the authors measure all these constructs at one point in time.

This sequential model presented in this paper provides practical steps for managers interested in organizational structures that support organizational innovativeness.

The contribution of unlearning context is related to its ability to prepare the ground for innovation processes.

People live and work in a world where they do not have complete knowledge and, as a result, they make use of rumours, beliefs and assumptions about relevant areas of concern. The term counter-knowledge has been used to refer to knowledge created from unverified sources. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between counter-knowledge and human capital (HC) as well as investigating interactions between absorptive capacity (ACAP) and HC.

A model is tested to examine the relationship between counter-knowledge, HC and the financial performance of 112 companies listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange.

The results are calculated using structural equation modelling. This leads to the main conclusion that while the increasing presence of counter-knowledge leads to a reduction of ACAP and, by extension with HC. However, in the context of the sample, HC has positive effects on firms’ performance. Therefore, consideration must be given to the evaluation of the real cost of counter-knowledge or inappropriate assumptions on HC.

The key managerial implication of this paper is that management should actively develop an organizational culture which questions the source of any knowledge and favours evidence-based reasoning over reasoning based on “gut instinct”, what has worked in the past and reasoning based on rumours and gossip.

This paper provides empirical support for the argument that the all so-called “knowledge” generated from the sharing of unverified news is not necessarily good knowledge. Rumours or gossip shared thanks to unverified sources are some examples that illustrate people possibility to create inappropriate or false beliefs via unsupported explanations and justifications.

The Spanish health care system has undergone important changes, particularly in the development of new homecare services. In practice, however, results have been mixed. Some homecare services have been successful, but implementation failures are common and the intended patients are frequently reluctant to use home care services. A possible explanation for efficiency and effectiveness gaps of services provided by hospital‐in‐the‐home units may relate to the advantages and disadvantages of the knowledge processes that these units highlight as a result of their different structural properties. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework for hospital‐in‐the‐home units developed to guide learning within the context of homecare services.

Using data collected from the hospital‐in‐the‐home unit at a Spanish regional hospital, this work examines how the existence of some practices is linked to knowledge transfer and how this component is linked to patient service.

This paper reports a knowledge management program that is customised and based on four frameworks – i.e. technical infrastructure; people to facilitate and drive the process; a system that supports and rewards sharing; and the team leader.

Conducting this type of single case study (an interview‐based case study approach) is to be understood foremost as a prelude to further quantitative studies including common measures for patients, clinicians, staff, managers and board members.

In an applied sense, the model provides homecare practitioners with identifiable factors that enable the four frameworks and address the relevant issues by changing strategies at both the individual and organisational levels. Without a knowledge management program, practitioners may lose the ability to see the market signals stemming from healthcare members, and they may decide to go solely by their own ways of doing and interpreting things.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the strategic management literature by identifying possible combinations of three organizational capabilities (market orientation, knowledge management, and customer relationship management). It seeks to analyze the potential interaction between them that would lead to the creation of superior customer value.

The research question is: “If the customer demands superior value, how should a firm combine its existing capabilities in order to offer this superior value?”

It is clear that one should turn to dynamic capabilities to explain the connection between the interaction of these three capabilities and superior customer value. Firms are aware of the customers' demand for superior value and need to know how to combine their existing capabilities to offer this superior value.

A possible way of increasing the value created for the customer is proposed, which is a key factor for the increasing number of firms seeking new ways to achieve and maintain competitive advantage.

It is posited that the interaction between the three proposed capabilities constitutes a dynamic capability.

There is no empirical evidence, particularly in relation to small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), to support the concept of cultural barriers and how they relate to open‐mindedness (OM). Some of these cultural barriers can be linked to outdated knowledge, which can impede the adoption of new configurations. The purpose of this paper therefore is to test the role of cultural barriers in the relationship between OM and organizational innovation.

These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 133 SMEs.

The results show that the relationship between OM and organizational innovation is likely to suffer if a firm does not overcome previously its cultural barriers. An explanation for this could be thatoutdated knowledge can impede the adoption of new configurations. Therefore, it is important for organizations to provide an appropriate environment for overcoming cultural barriers. Otherwise new knowledge will not be acted on or incorporated into new products and services.

The authors point out the importance for organizations of taking this perspective into account when they are seeking to respond proactively to the challenges thrown up by the external environment.

This paper's aim is to evaluate the effect of the use of information technology and communications (ITC) on the international competitiveness of firms in developing countries. The study also seeks to evaluate other factors that allow or condition the use of ITC such as: human resources, collaboration of the industrial sector, and local environment.

These effects are examined through an empirical research of 100 small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) from a developing country – Peru.

SMEs from developing countries follow an isomorphic approach. This is because they tend to imitate or copy the better practices from developed countries. The results have shown that ITCs have a positive effect on the international competitiveness of firms.

A limitation is the cross‐sectional character of this research.

Firms use ITC to manage their inventory, for the communication between manufacturers and offices, and suppliers, for bill payments, and for the management of sales and marketing, and for the management of their networks.

According to the literature reviewed, this study is one of the pioneers in contrasting empirically whether the use of ITC contributes positively to the international competitiveness of firms in the developing countries of Latin America.

The purpose of this exploratory case study is to determine how an enterprise can identify and measure a key resource capability (critical knowledge area) to enhance competitive advantage, in the context of the emerging field of knowledge management. On the basis of the literature on resource capabilities and strategic management, the term critical knowledge area has been formulated as a label for a key resource capability.

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the service management literature by identifying the possible relationship between customer value seen from the customer perspective and from the firm perspective, and its potential influence on the value created for the service customer. The authors have not found any papers which focus on the relationship between these different perspectives of customer value, and the aim is to fill this gap in the literature.

The paper proposes that a relationship between the different perspectives exists and attempts to create an integrated vision of customer value.

The proposed model shows that it is the relationship between customer value from the customer ' s point of view and customer value from the firm ' s point of view that really creates value.

The paper can influence the current service management of firms with regard to customer value creation in several ways.

From the existing literature, it is deduced that customer value can be seen as perceived value (the customer perspective) or as value creation and appropriation (the firm perspective). The paper proposes that these three types of value are equivalent in an important level and should always be interrelated.