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This study aims to investigate the micro-antecedents of the multidimensional construct of absorptive capacity (ACAP) from the perspective of the individual characteristics underlying learning capability in joint project information and communications technology (ICT) teams. Specifically, the model proposes prior experience and learning goal orientations as the micro-antecedents and delineates ACAP into four dimensions.

The context of study was the joint project teams, set up to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from expatriate to local employees in Malaysian ICT sector. Data collected through the cross-sectional survey of 205 local team members of joint ICT projects in Malaysia were analyzed using structural equation modelling.

Individual’s prior experience and learning orientation were associated with the ability to assimilate and recognize the value of partner’s knowledge, respectively. Furthermore, the hypothesized relationships among the ACAP dimensions were supported, and the mediating effect of shared cognition was confirmed.

The use of cross-sectional and self-reported survey is a major limitation of this study.

Managerial implications are offered on the selection of team members and designing the joint project team.

This study demonstrates prior experience and learning orientation as antecedents of individuals’ learning capability, thereby extending extant conceptualization on the multifaceted nature of ACAP.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the beliefs and attitudinal factors that affect the private sphere pro-environmental behavior of information technology (IT) professionals in using personal computers.

A research framework that draws from the belief-action-outcome (BAO) framework and that consisted of 11 hypotheses was developed. Data were collected from a sample of 322 IT professionals and analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The results identify the pro-environmental personal computing actions that IT professionals are taking and how their Green IT beliefs, attitudes, information acquisition capability, and organizational fields influence their behavior.

The sample was limited to Australian respondents. The measurement of IT-specific environmental practices was not exhaustive nor were the measures of macro- and micro-antecedents of Green IT belief and attitude.

National, regional, and international professional associations such as the Association of Information Systems can influence pro-environmental behavior among IT professionals through the creation and dissemination of information that shape both general and IT-specific environmental beliefs.

The novelty of this work lies in: first, proposing and testing a research framework that can be leveraged in future studies; second, establishing how organizational fields and availability of information contribute to the formation of IT professionals’ environmental beliefs and attitudes; third, applying and suggesting potential extension to the BAO framework to evaluate the association between IT practices and environmental sustainability among IT professionals.

This paper aims to investigate the micro-level antecedents of absorptive capacity (ACAP) based on the multilevel perspective of learning capabilities in asymmetric joint project engineering teams constituted by local employees and expatriates.

The authors integrated the micro-foundational and multilevel learning theories to delineate the individual and team dimensions of ACAP. Using structural equation modelling, the authors tested the hypothesized relationships among the underlying individual determinants and multilevel dimensions of ACAP. The data were collected from a sample of 248 local employees from 76 joint project engineering teams in the Nigerian upstream oil industry.

ACAP entails individual and team capabilities, which depend on prior experience and need for cognition. The creation of shared understanding is essential for the transition of an individual’s knowledge assimilation capability into team’s knowledge utilization capability.

This study contributes to extant understanding of the multilevel perspective of learning capabilities, i.e. ACAP in a knowledge intensive team like joint project engineering.

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the factors that underlie the differences in individual absorptive capacity (ACAP) within the context of joint project teams, following the individual-level perspective on potential ACAP.

The model was empirically validated through structural equation modeling conducted on a cross-sectional survey of 248 local team members of joint projects in the Nigerian upstream oil industry.

Prior experience and learning goal orientation are positively associated with the ability to assimilate knowledge, whereas performance approach goal orientation and need for cognition are positively associated with the ability to recognize the value of knowledge. Surprisingly, no significant relationship exists between prior experience and ability to recognize the value of knowledge. In addition, the positive relationship between ability to recognize the value of knowledge and ability to assimilate knowledge is supported.

This study contributes to the empirical justification of the role of individuals in acquiring and assimilating external knowledge, and extends classroom-based constructs (i.e. need for cognition and goal orientation) to the project domain.

Microfoundations have become an effective approach for capability scholars to explore the heterogeneity of organizational results. Since the early pioneering work of scholars such as Felin and Foss, the microfoundations of strategic organization had not been extensively studied until 2010. The theoretical and empirical literature associated with the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities has developed rapidly. However, the diversity and fragmentation of micro-elements lead to a lack of a relatively consistent understanding of microfoundations, the study purpose is to aggregate the associated scattered terminology into a cohesive discussion.

A systematic literature review was conducted on research papers published between 2000 and 2022 using a hybrid methodology that included bibliometric and content analysis.

The authors suggest that this line of research can be divided into three stages. The study further develop a framework delineating the main components and mechanism involved in the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities, which in turn help us distill research gaps and opportunities for future work.

The authors construct a framework that can serve as a coherent research platform for further knowledge development. In the framework, the authors highlight that the research of group constructs, culture and leadership, data-driven topics are valuable for our understanding of the microfoundations of dynamics capabilities.

Employee training and learning have transformed over the years. The movement from classroom training to the blended format represents the magnitude of this evolution. This has placed much attention on self-regulated learning. This study aimed to understand the individual and organizational mechanisms that sustain the formal learning process in organizations. It explored the goals the organizations and employees strive to achieve by investing in learning. Through this, the authors investigated how technology assistance makes learning more goal-oriented, despite the possibility of different goals for different stakeholders. They also examined how person-job fit can be achieved in employee training.

The study adopted a grounded theory-based inductive approach using a qualitative inquiry that used in-depth interviews of employees working in the Indian IT/ITES sector. This sector is knowledge-intensive and engages in constant skill development. A content analysis of the interview transcripts unraveled the most relevant themes from the participants' discussion.

Individual learners use dimensions of self-regulated learning to set and achieve goals such as better performance and career development. On the other hand, organizations use learning support mechanisms such as better access and flexibility to direct employee learning behavior to achieve organizational goals. Focusing on goal congruence leads to better achievement of results. Goal congruence also implies good person-organization fit.

This research established how aligning individual and organizational mechanisms can help achieve training goals that ultimately contribute to organizational performance. The study differentiated itself by investigating training goal setting and goal achievement at two levels – organizational and individual – using a qualitative approach. It also showed how goal congruence is vital in improving organizational performance and how technology-enabled training practices rely on self-regulated learning and help achieve goal congruence.

International joint ventures offer the appropriate platform for the host partners in an emerging economy to access the external knowledge embedded in the expatriate from foreign partners. However several factors could constrain the acquisition of this knowledge by the local employees who are engaged in the former. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the underlying differences for the individual’s knowledge acquisition capability.

Individual’s knowledge acquisition capability was conceptualized as the individual dimension of absorptive capacity (ACAP). Given the engagement of employees in joint project teams, the team members are expected to differ in their experience and disposition to task. Thus, these differences are considered as predictors of the local team members ACAP, i.e., abilities to: recognize the value of; and assimilate the external knowledge embedded in the foreign partners. The hypothesized model was validated through the results of structural equation modeling on a cross sectional survey of 248 local team members of joint projects in the Nigerian upstream oil industry.

All the hypothesized relationships were supported, with the exception of that between prior experience and ability to recognize the value of knowledge.

This study offers empirical clarification on the underlying differences for individual ACAP within the context of asymmetric joint project teams set up to facilitate knowledge transfer. The findings have implications for academic and practical understanding on the role of individuals in the acquisition of external knowledge.

Attracting and retaining a talented work force is a strategic imperative. Doing so requires organizations to create an overall context through a set of macro‐level organizational practices we refer to as the HR value chain. However, this organizational context must be supplemented at the micro level through leader behavior, job characteristics, and challenging goals. An evidence‐based integrative model of organizational practices is developed that will lead to a high level of employee engagement.

The paper addresses several key questions: Do engaged employees perform better than those that are not engaged? How should companies best organize their HR processes at a firm‐wide level to foster employee engagement? What should companies do at an employee level to foster engagement? What is the role of employee to manager trust in employee engagement? A review and summary of existing empirical literature from the areas of employee engagement, human resources, strategy, and leadership was assembled to answer these questions and provide an evidenced‐based set of prescriptions for practicing managers seeking to enhance employee engagement.

The evidence presented supports seven key engagement principles characterized by: an integrated HR value chain; full‐range leader behaviors incorporating contingent reward and transformational behaviors; job enrichment through variety, significance, and task identity; challenging and specific performance goals; in‐role job performance; extra‐role performance behaviors; and employee trust in their leader.

The content of the paper is useful to executives and managers in firms of various sizes and across industries by: presenting empirically‐based evidence that engaged employees perform better than those that are not engaged; providing pragmatic recommendations regarding how to establish firm‐wide human resources process that foster workforce engagement; providing practical recommendations regarding what companies should do at an employee level to foster engagement; explaining the role of employee to manager trust in employee engagement; providing a bridge across the often decried gap between academic research and the practice of management.