Classificação de grupos estratégicos de empresas contratantes de Kibs: uma taxonomia a partir da capacidade absortiva e interação entre empresas

Abstract

This thesis describes the development and analysis of an empirical taxonomy to classify strategic groups of KIBS contracting companies based on their ability to absorb knowledge and interact with these companies. The taxonomy was developed based on cluster analysis and is based on the importance attributed to seven constructs related to the absorptive capacity and interaction between these companies. A survey was conducted with 304 companies contracting these services and results indicate five distinct clusters of companies. This groups can be identified by the importance they attribute to the organizational antecedents being: "Set of Low Absorption and Interaction", "Set of Structure", "Set of Absorption and Interaction","Set of Knowledge" and "Set of R&D”. This taxonomy provides analytical evidence that supports significant differences between KIBS contracting firms in relation to the proposed organizational antecedents based on absorptive capacity and interaction between firms. Clusters found differ substantially in certain characteristics and indicate different behaviors in what concerns the ability to identify, assimilate and finally transform this knowledge for commercial purposes.