Intervening role of realized absorptive capacity in organizational culture–open innovation relationship

Using data collected from middle and top managers working across different industries in the United Arab Emirates, this article examines the relationship between two contrasting organizational culture types and two types of open innovation (OI). It also takes into account the mediating role of realized absorptive capacity in these relationships. Results obtained using several statistical techniques show that a highly integrative culture relates positively, while a hierarchy culture relates negatively to the two types of OI. Results also establish the mediating role of realized absorptive capacity in these relationships. These findings contribute theoretically to OI and organizational culture literature and provide insights for practitioners on how to succeed or avoid failure in their OI initiatives. A discussion of the findings, along with limitations of the study and future research directions, is given.