ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY IN STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT: A BIBLIOMETRIC MAPPING OF ITS ROLE IN FOSTERING INNOVATION

Absorption capacity (AC) refers to a company's ability to identify, absorb, and utilise valuable external information for commercial purposes. It is the cornerstone of corporate innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. In an era of rapid technological transformation and knowledge-intensive competition, innovation remains crucial for long-term organisational success. Despite the rapid growth of literature on AC, uncertainties remain regarding its fundamental dimensions and interaction with strategic management practices. This study employs bibliometric analysis to investigate the evolution of AC research within the context of innovation in strategic management, through a systematic review of global trends up to 2024. Data were obtained from journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, SSCI, SCI-Expanded, and Google Scholar. After applying exclusion criteria focusing on English-language articles on strategic management, 251 peer-reviewed articles (1990-2024) were selected as the final sample. Descriptive statistics, citation networks, co-citations, and co-word mapping were analysed using VOSviewer software. Key findings reveal an increase in AC publications after 2015. The peak years for this increase were 2020 (n=30) and 2023 (n=24), with most publications originating from China (n=56) and the US (n=27). Leading journals include the International Journal of Innovation Management (n=22) and the Journal of Knowledge Management (n=12). Influential authors are predominantly from the fields of business economics, engineering, and computer science, highlighting AC's role in enhancing innovation performance. Notably, Turkish contributions remain few (n=1), pointing to a critical research gap. Overall, the analysis confirms AC as a dynamic capability that supports organisational innovation by facilitating knowledge acquisition, assimilation, transformation, and utilisation. This research advances theoretical understanding by visualising thematic clusters (e.g., open innovation, knowledge management) and offers practical implications for policymakers and managers, such as promoting cross-sector collaboration and employee skill development to strengthen AC. Future studies should prioritise empirical research for Türkiye.