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Absorptive Capacity: North–South Partnerships and Organizational Learning Within Development Networks

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Abstract

In order to improve the efficiency of their interventions, Canadian NGOs – relying on the knowledge-based approach to cooperation – have privileged the establishment of genuine North–South partnerships and relationships between their partners within networks as a strategy for building and sustaining local capacities. Although the networks are associated with development, the mechanisms that enable partners to learn and build their capacities within networks remain unclear. Based on field research carried out with Oxfam-Québec and three of its West African partners, this article examines these mechanisms. The results demonstrate the importance of Oxfam-Québec’s knowledge-management practices in the development of its partners’ absorptive capacity on which their learning within the network is based. As a result, this article contributes to a better understanding of the processes and mechanisms leading to the development of absorptive capacity as well as the conditions associated with the effective use of networks as tools for development.

Afin d’améliorer l’efficacité de leurs interventions, les ONG canadiennes (s'appuyant sur l'approche de la coopération basée sur le savoir) ont favorisé l’établissement des véritables partenariats Nord-Sud et la mise en relation de leurs partenaires au sein des réseaux comme stratégie de renforcement et de maintien des capacités locales. Bien que les réseaux soient associés au développement, les mécanismes qui permettent aux partenaires d’apprendre et de construire leurs capacités au sein de ceux-ci demeurent peu connus. Basé sur une recherche sur le terrain effectuée auprès d'Oxfam-Québec et de trois de ses partenaires ouest-africains, cet article examine ces mécanismes. Les résultats démontrent l’importance des pratiques de gestion des connaissances d’Oxfam-Québec dans le développement de la capacité d’absorption de ses partenaires, laquelle est à la base de leur apprentissage au sein du réseau. Cet article contribue ainsi à une meilleure compréhension des processus et mécanismes qui mènent au développement de la capacité d’absorption ainsi qu'à celle des conditions liées à l’utilisation efficace des réseaux comme outils de développement.

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Figure 1

Source: Developed by the authors.

Figure 2

Source: Developed by the authors based on Zahra and George (2002).

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Acknowledgments

This research was made possible by a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe Conseil NSM, 178 Wellington Street North, Suite 305, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5C5, Canada

    Johanne Boucher

  2. Faculty of Education, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, Boulevard de l’Université, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada

    Joanne M. Roch

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Correspondence to Johanne Boucher.

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Boucher, J., Roch, J.M. Absorptive Capacity: North–South Partnerships and Organizational Learning Within Development Networks. Eur J Dev Res 29, 404–422 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-016-0005-z

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