Absorptive capacity as a strategy for innovation in service microenterprises under crisis environment

Objective: This article aims to study the process of innovation in national microenterprises of services in crisis environments. Literary Reference: Absorptive capacity is a mechanism that enables companies from different industry sectors, such as services, to develop innovative services through the recognition of the value of identified opportunities and assimilation of external knowledge by the company. It was observed the lack of literature on innovation in service microenterprises, both national and foreign enterprises. Methodological procedures: The research method adopted is exploratory qualitative research through multiple case studies, which allowed to deepen the understanding of the innovation process in microenterprises. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four microenterprises chosen based on the dimensions prior knowledge (antecedents) and external knowledge according to the maximum variation criterion. Result: The result suggests that the domestic laundry microenterprises can develop absorptive capacity concentrating their efforts in the interorganizational relationships focused on suppliers and clients and in the intraorganizational ones centered on previous knowledge and sharing knowledge.