ABSTRAK
Inovasi telah lama diakui sebagai sumber penting bagi pencapaiankeunggulan daya saing. Namun dalam industri asuransi terdapat perbedaanpandangan terhadap konsep ini; beberapa pelaku industri telah menyadaripentingnya inovasi sebagai sumber untuk mencapai pertumbuhan dan daya saing,sementara sebagian lagi lebih memilih imitasi sebagai sumber untuk mencapaikeunggulan biaya rendah. Dalam upaya meneliti isu inovasi dalam industriasuransi, studi ini memperluas studi Liao, Fei, dan Chen (2007) tentang hubunganantara knowledge sharing dan kapasitas absorptif dan pengaruh positifnyaterhadap kapabilitas inovasi, dengan memasukkan faktor-faktor penghambatinovasi ke dalam kerangka studinya; dan meneliti pengaruh positif kapabilitasinovasi terhadap kinerja perusahaan (e.g.: Garcia-Morales, Llorens-Montes, &Verdu-Jover, 2008).Melalui analisis atas data riset dari 212 strategic business unit dari 64perusahaan asuransi yang beroperasi di Indonesia, studi ini menemukan bahwafaktor hambatan-inovasi berpengaruh negatif pada kapabilitas inovasi namunhubungan sinergis antara knowledge sharing dan kapasitas absorptif dapatmengeliminasi atau meminimalisasi pengaruh negatif tersebut. Studi ini jugamenemukan bahwa faktor-faktor hambatan-inovasi memiliki akarnya di luarperusahaan namun harus ditangani dengan menggunakan sumber dayapengetahuan internal. Temuan ini menimbulkan pertanyaan mengenai kebutuhanuntuk mengkaji ulang konsep manajemen pengetahuan dan knowledge sharingagar tidak berfokus hanya pada pengetahuan internal tetapi perlu diperluas denganpengetahuan eksternal.Studi ini menyarankan kepada pelaku industri asuransi di Indonesia untuksegera meninggalkan strategi ?blind imitation? dan meningkatkan basispengetahuan melalui manajemen pengetahuan yang terintegrasi antarapengetahuan internal dan pengetahuan eksternal; dan kepada regulator asuransiagar memberikan arahan yang lebih tegas mengenai penggunaan dana pendidikandan latihan perusahaan asuransi pada pengetahuan state-of-the-art untuk tujuaninovasi dalam upaya meningkatkan keunggulan daya saing perusahaanperusahaanasuransi Indonesia di dalam negeri maupun di pasar regional atauinternasional;

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ABSTRACT
Innovation has long been considered important source of competitiveadvantage. However, in insurance industry innovation receives conflicting viewsfrom the players; either as a critical source of growth and competitiveness, orcostly undertaking as opposed to low cost imitation. In investigating this issue,this research extends the study of Liao, Fei, and Chen (2007) on the relationshipbetween knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity and its effect on innovationcapability, by incorporating innovation barriers into the framework; and theinfluence of innovation capability on firm performance (e.g.: Garcia-Morales,Llorens-Montes, & Verdu-Jover, 2008).Research in this study, conducted on 212 strategic business units of 64insurance companies in Indonesia, found that innovation barriers had negativeimpact on innovation capability but the synergic relationship between knowledgesharing and absorptive capacity could reduce such a negative influence. Thisstudy also found that innovation barriers have their roots outside organization buthave to be dealt with by developing and enforcing internal knowledge sharing ofresources. The findings prompt a question of rethinking knowledge managementto not only focus on internal knowledge sharing but to include external knowledgesharing in an integrated system.This study recommends the Indonesian insurance industry to immediatelyleave the 'blind imitation' strategy and enhance their knowledge base through anintegrated knowledge management between internal knowledge and externalknowledge; and the insurance regulators to provide more explicit directionregarding the use of funds for insurance company?s education and training onstate-of-the-art knowledge for innovation purpose, in order to increasecompetitive advantage of Indonesian insurance companies in domestic market aswell as in regional or international markets;Innovation has long been considered important source of competitiveadvantage. However, in insurance industry innovation receives conflicting viewsfrom the players; either as a critical source of growth and competitiveness, orcostly undertaking as opposed to low cost imitation. In investigating this issue,this research extends the study of Liao, Fei, and Chen (2007) on the relationshipbetween knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity and its effect on innovationcapability, by incorporating innovation barriers into the framework; and theinfluence of innovation capability on firm performance (e.g.: Garcia-Morales,Llorens-Montes, & Verdu-Jover, 2008).Research in this study, conducted on 212 strategic business units of 64insurance companies in Indonesia, found that innovation barriers had negativeimpact on innovation capability but the synergic relationship between knowledgesharing and absorptive capacity could reduce such a negative influence. Thisstudy also found that innovation barriers have their roots outside organization buthave to be dealt with by developing and enforcing internal knowledge sharing ofresources. The findings prompt a question of rethinking knowledge managementto not only focus on internal knowledge sharing but to include external knowledgesharing in an integrated system.This study recommends the Indonesian insurance industry to immediatelyleave the 'blind imitation' strategy and enhance their knowledge base through anintegrated knowledge management between internal knowledge and externalknowledge; and the insurance regulators to provide more explicit directionregarding the use of funds for insurance company?s education and training onstate-of-the-art knowledge for innovation purpose, in order to increasecompetitive advantage of Indonesian insurance companies in domestic market aswell as in regional or international markets