463 ICI Bucharest © Copyright 2012-2019. All rights reserved ISSN: 1220-1766 eISSN: 1841-429X 1. Introduction 1.1. From information to knowledge In recent years, the fundamental importance of knowledge to business had been highlighted by authors as Nonaka et al. (1996), Kebede (2010) and Liautaud et al. (2000). Firms are becoming more intelligent in developing, adopting and adapting disruptive technologies in their business processes, in order to increase their effciency and innovativeness through knowledge fows and data/information gathering (Malhotra, 2000). Facing the knowledge and technology- driven contemporary economy- characterized by trends such as globalization, technological and industrial convergence- successful frms use specifc mechanisms to manage knowledge (Gold et al., 2001). In fact, the widespread scholarly and applied interest in organizational knowledge has primarily addressed the issue of managing knowledge to increase organizational benefts. IT influences the development of important organizational capabilities, such as absorptive capacity (Byrd et al., 2003). Since IT applications provide quick and easy access to external sources of knowledge and new, more intense communication channels (Corso et al. 2003), the utilization and mastery of new and advanced IT instruments will be associated with the development of potential absorptive capacity (Daghfous, 2004). Proper use of IT can enhance potential absorptive capacity. For instance, IT is necessary to design and use advanced storage technology and sophisticated retrieval techniques (i.e. multimedia databases and expert systems) to enhance knowledge-storing capabilities (Chou, 2005; Civi, 2000). Promotion and development of IT that cover the depth and breadth of the IT technical specialties within the organization (Byrd et al., 2001) foster the creation of knowledge directories and networks (Alavi et al., 2001). 1.2. Knowledge absorptive capacity insights Knowledge is described as one of the most strategically significant resources of the organization and the foundational element of valuable intangible organizational resources and capabilities (Grant, 1996; Popescu et al., 2018). Indeed, many academics argue that organizational knowledge is essential for determining competitive advantage, added value and sustainability (Conner et al., 1996). According to the knowledge-based view (KBV), the foundation of organizational performance lies in its ability to generate- Studies in Informatics and Control, 28(4) 463-475, December 2019 https://doi.org/10.24846/v28i4y201910 Relationships between Knowledge Absorptive Capacity, Innovation Performance and Information Technology. Case study: the Romanian Creative Industries SMEs Doina I. POPESCU 1 *, Sebastian-Ion CEPTUREANU 1 , Adriana ALEXANDRU 2 , Eduard-Gabriel CEPTUREANU 1 1 The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romana Square, Bucharest, 010374, Romania doina.popescu@man.ase.ro (*Corresponding author), sebastian.ceptureanu@man.ase eduard.ceptureanu@man.ase.ro 2 National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics, Averescu Bvd., Bucharest, 011455, Romania adriana@ici.ro Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between absorptive capacity, innovation performance and Information Technology in Romanian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is the frst study conducted in Romania which deals with concepts regarding knowledge absorptive capacity and information technology, based on such a large sample of 357 small and medium-sized enterprises from creative industries. The fndings identify the effect of multiple dimensions of knowledge absorptive capacity on SMEs’ innovation performance from an Information Technology perspective, offering new theoretical and pragmatic insights. Keywords: Information Technology, absorptive capacity, innovation, knowledge integration, knowledge transfer.