The Theory and Practice of Competence-based Competition

摘要

The concept of core competence has gained a degree of attention from both researchers and practitioners which defies its relative youth. Much of the attention has resulted in a wide range of case study evidence which does not always offer 'theoretically sound' implementation advice. In particular, core competence may be associated with a chicken-and-egg problem: is a competence a process at which an organization excels, or does an organization decide which processes it wants to excel at? Sony, for example, possesses a competence in miniaturization and Honda in engine-related technologies. The competences possessed by Sony and Honda appear to have resulted in significant profits for the two companies. However, a nagging problem that arises is how to advise an organization ex ante which competence, from an infinite pool of possibilities, it should consider developing.