The concept of competence as a source of competitive advantage has originated in studies of diversified firms. Managers started to conceive of the company as a collection of competencies rather than as a portfolio of business units. In this way, managers were able to identify new business opportunities and find new ways to deploy the company’s intellectual assets. Managers eventually came to realize that the corporation could also draw on the competencies of its supply-chain partners. During the last decade, managers have extended the search for competencies even further; they now draw on a broad network of suppliers and distributors. Over time, then, the unit of strategic analysis has moved from the single company to a family of businesses, and finally to what people call the “extended enterprise,” which consists of a central firm supported by a constellation of suppliers. But the recognition that consumers are a source of competence forces managers to cast an even wider net: competence now is a function of the collective knowledge available to the whole system—an enhanced network of traditional suppliers, manufacturers, partners, investors, and customers.
Here’s what Brian Tracy, a Canadian-American motivational public speaker, has to say:
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Let me know in the comments section.
In this ongoing series #GreatMinds on my blog, I am shining a spotlight on the important ideas that some very successful people keep talking about in their public life.