Human Resource Development and the Resource-Based Model of Core Competencies: Methods for Diagnosis and Assessment

Abstract

The resource-based theory of organizational performance emphasizes the sustained competitive advantages gained from production capabilities that are rare and hard to imitate. Under certain conditions, such capabilities become core competencies and tend to involve the firm's human resources. There is not yet a standard research protocol for how to research core competencies. Based on a review of existing studies on core competencies from a variety of fields, a framework for studying core competencies is proposed here based on four questions: Does the firm have a competitive advantage? If so, is it based on capabilities? What is the nature of the specific core competencies involved? Does the competition have core competencies, and if yes, what are they? The implications of this model for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

The evolution of web pages for a strategic description of large firms

“…However, in the specific case of human resources, the reality shown by websites reveals that this is not seen as just another department, but as an essential one. In fact, some of those sites literally say that it represents a 'differential factor' for corporations, or expressed differently, a competitive advantage factor (Den Hartog and Verburg, 2004;Bhattacharya and Wright, 2005;Hiltrop, 2006;Clardy, 2008). Thus, 22 companies explicitly stated the guidelines of the human resource policy in 2007 (as opposed to 24 in 2017), to which must be added that eight firms identified human resource development as a key corporate strategy in 2007 (a number which increased to 17 in 2017).…”

Managerial Competencies and Innovations in the Company – The Case of Enterprises in Poland

“…The structure of managerial competencies is widely discussed in the literature. (Antonacopoulou, Fitzgerald 1996;Clardy 2008;Oleksyn 2010;Alkahtani et al 2011). Bird (1995) defined competencies as primary characteristics such as basic and specific knowledge, motives, traits, self-image, roles and skills.…”

Competency Management in Central Europe: A Comparison of Czech, Hungarian and Slovenian Competency Needs

“…If the concept of the resource-based theory is transferred into the field of human resources, then human resources can represent an independent potential that can be transformed, by means of human resources management (HRM) instruments, into a special factor of the competitive advantage of a company (Dyer and Reeves, 1995;Colbert, 2004;Clardy, 2008). The resource-based view is used widely in HRM literature to explain the strategic importance of human resources (Abhayawansa and Abeysekera, 2008).…”