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A core competency is a concept in management theory introduced by C. K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel, in a 1990 "Harvard Business Review" article entitled "The Core Competence of the Corporation."

Definition:

Core competency is defined as the collective learning in an organization. It means knowing how to coordinate diverse production technologies, integrating evolving technologies and delivering value to customers.

Source: https://bizfluent.com/info-7982650-core-competencies.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

It can be defined as "a harmonized combination of multiple resources and skills that distinguish a firm in the marketplace" and therefore are the foundation of companies' competitiveness.

Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_competency

Core Competency is:

Collective learning within the business

Ability to integrate skills and technologies

Ability to deliver superior products and services

Ways a business is differentiated to be competitive

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Here are some examples of Core Competencies of some well know companies.

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Buy the Book

A core competency is defined as something unique that an organization has, or as something unique it can do. A company that develops a unique core competency can create long lasting competitive advantage.

A core competency will typically meet all rules on the following checklist:

it provides benefit to the customer

it is difficult to imitate

it can be leveraged widely to create many products (or operate in many markets)

it will uniquely identify the organization

it will be difficult to pin down, because it seems to be a combination of things such as technology, process, and know-how.

Now that we know what core competencies are, and we're armed with a checklist to check for one, let's look at some core competency examples...

Core Competency Example 1: Apple

The core competency of Apple can be said to be "making user friendly user interfaces and design". Let's examine this statement against our checklist:

Criteria Yes/No

Customer benefit?

Yes. The customer clearly benefits from great user interfaces

Difficult to imitate?

Yes. Companies have been trying for years and not yet succeeded.

Can be leveraged?

Yes. This core competency has been rolled out to the iPod, the iPhone, and most recently, the iPad.

Uniquely identifies the organization?

Yes

Difficult to pin down?

Yes - it's not just design, but marketing, software, hardware etc

Core Competency Example 2: Walmart

The core competency of Walmart can be said to be "Groceries at a low cost". Let's examine this statement against our checklist:

Criteria Yes/No

Customer benefit?

Yes. The customer gets their goods cheaper than anywhere else

Difficult to imitate?

Yes. A company would require huge scale to replicate, and that is obviously not an easy thing to achieve.

Can be leveraged?

Yes. Walmart sells all kinds of goods using the same model

Uniquely identifies the organization?

Yes, I think in the US at least, most consumers would identify Walmart as being amongst the cheapest in this space.

Difficult to pin down?

Yes - it's scale, but also supply chain management, and high inventory turnover etc.

Core Competency Example 1: Dell

The core competency of Dell can be said to be "custom made PC direct from manufacturer at a low cost". Let's examine this statement against our checklist:

Criteria Yes/No

Customer benefit?

Yes. The customer gets a PC at a inexpensive price point.

Difficult to imitate?

Marginal - and this could be Dell's downfall

Can be leveraged?

Yes. They have rolled the model out to laptops, printers etc

Uniquely identifies the organization?

Yes. Dell would certainly be identified by consumers as one of the most affordable in this space.

Difficult to pin down?

Yes (but probably the easiest to identify of all 3 examples) - it's a combination of just in time manufacturing,low cost sales channels (Internet), outsourced R&D etc.

Summary

A core competency is defined as something unique that an organization has, or as something unique it can do. A company that develops a unique core competency can create a long lasting competitive advantage. If you are working in a project or program management environment then you should understand how what you're working on leverages or adds to your organization's core competencies. This will enable you to understand how the project outputs will compete in the market and also how the deliverables align with your organization's strategy.

Copyright 2009-2018 Expert Program Management.

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Buy the Book A core competency is defined as something unique that an organization has, or as something unique it can do. A company that develops a unique core competency can create long lasting competitive advantage.

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StarHub Culture | We are StarHub | StarHub

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Find out more about the Culture, Vision, Mission and Core Values at StarHub.

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Company Profile - Singapore Health Hospitals and Doctors

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thank you for your interest in nus. the majority of graduate programmes in the university admit students twice a year

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in august and january. prospective students are advised to refer to the respective graduate studies website of the faculty/school offering the programme with regards to the specific application information/instructions for the programme of their interest.

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Welcome to the The Graduate Studies, Thank you for your interest in NUS. The majority of graduate programmes in the University admit students twice a year, in August and January. Prospective students are advised to refer to the respective graduate studies website of the Faculty/School offering the programme with regards to the specific application information/instructions for the programme of their interest.

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Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD)

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Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD)

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Singapore University of Technology and Design: Vision and Mission

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Technology and design always have been and always will be essential for society's prosperity and well-being.

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Home > About Us > School Vision, Mission, Values, Motto

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Cambrian Training Company | Mission & Vision Strategy

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We believe that every child has a powerful role to play in their community. Thus, raising children who are compassionate and able think for others is paramount to us. Inculcating this deep sense of responsibility and care begins in a child's important formative years, and our emphasis on these traits in our program will help to form the basis for them to persist even as our students mature.

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our company was incorporated on 31 march 1976 as mico line pte ltd and in april 1976 became a wholly owned subsidiary of chuan hup marine pte ltd. the present name was adopted in september 1990.

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Our Company was incorporated on 31 March 1976 as Mico Line Pte Ltd and in April 1976 became a wholly owned subsidiary of Chuan Hup Marine Pte Ltd. The present name was adopted in September 1990.