Strategic Management and Core Competencies: Theory and Application [Hardcover]

Anders Drejer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2002

Managers and management scholars alike need operational models and concepts for dealing with core competencies within strategic management. This book provides tools for the practitioner as well as fundamental theoretical concepts to enable scholars to further build upon Drejer's work. His main argument is that understanding core competencies is key to explaining why some firms enjoy a competitive advantage over others. Drejer proposes models and means with which managers can proactively identify, design, and develop their firm's core competencies in strategic alignment.

More than merely a how-to book, this work places an equal emphasis on the concepts behind competence-based strategy. The author offers the reader multiple perspectives on the background of competence-based strategy, the relationship between strategic management and the development of core competencies, and the application of competence-based strategy to praxis. He provides the tools necessary to identify, analyze, and develop the competencies of a firm, and in so doing performs a valuable service for practitioners and researchers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The notion of competence development has gained considerable interest among academics and professionals, but there has been a dearth of well-researched publications on the subject. Especially lacking have been contributions with practical case examples to support the theoretical perspectives. Anders Drejer's book fills this need by bringing together theory and application, using as its basis his extensive experience of both academia and industry."-Professor David Bennett Center for Technology Management and Operations Systems Engineering Aston University, UK

Book Description

The first theoretically grounded book to present an operational framework for competence-based strategy, complete with operational tools.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (July 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567205089
• ISBN-13: 978-1567205084
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,509,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A positive step forward in the latest management debate, January 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Strategic Management and Core Competencies: Theory and Application (Hardcover)

As a researcher in the field of management I found this book to be a breath of fresh air.

The management debate surrounding core competencies has become increasingly jargon laden and has progressively moved away from being of any use to practitioners. This book redresses the balance by providing both a critical (and exhaustive) review of the literature and practical examples of how different theories can be applied.

It's great strength is in synthesising the work of many disparate fields rather than the more common practice of highlighting the differences. This results in a complex and fragmented view of the world of strategic management that more accurately portrays the issues facing today's managers than the generic management `fads' that are adopted and then discarded with increasing aplomb.

The cases used to illustrate the theories are refreshing as they are atypical and topical. Cases such as Bang & Olufsen, the innovative hi-fi designers, and Lego, the ubiquitous toy manufacturers support Drejer's thesis that sustaining a competitive advantage through the development of core competencies is contingent upon many factors and requires different approaches at different times.

This is where the book shows a related weakness. As the real world is complex and fast changing, especially in the interaction between people and technologies, there are no `right answers'. As a result many will reject Drejer's approach of critically examining all the possible answers to allow the individual to determine the correct approach they should adopt. However this `open' approach is, in my view, the correct way to bring forward this important debate.

This book will not make the author rich, but will help numerous researchers and managers to reflect more constructively upon the very real issues that they face in their working lives.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, August 22, 2002

By 

Gert Spender-Andersen (Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strategic Management and Core Competencies: Theory and Application (Hardcover)

As a manager and MBA-graduate, I really enjoyed this book. It is of great practical value with operational tools, understandable frameworks and ready-to-use methods. But is also of great interest for those interested in theory. It embraces the strategy concept and places competence-based strategy in its prober theoretical context. There is certainly something in this book for everone - even an entrepreneur and CEO.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of great practical value, August 1, 2002

By 

Andreas Bürger (Aarhus, Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strategic Management and Core Competencies: Theory and Application (Hardcover)

I was looking for a book, which could provide practitioners like me with tools to proactively work with the core competencies of my company. This I found in this book written by Anders Drejer. I appreciate the way this author draws up the theoretical background and leads over to operational and useful methods and means. A lot of examples from different firms and the modern language of the book, makes it easy to understand the presented methods and means based on a genetic and quite intuitively understandable framework for competence-based strategy. I was able to transfer the lessons learned to the situation of my firm and no doubt, I will use the described tools in praxis. This book will be close to my desk and my work as a manager.