Linking strategy and the knowledge of the firm

ORGANIZAÇÃO, RECURSOS HUMANOS E PLANEJAMENTO

Linking strategy and the knowledge of the firm

Moacir de Miranda Oliveira Junior

Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Management of the University of São Paulo, Visiting Researcher at the University of Cambridge – The Judge Institute of Management Studies (July 1997/June 1998) and Assistant Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo and ESPM (Superior School of Marketing and Advertising). E-mail: [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

Discovering the ways through which firms develop and maintain competitive advantage is a central research stream in management theory. The objective of this paper is to present a contribution to the discussion of the knowledge of the firm as a source of competitive advantage. The paper states that a firm's success is a consequence of its ability in the continuous development of core competencies that will sustain its competitiveness over time. Core competencies are understood as the sets of knowledge that differentiate a company strategically. The firm must discover, develop, share and update the knowledge that sustains the present and future core competencies. Knowledge management, through processes of knowledge creation and integration, is one way of doing this.

Key words: Competitive advantage, core competence, knowledge, knowledge management, organizational learning.

RESUMO

Descobrir as formas pelas quais as empresas desenvolvem e mantêm sua vantagem competitiva é um item de pesquisa central na teoria administrativa. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar uma contribuição para a discussão que trata o conhecimento da empresa como uma fonte de vantagem competitiva. O artigo afirma que o sucesso da empresa é conseqüência de sua habilidade no desenvolvimento contínuo de competências essenciais que irão sustentar sua competitividade ao longo do tempo. Competências essenciais são entendidas como os conjuntos de conhecimento que diferenciam uma empresa estrategicamente. A empresa deve descobrir, desenvolver, compartilhar e atualizar o conhecimento que sustenta as atuais e futuras competências essenciais. A administração do conhecimento, por meio de processos de criação e integração de conhecimento, é uma forma de executar essa tarefa.

Palavras-chave: Vantagem competitiva, competência essencial, conhecimento, administração do conhecimento, aprendizagem organizacional.

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

NOTAS

This theoretical paper is part of a doctoral research currently being carried out at the University of São Paulo. Part of the research is also being carried out in an exchange program at the University of Cambridge - UK. The author thanks Professor Maria Tereza Leme Fleury and Professor John Child for their supervision, and thanks the Capes for sponsoring the research in England. Any errors are solely due to the author.

Preliminary version of this paper was presented at the 1998 Business Association of Latin American Studies Annual Conference, Texas – USA.

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  23 Sept 2011
• Date of issue
  Dec 1999