The impact of the core competencies on enterprise innovativeness

Anna Sankowska

Abstract

This article concerns the issue of core competencies concentration. The theory introduced by Hamel and Prahalad has not been extensively empirically investigated. This paper is an attempt to interlink empirically the utility of core competencies concentration with the enterprise innovativeness. In other words, there was verified the assumption about positive impact of key competencies on enterprise innovativeness measured with relation to its main competitors. In order to test the proposition empirical data were collected from 108 Polish enterprises. Both theoretical and well as empirical results of investigation lead to the conclusion that focus on core competencies is interlinked with enterprise innovativeness. The logic is straightforward, derived from the knowledge-based theory of enterprise. Innovativeness encompassing product, processes, as well as organizational and marketing aspects is rooted in knowledge and its managing, which affects core competencies differentiating competitors. Thus, the role of core competencies might be interpreted as to generate a sustainable advantage of which an important theoretically recognized dimension is innovativeness.