Research in Competence-Based Management – serie

This first volume of "Research in Competence-Based Management (RCBM)" signals the launch of a long-awaited outlet for peer-reviewed research papers contributing to advancement of competence-based management theory. Each volume in "RCBM" will be focused on a key aspect of competence theory. The focus in this volume on "The Marketing Process in Organizational Competence" reflects the fundamental market orientation in competence theory's foundational concepts and theoretical development. Papers in this volume explore key aspects of the common conceptual foundations of competence and marketing theories, and help to make clear the great relevance of marketing theory for competence-based management theory and practice, as well as the relevance of competence theory for marketing theory and practice. Papers by authors from both the marketing and competence fields elaborate the nature of the marketing process and clarify the ways in which the marketing process is integral to building and leveraging organizational competences.

This second volume of "Research in Competence-Based Management (RCBM)" continues the launch of a long-awaited outlet for peer-reviewed research papers contributing to advancement of competence-based management theory. Each volume in "RCBM" will be focused on a key aspect of competence theory. The focus in this volume on "Managing Knowledge Assets and Organizational Learning" reflects the central importance of knowledge and learning in organizational competence building, leveraging, and maintenance. Papers in this volume explore the nature of learning dynamics in organizations, systematic approaches to sustaining organizational learning processes, and organizational challenges in managing knowledge flows internally and across the boundaries of an organization. A set of papers also explores the management of existing knowledge and the creation of new knowledge in a key learning arena - new product development processes.

This third volume of "Research in Competence-Based Management" (RCBM) continues the launch of a long-awaited outlet for peer-reviewed research papers contributing to advancement of competence-based management theory. Each volume in "RCBM" will be focused on a key aspect of competence theory. The focus in this volume on "Understanding Growth: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Diversification" addresses key processes essential to successful organization competence building, leveraging, and maintenance. The first set of papers in this volume explores the importance of entrepreneurial motivation in changing markets, as well as strategies for internal versus external funding and organization of entrepreneurial ventures. A second set of papers addresses some key issues in innovation in small and large firms, as well as the competence building process during technological innovation. Papers on diversification and alliances investigate the role of competence leveraging as a driver of diversification, as well as decision-making in innovation that can lead to diversification, cultivating institutions for improving innovation performance, and improving alliance management capability.

The papers in volume 6 of Research in Competence-Based Management identify, elaborate theoretically, and investigate empirically a number of new kinds of dynamics in industries and product markets. In so doing, the papers develop some important new competence perspectives on both traditional and contemporary industry dynamics. Most approaches to developing competence theory have adopted an "inside-out" approach, i.e. micro-level analyses of sources of organizational competence lead to theory that predicts industry-level interactions and outcomes. The papers in this volume, however, largely adopt an "outside-in" approach to theory development that suggests how further understanding of firm-level competences may be enabled through macro-level analyses of the resources and capabilities organizations must develop to participate in new kinds of industry and product-market dynamics.

Changing business environments challenge established management ideas and practices. This volume draws on competence-based theory to identify and elaborate some important ways in which organizational competences are evolving - or should evolve - to respond to some fundamental forms of change in business environments. Part I of the volume examines some key elements of emerging business models and strategies, including the impacts of cloud computing on international business models. Part II examines the kinds of new capabilities firms will need to develop to become competent in their new business models and strategies. Part III suggests how the challenges of rapidly evolving environments call for further development of competence-based management theory.

This volume presents an epistemological argument for the essential function of mid-range theory in advancing management concepts that can be usefully applied by managers. Authors analyse two examples - modularity and dynamic capabilities.

This volume of "Research in Competence-Based Management" focuses on a range of fundamental issues in developing competence-base theory and in undertaking competence-based research intended to contribute to management theory development. The first papers in this volume revisit and reappraise a number of foundational competence ideas, concepts, and research themes to suggest a number of conceptual distinctions and clarifications that would be useful in further theory development. Following papers assess the areas in which restatements or extensions of current competence theory may be needed or would be useful. The final papers in the volume address the ways in which research undertaken within the competence perspective interfaces with the broad stream of theorizing and research conducted in strategy and management.