自1990年Prahalad and Hamel發表了”公司的核心能力”(Core Competence of the Corporation)一文之後,資源基礎理論頓時成為探討企業核心能力的理論基礎。然而過去文獻中,資源(recourses)、能耐(capability)、關鍵能耐(key capability)、能力(competence)與核心能力(core competence)常出現混淆或混用的情況,本研究嘗試釐清這幾個名詞的概念,並找出公司的核心能力。 本研究經由文獻探討,找出47項能耐(capability),並依學者所提出的核心能力的特徵及條件:重要性、稀少性、難以模仿性、難以取代性、產品延伸性、培育新能耐致公司得以開發新產品/事業等六項屬性,作為判斷企業核心能力的準則。 本研究以台灣地區製造業為研究對象,實證資料利用核心能力的特徵及條件,經過三階段平均數分析後,得出12項核心能力的指標,再利用因素分析將此12項核心能力指標分成四項因素,並將此四項因素分別命名為:「產品與製程技術的改良及創新能耐」、「員工的專業與執行力」、「資源整合能力」與「品牌形象」。「產品與製程技術的改良及創新能耐」的指標包括:產品開發能耐、技術創新能耐、製程改良能耐、技術改良能耐、產品創新能耐。「員工的專業與執行力」的指標包括:迅速執行能耐、員工的專業技術與知識。「資源整合能力」的指標包括:資金調度能耐、優良的管理系統、經營者的決策能耐。「品牌形象」的指標包括:品牌知名度、企業形象。企業可依此四構面12項指標建立公司的核心能力。
The term “core competence” was used by Prahalad and Hamel to discuss the competition between the firms and how to acquire the sustainable competitive advantage in 1990. Afterward there generalized items such as capability, key capability, competence, and core competence are not clearly explained in the past, there is difficulty in understanding many contemporary management concepts. Using this study definition, conceptual framework is presented showing relationships between capability, key capability, competence, and core competence. This study shows how to identify key capabilities from capabilities by evaluating the attribute, importance; identify competencies from key capabilities by evaluating the attributes, ‘rareness,’ ‘inimitability,’ and ‘non-substitutability’; and how to further determine core competencies by evaluating the attributes, ‘product extension’ and ‘cultivate the new capability that can develop the new product and enter a new market’. This study shows that the core competence could be divided into 4 dimensions of core competence by using factory analysis; that is, ‘product, process, and technological innovation and improvement,’ ‘the professional skills and knowledge, and execution,’ ‘resources integration,’ and ‘brand image.’ The indicators of ‘product, process, and technological innovation and improvement’ dimension are: ‘product development,’ ‘innovation or update of technology,’ ‘improvement of manufacture process,’ ‘improvement of technology,’ and ‘products innovation.’ The indicators of ‘the professional skills and knowledge, and execution’ dimension are ‘execution’ and ‘the professional skills and knowledge’. The indicators of ‘resources integration’ dimension are: ‘financing,’ ‘excellent management system,’ and ‘decision-making’. The indicators of ‘brand image’ dimension are: ‘brand awareness’, and ‘enterprise image’. Taiwan manufacturing companies could depend on these 12 indicators of four dimensions to build their core competence.