Core Competencies, R&D Management and Partnerships Bertrand Quelin HEC Paris Graduate School of Management

Abstract

Constantly focused on the role of competencies and resources, firms’ strategic management teams are becoming increasingly interested in discovering an effective way of managing the competencies that they possess. In high-tech sectors, these competencies have a direct impact on the firm’s future competitive positioning. In other sectors, technological competencies will determine the renewal of product lines. This article examines how firms manage their proprietary research and development programmes and how they succeed in establishing a co-operative relationship with their environment. Our background research includes forty interviews conducted in both the US and Europe.