Chris,
1. Your introduction mentioning each firm’s knowledge base reminded me of Helfat &Peteraf’s (2003) reference to teams having human capital, social capital, and cognition. We are often reminded that it all comes down to people. In fact, so much can be summed up by that, its all about the people. Their knowledge, skills, experience, social network, behavior and characteristics play a significant role in the success of their teams and ultimately the organization.
Helfat & Peteraf (2003) go on to describe how the power and compatibilities of a team bring a level of heterogeneity in early on. The characteristics, or quality, of each team member, the team as a whole, and leadership provides heterogeneity in capabilities. Since no two people are exactly alike, this heterogeneity has the advantage that it cannot be duplicated. This makes the effective combination of resources and capabilities important if the firm wants to hold a competitive advantage for long.
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The combination of resources and capabilities are significant because if one firm has the knowledge of an opportunity and implements a strategy, others witness and implement the same strategy. Without a solid understanding of how important combining the resources and capabilities of a firm, the group of competitors soon have the same idea, resources, and purpose which takes away the competitive advantage one had previously.
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, (1). 99-120.
Helfat, C. E., & Peteraf, M. A. (2003). The Dynamic Resource-Based View: Capability Lifecycles. Strategic Management Journal, (10).