Analysing organisational competence: implications for the management of operations

Despite the potential for operations management to be a competence‐based discipline, it is not clear how practical the construct is in ex ante operations strategy formulation or how useful it is as a critical lens on operations theory. This paper develops a preliminary model of competence as a transformation process, combining resource and activity inputs into operational processes that result in specific competitive performance outcomes. Empirical evidence from three aerospace manufacturing case studies offers an opportunity to explore the conceptual and practical implications of the model. Three conclusions are highlighted: the need for a strategic (re)conceptualisation of operational resources and processes; recognition that any practical operations strategy needs to continually reconcile ambiguous internal and external priorities; and concern over the potentially dysfunctional effects of competence analysis.