Penrose Revisited: A Re-Appraisal of the Resource Perspective

This paper presents a revision and re-structuring of the Resources/Capabilities/Competences (RCC) perspective, arguably the most important research program in strategy, based on a thorough epistemological analysis and a re-interpretation of Edith Penrose’s 1959 classic. Three distinct schools of thought are identified and differentiated according to a set of dimensions spanning the epistemological, methodological and conceptual domains. The three schools are: 1) The rational-equilibrium school; 2) the behavioral-evolutionary school; 3) the constructionist school. For each school, the pertinent literature is briefly reviewed followed by an in-depth analysis of the underlying theoretical framework. Important implications are drawn for scientific progress in the field.