The Four Approaches to Competitive Advantage discusses four approaches to competitive innovation that will help to achieve corporate strategic intent. These include building layers of advantage, searching for loose bricks, changing the terms of engagement, and competing through collaboration. Building layers of advantage addresses the benefits of a wide portfolio of resources such that a company faces less risk in competitive battles. Finding loose bricks in the competitor's wall of defense is necessary to break in to markets and challenge competitors. Changing the terms of engagement involves changing the terms of competitive engagement in any advantageous way while still manufacturing and selling products and services. Collaboration of smaller companies in order to combine resources allows smaller companies to be competitive in oligopoly type markets.
Questions
When was your company established, and what resources have they integrated during their history?
How has your company staked out under defended territory of their competitors?
How has your company changed the terms of competitive engagement with their competitors?
How has your company collaborated with other companies when bidding on contracts?
Is your company a collaboration of older firms?