As relações entre estratégias e competências organizacionais na construção da trajetória da FEDEX

Abstract

The quest for a competitive advantage that would be able to endure, even in the most unfavorable economical cycles, has been a recurring objective of academic research, namely in the Business Administration field. The concept of Organizational Competences, derived from the Resourced Based View, proposes that an unique configuration of the elements, which constitute these competences, may be the distinct factor that may allow companies to maintain a competitive position throughout the years. On the other hand, the strategic decisions are based on the objectives an organization may pursue, directing, therefore, its main actions and policies. So, the understanding of the relationships between the strategies and the Organizational Competences is doubtless relevant as it is expected that superior results can be obtained when they are aligned and synergic. In order to fully comprehend these relationships, it is necessary to understand the history of the organization with the strategies and organizational competences, and all which constitute them. The research was conducted on the American company FedEx, world leader in logistics services, through a qualitative case study with a descriptive-exploratory approach. The results obtained confirm that organizational competences have, in different levels of engagement, direct relationship with the strategies, as the elements that constitute the competences are the basis for strategic actions. When organizational competences are strongly aligned with the strategies, it is possible to say that they become the "organizational DNA", consolidating and perpetuating themselves through time. Identifying these relationships may contribute so that future strategic actions of the organization could be configured and planned in order to guarantee a perennial distinct and unique competitive advantage.