Unlocking Strategic Innovation

6

Roots

Power of the place

Among the four Rs – Resources, Recombination, Reach and Roots – that underpin competitive advantage, Roots may well be the most underappreciated as a success factor. We take our roots for granted. We attribute our personal success to our intelligence, not to our family, community and nation. We forget that while individual intelligence is evenly distributed across the globe, income inequality between countries is extreme. We do not pay attention to the fact that most creative activities originate in cities. We ignore that world class companies often congregate together in small physical spaces. The strategic management literature has a lot to say about how firms should position themselves within the industry, but ...