Gary Hamel Archives - Global Advisors | Quantified Strategy Consulting

Term: Vision

A corporate vision is a statement describing the desired future state of an organization. It articulates where the company aspires to be in the long term, usually over a period of 3 to 10 years, in terms of impact, scale, and key achievements. The vision provides a forward-looking, ambitious goal that inspires and aligns stakeholders, guiding both strategic planning and resource allocation.

Related Theorist Gary Hamel

Gary Hamel is widely recognized as the leading strategy theorist associated with the concept of corporate vision. Alongside C.K. Prahalad, Hamel introduced the importance of “strategic intent”—a precursor to modern corporate vision—emphasizing how a compelling future ambition can energize organizations and guide long-term strategy. Their work underscores the idea that a clear, aspirational vision is not just inspirational, but central to driving long-term competitive advantage and organizational alignment.

Key characteristics of an effective corporate vision:

Aspirational and Forward-Looking: Outlines an inspiring, ambitious future, often beyond current capabilities.
Directional: Sets the general direction for the company’s strategic planning and long-term objectives.
Purpose-Driven: Conveys the broader impact the company aims to have on customers, industries, or communities.
Clarity: Easily communicated and understood across all organizational levels.
Motivational: Rallies employees and stakeholders toward a shared goal.

For example, Microsoft’s vision statement is, “to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” This statement is forward-looking and reflects the company’s broad ambition and values.

Vision vs. Mission vs. Purpose

Term	Definition	Focus
Vision	Describes the desired future state or ultimate goal the company aims to achieve in the long-term.	What the organization wants to become or accomplish.
Mission	Defines the organization’s core purpose, its present reason for existence, and how it serves stakeholders.	What the organization does, whom it serves, and how.
Purpose	Explains the fundamental reason the organization exists, often rooted in core values or social good.	Why the organization exists at the most fundamental level.

Key Contrasts:

Vision is future-oriented, providing inspiration and long-term direction—where the organization wants to go.
Mission is present-oriented, describing what the organization does, for whom, and how.
Purpose is existential, expressing the underlying reason for the organization’s existence, often tied to values and societal impact.

Summary:
A corporate vision sets a compelling, long-term destination for the organization, guiding strategy and inspiring action. It differs from the mission, which describes current operations, and purpose, which roots the company’s existence in broader meaning and values. Gary Hamel is the theorist most closely linked to the transformative power of vision in strategy.

Term: Core Competence

Core Competence refers to a unique set of skills, knowledge, or capabilities that a company possesses, which allows it to deliver unique value to customers and achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This concept was introduced by C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel in their seminal 1990 Harvard Business Review article, “The Core Competence of the Corporation.” They argued that companies should focus on identifying and nurturing their core competencies to build long-term strategic advantage, rather than just focusing on individual products or markets.

Related Theorist: C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel

In the landscape of business strategy, few ideas have had as lasting an impact as “core competence.” This concept, articulated by C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel in their influential 1990 Harvard Business Review article, arose from the observation that many companies struggled to achieve sustained growth and innovation despite restructuring and cost-cutting throughout the 1980s. Prahalad and Hamel recognized that the real engine of long-term competitive advantage was not in organizational charts or product portfolios, but in the unique knowledge, skills, and capabilities embedded deep within an organization.

They argued that the most successful companies were those able to identify, nurture, and leverage these core competencies—essentially, the things a company could do uniquely well, often difficult for competitors to imitate. Rather than pursuing a broad range of activities or simply reacting to market pressures, companies that focused on their core competencies could create new markets, deliver exceptional customer value, and withstand shifts in the competitive landscape.

Prahalad and Hamel’s insight placed a premium on the human side of organizations: expertise, collective learning, and collaborative problem-solving became strategic assets. Their work challenged executives to think beyond products and divisions, asking instead what underlying capabilities could be stretched across markets and geographies to fuel growth. For example, a firm known for its supply chain expertise or brand power could use those competencies to move into new industries or create entirely new product categories.

Today, the idea of core competence is foundational in both academic strategy literature and practical management. It guides leaders as they assess strengths, build cross-functional teams, and prioritize investments, all in pursuit of sustainable competitive advantage. By understanding and harnessing what they do best, organizations can define their identity, differentiate themselves in crowded markets, and deliver unique value that stands the test of time

Global Advisors | Quantified Strategy Consulting

Term: Vision

Vision vs. Mission vs. Purpose

Term: Core Competence

Download brochure

Sign up for our newsletters - free

Global Advisors | Quantified Strategy Consulting

Term: Vision

Vision vs. Mission vs. Purpose

Share this:

Term: Core Competence

Share this:

Download brochure

Sign up for our newsletters - free