Distinctive Capabilities John Kay - Definition & Meaning

Published in Human Resources Terms by MBA Skool Team

What is Distinctive Capabilities John Kay?

This is a theory given by John Kay. According to him, distinctive capabilities are a relevant factor of an organization’s resources. Companies with distinctive capabilities have attributes, which others don’t have and cannot replicate.

According to John Kay, there are three distinctive capabilities which a company can possess to achieve competitive advantage through relationships:

  • Architecture: It is a structure of relational contacts within or around the organization with customers, suppliers and with employees
  • Reputation: This includes customer’s own experience, quality signals, guarantee, word of mouth spreading, warranty, association with other brands and staking the reputation, once it is established
  • Innovation: Provided that the innovation is translate d to competitive advantage successfully


This article has been researched & authored by the Business Concepts Team. It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.

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