OrthoCare Super Speciality Hospital has developed an advanced robotic knee replacement surgery programme supported by years of surgeon expertise,…

The characteristic of a core competency illustrated in the given case is Costly to Imitate. It means that competing firms are unable to develop or duplicate such capabilities easily. A capability becomes difficult to imitate because it is created through the superior integration of technological, physical and human resources along with organisational culture, teamwork, experience and accumulated knowledge. Such competencies are developed over time and cannot be replicated merely by acquiring similar technology or resources. In the given case, although competing hospitals have invested in robotic knee replacement technology, they have failed to achieve comparable surgical outcomes because OrthoCare's expertise is based on specialised surgeon skills, coordinated teamwork, unique organisational culture and tacit knowledge. These capabilities are deeply embedded in the organisation and are not easily transferable or replicable. Therefore, OrthoCare's robotic knee replacement programme represents a core competency that is costly to imitate, providing the hospital with a sustainable competitive advantage. Only capabilities that are valuable, rare, costly to imitate and non-substitutable qualify as core competencies and become a source of sustainable competitive advantage.