Analysis of the relationship between competency-based factors of competitive advantages: a case of the insurance industry

چکیده مقاله

Abstract: This research studies the relationship between the sustainable
competitive advantage (SCA) competency-based factors in Iran insurance
companies. Section 1 of this study is descriptive and qualitative, carried out
based on documentary studies and the Delphi method. The sampling is done as
purposeful, and the snowball method is used for the identification of the
specialists. Applying the Delphi method extracts six major factors, including
technical knowledge, organisational commitment, flexibility, creativity, job
satisfaction, and occupational ethics as the main human resources pivotal
factors to achieve competitive advantage in the insurance industry. The
relationship and sequence of these factors are determined by fuzzy interpretive
structural modelling (FISM). Since the intensity (the impact and influence)
between some factors is not clear in FISM and some of them are placed near
the border point, so, the fuzzy DEMATEL method is utilised to deal with this
shortcoming of FISM. According to the role of intangible strategic resources in
creating SCA, this research can solve the problems of the chief mangers in the
expansion of the human resources competencies aligned.
Keywords: competency; Delphi method; resource based view; SCA;
sustainable competitive advantage; FISM; fuzzy interpretive structural
modelling; fuzzy DEMATEL.