OVERVIEW: Core competency thinking is a powerful and widely promoted approach to focus and mobilize an organization's resources. As a result, R&D and technology executives are increasingly being asked to define the core technical competencies of their companies; unfortunately, they often fail to come up with convincing answers. This is not surprising, as the best methods of employing the thinking in organizations have not been elucidated. What is needed is a method and tools for carrying out a core competency assessment. The method described here is applicable to almost all core competencies, whether they are technical or non-technical in nature and whether they are currently available to the company or will need to be developed in the future. It will allow many organizations to put core competency thinking into practice—to great competitive advantage—without unnecessary struggle and disruption to business activities.