Resource-based View: A new strategic perspective for public health service managers

The resource-based view (RBV) theory is a widely accepted strategic management theory, particularly within private sector organisations. [1,2,3] However, within public healthcare settings, the level of empirical support available on the use and appropriateness of RBV within this environment is largely unchartered.  Consequently, this paper aimed to further understand the level of evidence for the purpose of providing an insight into how it may be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public health organisations. An extensive literature search returned a total of 859 studies.  Of these, just 13 studies met the inclusion criteria of being an investigation of the use of RBV theory in public sector healthcare organisations. The analysis conducted demonstrates that while the use of RBV theory has been relatively slow, the benefits are positive.  The practical application of RBV theory lies in strategically mapping the relationships between resources, capabilities, and public value, relevant to healthcare organisations, in order to gain and understand how public value is created to provide a competitive advantage and superior performance for the organisation.