Do you think that companies' core ideologies are differentiators? Why and why not?

The role of core ideology is to guide and inspire, not to differentiate. Two companies can have the same core values or purpose.

The authenticity, the discipline, and the consistency with which the ideology is lived—not the content of the ideology—differentiate visionary companies from the rest of the pack.

yesof course and depends on a lot of parameters

YES

every company in every fields has here own ideologies

even if they were in the same field

depend on many parameters  like  plans ,strategies,targets,policies,missions,visions.

Yes, it is the core ideologies of companies on which companies are working and differentiate them to a large extent. The best examples we can take of Microsoft and Intel.

But this is adoptable to the companies working on same platfrom but on different paramenters.

It depends on what you mean by "core ideologies" of the company.

If you mean the company mission, vision, values, and corporate id of the company , then these could very well be high-level differentiators , but in my opinion, they need to be reflected downwards to the work-level details to make a clear and tangible difference.

Let me quote some examples from real-life experience with my clients during relevant management consultancy services in these areas

1. It was the first day of a management consultancy engagement in Kuwait, and I was in a meeting with functional/departmental managers as well as the general manager and other managers ... I allowed myself to ask the simple question ... I know you have a mission statement, but can anyone remind me what is the mission statement of this company ??
   1. Can you guess the response and the situation ???
   2. Can you imagine tha no one of the people in this meeting could say what the mission statement of that company was ??
   3. Now, this situation is very deep in its implications, and I can assure you, this is not the only case around with our companies, their management, and their employees  
2. I was in another customer engagement with another customer , this time in Saudi Arabia, and I was in a meeting at the departmental level and I asked the management and key people in that department, about the value contribution of that department to the corporate strategic direction. 
   1. What I heard back was a description of their day-to-day jobs, their activities, and what they do internally, and how they do it .
   2. In contrast, I remember the story that John Kennedy was visiting NASA and he met a janitor and asked him  ... "what are you doing here ?" and the janitor replied back " Iam helping to land the first man on the moon Mr President"   !!!
3. When I deal with company asset evaluation engagements, I try always to focus management's attention on INTANGIBLE ASSETS  the same way at least they do with TANGIBLE ASSETS ,,,  I even quote stories like how Microsoft proposed to acquire Yahoo at one time for45 Billion $ ,,, and I ask in return for what assets ??   Definitely not FIXED TANGIBLE ASSETS ,,, right ??
4. When I do story telling  of my own consultancy company (Millennia-Vision and its eWizdum Premium Value Services) for example ,, and encourae customers to develope something similar based on the "VALUE PROPOSITION MODEL"  based on the balanced scorecard with its4 perspectives

There are more details regarding how to make this work for you and how to turn the company ideology into a clear market differentiator !!

yes, we have to measure the growth of core values annually like we determine the quantitative aspect of the company ,,

Yes, depends on:

1- Mission

2- Vision

Yes it is and it speaks about the business practices and its values believed in.

Are core ideologies of a company, differentiators?

Customers are important for the corporate for its survival. If customer is not the focus, then any entity shall simply fall by the wayside. Customer is the reason for a corporate’s existence! As such the core values envisioned, adopted and continuously and consistently  implemented must reflect the expectations of the customer.

Increasingly, firms recognize the value of close relationships with their customers because customer retention in intensifying competition is more and more important.

In today’ s globalizing business environment, Competition keeps  intensifying , consumer behaviour  is changing, requirements for service quality is growing and technologies develop very quickly, customer expectations are increasing, margins are reducing, product life cycles are shortening. Being customer centric is the ever present need of the corporates. Whatever a corporate does is always for the customers. Companies cannot exist if they do not have customers. Therefore the core values that do not address the customer expectations, simply do not serve the company in its endeavor to continue to do business and achieve growth. Differentiate or perish is the mantra in today’s competitive world

Competition is the rivalry among sellers trying to achieve such goals as increasing profits, market share, and sales volume by varying the elements of the marketing mix: price, product, distribution, and promotion.

In business, a competitor is one or more companies in the same industry or a similar industry which offer a similar product or service. The presence of one or more competitors can reduce the prices of goods and services as the companies attempt to gain a larger market share. Competition also requires companies to become more efficient in order to reduce costs.

Basis of Competition

Basis of competition is that reason why your customer chooses you over your competitor. It can be color, feature, function, style, availability or a host of other things. It is crucial that you know your basis of competition and then concentrate the resources of your enterprise into being the best in the world at whatever that is.

The first thing you have to do when you are doing your business’ competitor analysis is to be able to identify your competitors. Recognizing the different types of competitors – not only exposes you to each types’ characteristics – it also enlightens you how to tackle the challenges correctly.

In order to offer the best products, the highest quality and outstanding service, a corporation needs to understand its customers and consumers better than their  competitors do. If it succeeds in this, it can look forward to successful growth in all its  markets. As such differentiation is a must for an organization and if it can showcase its core values by differentiating them with those of its competitors it stands to succeed.  

Let us take an example of core values as adopted by a corporation to understand the important relationship between such values and customers

A typical declaration of core values reads as follows

Customer Focus: Our customers are the focus of our business. We align all business objectives with the expectations of customers. We build long term customer relationships through superior performance. We are responsive, straight-forward and committed in all dealings with customers.

Continuous Improvement: We are committed to improving everything we do. The relentless pursuit of excellence drives our daily activities. We operate in an environment that encourages innovation and creativity and is naturally skeptical of maintaining the status quo.

Quality: Our goal is to be the recognized leader in our marketplace; recognized for innovation, quality, responsiveness and value. We continuously strive to be the standard by which performance is measured.

Innovation: We apply original thought, creativity, and sound business judgment to overcome obstacles, meet aggressive goals and improve products and processes. We are committed to technical and market leadership.

Integrity: We conduct business with the highest standards of ethics, developing a mutual trust with each other, customers, shareholders, suppliers and the community. Integrity is the foundation of everything we do.

Respect for the Individual: We treat people with dignity, fairness and courtesy. We create an inclusive environment that is focused on a common purpose. We continually invest in our people. Diversity in people and perspective is valued.

Teamwork: We achieve success through collaborative efforts committed to achieving common, defined objectives. We share information, cooperate across organizational boundaries, focus on adding value and earning the trust of our teammates. Our people are empowered to make decisions and initiate change at all levels.

Thus, the core values do matter to the customer In all that a corporation does,  the core values  remind it of its  customers in the chosen industry, are more than just purchasers of its products, technologies and services – they are also its  partners.

yes because the vision is deferant