Search

Intellectual Capital has been considered in the last decades one of the most relevant intangible assets in the process of generating value. This book across different chapters aims to show how this intangible asset in different kind of organizations and institutions can be described, measured and finally how impact and improve society.

Knowledge capital is at the core of the socio-economic global system. Profit and not-for profit firms, institutions, and organizations, in general, face unique opportunities and threats related to knowledge management. Digital technologies and digital transformation offer a wide array of opportunities for value creation. At the same time, organizations need to foster newer, faster, and more dynamic ways of mobilizing and managing knowledge. Emerging trends, such as artificial intelligence, collective intelligence, agile methodologies, open innovation, and co-creation enable new business models and managerial paradigms that need to be understood and conceptualized. This book offers an extensive overview of the most recent trends in knowledge management and the most advanced theoretical approaches, while, at the same time, providing a wide array of case studies and evidence-based knowledge management practices. It takes into account the interrelation between ICT and knowledge management challenges, in terms of human/non-human interactions, which requires extraordinary organizational change and renewal. Further, the book presents an up-to-date examination of and guidance for the implementation of knowledge management in an era of unprecedented human/non-human interaction. The book conveys the results of more than a decade of research and applied experience in the field of knowledge management carried out by the author. It is intended not only for students and academics but also for managers and practitioners who are interested in deepening their understanding of knowledge and learning.

Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) are becoming more and more relevant both for their innovative content and as innovation boosters for manufacturing firms and, with this scenario in mind, this book first offers an in-depth analysis of what innovation in KIBS is and its performance outcomes, and then synthesizes what we know about KIBS firms'innovation models, as well as their specific peculiarities and limitations. This book examines the recent trends in innovation, service design and development in KIBS, starting from a review of the extant literature, explaining the role and specific traits of innovation in KIBS. Then, it progresses our knowledge about KIBS and about how new technologies are offering unique opportunities to use and share their knowledge, within and across boundaries. The book also includes several cases that show how, at the micro level, firms can effectively design their services and boost their innovation performance, by overcoming some of the traditional limits of innovation in services. While KIBS literature traditionally emphasizes that innovative and performing KIBS firms rely on tight client–provider interactions with service customization, recent research suggests that alternative modes of innovation are viable for performing KIBS firms: KIBS firms can develop mass customization strategies, ease interactions with clients via ICT interfaces and leverage on focused collaborations with expert clients. Particularly, the digitalization and ICT technologies are fostering platform and modular architectural designs of KIBS, as in the software and web design services. The book seeks a broader understanding of innovation in KIBS in the digital era and will be an essential guide for both academics and practitioners interested in KIBS innovation and design.

This book presents a global view of digital and knowledge-based economies and analyses the role of intellectual capital, intellectual capital reports and information technology in achieving sustained competitive advantages in the globalized economy.Intellectual Capital in the Digital Economy reviews the state of the art in the field of intellectual capital and intellectual capital reports, exploring core concepts, strengths and weaknesses, gaps, latest developments, the main components of intellectual capital, the main sections of the reports, and indicators of each component. It presents experiences from pioneering companies and institutions in measuring intellectual capital around the world. It incorporates an interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial approach, offering a comparative view of intellectual capital reports elaborated in different regions of the world. This book presents case studies and experiences on the building of intellectual capital reports in organizations. In addition, the book discusses the benefits and challenges of building intellectual capital reports in smart economies and societies.This book is of direct interest to researchers, students and policymakers examining intellectual capital and the knowledge-based economy.

The Routledge Companion to Intellectual Capital offers a comprehensive overview of an important field that has seen a diverse range of developments in research in recent years. Edited by leading scholars and with contributions from top academics and practitioners from around the world, this volume will provide not just theoretical analysis but also evaluate practice through case studies. Combining theoretical and practice perspectives, this comprehensive Companion addresses the role of IC inside and between organisations and institutions and how these contribute to the IC of nations, regions and clusters.Drawing on an extensive range of leading contributors,The Routledge Companion to Intellectual Capital will be of interest to scholars who want to understand IC from a variety of perspectives, as well as students who are seeking an authoritative and comprehensive source on IC and knowledge management.

For governments struggling with the unemployable, businesses suffering from a dearth of skilled workers and markets trapped by languishing revenue, this book provides a roadmap to an exciting and bright future. Intellectual Capital is very dependent upon our deeper understanding of how to effectively design and implement upskilling initiatives. Laurent Probst & Christian Scharff have cracked the code. Instrumental in the development and implementation of SkillsBridge (www.skillsbridge.lu) for the Luxembourg government, they now implement this sustainable solution throughout the world. This book looks at the impact of technological growth and purposeful action. It provides a solution to one of the most critical but soft infrastructure issues faced by society today; the life cycle of practical skills and the sustainable span of professional knowledge. Upskill 6 Steps to Unlock Economic Opportunity for All, outlines strategies, actions and policies that enable government, business and society to work together, in lockstep, to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future.

Technology acquisition, consultancy know-how, research data and services, marketing information, intellectual property... the list of sources and types of knowledge that organizations need to acquire, share and manage is growing exponentially. The acquisition and management of knowledge as an end in itself is relatively new, but has grown in importance on most managers agendas over the past fifteen years and is something that many managers are still fundamentally ill-equipped to control effectively. Yet it is their ability to plan, source, evaluate, acquire and manage knowledge on which the success of their organizations increasingly depends Peter Sammons provides managers with a readable, highly practical guide to buying and managing knowledge. The author looks at the knowledge economy, to set the scene on the manager's growing responsibility to buy-in knowledge for their organization. He explores intellectual property rights: how they are created, transferred and protected. He sets out some alternative strategies to buying knowledge. There's advice on how to work with universities, contract research organizations and consultancy firms. And the most neglected area of all - knowledge transfer from supplier to buyer - is given exhaustive treatment. In a discipline (knowledge work) that is fraught with jargon, technology and arcane practice, Buying Knowledge enables every manager to acquire the knowledge their organization needs; in a form and at a cost that is most appropriate for them without exposing their organization to litigation or intellectual property disputes.

As technology evolves, it can be difficult to maintain a competitive edge. The management of intangible resources like competence, relationships, brands, processes and systems becomes increasingly important in such a world. Intellectual Capital as a Management Tool reviews the evidence to demonstrate where the intellectual capital view of the firm has made major contributions. The book introduces an updated version of the Intellectual Capital Navigator as an operational tool to help managers maximise value generation from an organisations portfolio of diverse resources. This tool is the only tool that enables organisations to use the resource based view of the firm in an operational way. The book also discusses future developments of the Intellectual Capital Navigator, increasing its precision around the financial aspects of the organisation.The book has broad application across all types of organisations and in all operating environments and is vital reading for managers who want to understand and exploit the importance of managing intellectual capital.

In a global competitive economic environment, resources that are scarce or irreplicable are a source of sustained competitive advantage for companies and organizations. Knowledge-based resources are a major and increasing driver of long term competitive advantage. Most accounting standards however do not allow for knowledge-based resource calculations, including the most important of these, intellectual capital. Intellectual capital is the collective knowledge, documented and otherwise, of individuals in an organization. In the absence of accounting standards to numerically evaluate intellectual capital, some institutions have devised their own reports and statements. But why should companies, universities, and research centers measure these resources? How are intellectual capital statements built? How does one set targets, and what indicators should they include? This book reviews the development of the field of intellectual capital reporting, including core concepts, latest developments, the main components of intellectual capital, how a statement is built, and key indicators of each component. It further analyzes experiences from a variety of pioneering companies and institutions around the globe in measuring intellectual capital, including case studies from educational and research institutions, and provides crucial transnational comparisons. Authors Ordóñez de Pablos and Edvinsson examine the challenges and next steps for the harmonization of intellectual capital reports, consider the creation of a special international agency for intellectual capital reporting standards, and evaluate the weaknesses of current standards and how they might be overcome.

Understanding the economic implication of creative individuals and firms is at the heart of the new economy and of related fields such as the economics of knowledge, the economics of science and innovation management. This book brings together a panel of theoretical and empirical contributions which address the generation of creative ideas and their transformation into products and services by firms or universities, as well as the interplay of those organizations in networks and markets.The word ‘creativity'has been used a great deal recently in relation to efforts to recover from the global financial crisis and re-launch economic activity. Little has been added to explain how and why an economic approach of creativity is useful and necessary. It is useful to understand how the most creative people work and think, and how to foster their creative productivity. It is useful to understand how organizations integrate and exploit creative ideas. It is useful to understand how market mechanisms can handle creativity and how policies must be adapted. It is necessary in the light of the recent economic crises that made innovation, invention and creativity the basis of a new industrialization and fuel for a new economic development.This new book assesses the economic impact of creativity, defining the term and then going on to explore theoretically and practically the economic consequences of creativity through a range of themes including: creativity and evolutionary theories of technological change; creativity and organizational learning; creativity and technological policy; and creativity and economics of networks. This volume offers a rich source of inspiration and ideas for the pursuit of research which merges economic tradition and management perspectives.

Are people really an organisation's most important asset? Not necessarily; some may be liabilities - but others are the most important drivers of value that an organisation has. But...who are they? How do you know? How can you maximise the value they have and the value they provide? Finding the answers to questions like these is what human capital management is about. Whether public or private, successful achievement depends first on the capability of people, and secondly on their commitment and productivity. Andrew Mayo's Human Resources or Human Capital? discusses how you can ensure the most effective management of these value creating assets. The first part of the book also shows how to create an integrated framework of measures that can become an integral part of the organisation's performance management - and how companies have done this in practice. Part Two shows how to do this strategically and successfully, and how HR can be a serious and credible'Business Partner', enabling managers to achieve their goals through their people and adding real value to all the stakeholders of the organisation.

There is much debate as to how companies carry out their activities in the context of new information and communication technologies influencing organizations to decentralize and develop new managerial practises including outsourcing and networking. Recent theories have emphasized the importance of organization as a key component for building corporate competitive advantage and scholars have looked at this from a range of perspectives including in relation to intangible assets, human capital, work training and the process dimension. Yet the concept of organisational capital as such – in spite of its indubitable relevance and attractiveness- is still to be clarified until now. In this book the subject is approached in four ways. Firstly from an analytical perspective: what is the status of organisational capital as a concept and how is the defined; secondly from a ontological perspective: what type of (implicit) orders can be designed and implemented around organisations; thirdly from the measurement perspective: what kind of frameworks and what type of metrics can be prototyped; and finally the implementation perspective: how should organizations integrate the organisational capital perspective in the definition and implementation of their strategies for resources'allocation. The book provides the first multifaceted and international effort from a broad perspective, aiming at clarifying the concept of organisational capital and determining its analytical and operational implications.

Despite the now widely recognized importance of intangible assets and intellectual capital, they still appear to be poorly understood by both academics and practitioners. Indeed, the necessity for adopting a fresh approach to their reporting, measurement and management is today generally clear and accepted. This book gives room to new perspectives which broaden the scope and depth of the investigation, whilst also opening up innovative methods and opportunities for practice.

Un des leaders de l'industrie pharmaceutique vient de consacrer plus d'un milliard de francs suisses à la construction d'un centre de recherche scientifique. Il a fait appel aux architectes les plus réputés et décoré le site d'oeuvres d'art. L'idée est simple : associer création scientifique et artistique. La notion centrale de création renvoie à diverses formes organisationnelles supposant des interactions nouvelles entre ingénieurs, gestionnaires ou encore artistes. Si le processus de décloisonnement observé suscite de nombreux questionnements dans les disciplines de gestion, d'économie ou de sociologie, il importe de mieux appréhender sa mise en oeuvre, ses effets ainsi que les modalités de son évaluation.

L'immatériel est omniprésent dans les systèmes socio-économiques. On pense d'emblée aux droits de la propriété intellectuelle (brevets, dessins et modèles, marques...) mais l'immatériel, c'est aussi des processus organisationnels, les systèmes d'information, la réputation, les actifs relationnels, la connaissance présente dans chacun des cerveaux des collaborateurs. C'est dire la difficulté de valorisation, d'autant plus que les ressources immatérielles ne créent de valeur que combinées à d'autres. Notre vision du modèle de création de valeur doit donc être fondamentalement remaniée.

This book's unique perspective stems from its “knowledge diamond” framework to examine how individuals, communities, organizations and host industries reciprocally influence each other in the course of knowledge work. This highly topical book focuses on work-based projects as a focus for organizational learning. Establishes the link between individual, community, organization and industry learning. Suggests that organizations need to recognise and understand this link if they are to capitalize on project-based learning. Incorporates material on project-based learning in virtual communities. Refers to different examples, such as the film industry, the software industry and the boat building industry. Includes end-of-chapter questions provoking reflection and discussion.

Perspectives on Intellectual Capital bridges the disciplinary gaps and facilitates knowledge transfer across disciplines, featuring views on intellectual capital from the fields of accounting, strategy, marketing, human resource management, operations management, information systems, and economics. It also offers interdisciplinary views on intellectual capital from the perspectives of public policy, knowledge management and epistemology. By analyzing the various perspectives, Editor Bernard Marr is able to present a truly comprehensive understanding of what intellectual capital is, including the'state of the art'thinking about it in each discipline, the common key trends, and the trajectories for future developments, learning, and practice. Contributors include many of the leading thinkers in their respective disciplines: Mie Augier and David Teece on the Economic Perspective, Bernard Marr and Goran Roos on the Strategy Perspective, Baruch Lev, Leandro Canibano, and Bernard Marr on the Accounting Perspective; Sudi Sudarsanam, Ghulam Sorwar, and Bernard Marr on the Finance Perspective; Jan Mourtisen, Per Nikolaj Bukh, and Bernard Marr on the Reporting Perspective; Lisa Fernstrom on the Marketing Perspective; Ulf Johanson on the HR Perspective; L. Martin Clotier and E. Richard Gold on the Legal Perspective; Partick H. Sullivan on the Intellectual Property Perspective; Giovanni Schiuma, Antonio Lerro, and Daniela Carlucci on the Interfirm Perspective; Ahmed Bounfour and Leif Edvinsson on the Public Policy Perspective; J-C Spender and Bernard Marr on a Knowledge-Based Perspective; Goran Roos on An Epistemology Perpsective. Foreword by Robert Grant.Bernard Marr is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Business Performance at Cranfield School of Management, UK, and Visiting Professor, University of Basilicata, Italy.

This book is the essential guide for managers wishing to implement the benefits of Intellectual Capital thinking in their companies or divisions. It serves as an easily accessible introduction to the subject area for the novice, giving the gist of what it is about and how it has developed, but above all it gives hands-on instructions on how to incorporate intellectual capital thinking in everyday business and how to use the tools provided for the management and measurement of intangible resources. Throughout the main part of the book, three different cases in separate boxes run in parallel with the body text. These are introduced in chapter 2 and illustrate how the tools are to be used, depending on what type of company wishes to implement these ideas. The three case companies are characterised as a manufacturing company, an R&D organisation and a network company. Smaller case stories about well-known global companies are also interspersed throughout the book.

The current orthodoxy is that'knowledge'is the most powerful resource for organisational success. So how can managers develop the appropriate knowledge base to make their organisations grow? The answer lies in action research. Action research is increasingly perceived and used as a powerful methodology to promote professional awareness and development. However, there are very few texts that demonstrate how this can be utilised to promote management and organisational improvement or that emphasise the reflective nature of improving professionalism. Action Research in Organisations fills this gap. Aimed at both practising managers and university students alike, key features of this title include:• the location of management and organisational theory within a framework • examination of the principles and practice of action research• real-world examples and case studies of people attempting to improve their own situations through action research.