Intellectual capital and the firm: evolution and research trends

Abstract

Purpose The phenomenon of intellectual capital in the firm has been deeply researched and immensely debated in the management literature in recent years. After three decades of evolution, it has become established as a mature field of research. At this point, a review of its theoretical foundations and current and future evolution provides us with the state of the art of intellectual capital in the firm. The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitative review of the existing literature on intellectual capital in the firm. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors present a quantitative review of the existing literature on intellectual capital in the firm. To do so, the authors searched the JCR-SSCI database from 1990 to 2016 and identified 553 citing documents; these were split into three main periods in order to identify the interactions and path dependencies existing between different foundations of research. In addition, areas of current and future research connected with the theoretical foundations were identified. For these purposes, the authors used both co-citation analyses as well as bibliographical coupling. Findings In this paper, three main stages of IC evolution have been identified with the main topics and research frames, as well as their path dependencies. Additionally, four main areas of current and future development of IC have been identified: IC measurement, IC in new business models, IC disclosure, and its role in social capital and human resource practices. Research limitations/implications The present bibliometric study is a quantitative review of papers published in the Web of Science database. Originality/value By its dimensions ‒ broad academic disciplines and longitudinal character ‒ this bibliometric study constitutes a new quantitative review of the IC discipline, both drawing its intellectual evolution in the last decades, and showing current and future research trends in IC and the firm.

How does intellectual capital efficiency affect firm performance? The moderating role of family management

“…Extensive academic literature has stressed the strategic importance of leveraging and managing IC to reach performance targets and maintain high levels of competitiveness (Mention, 2012; Martín-de Castro et al , 2019). Currently, companies' productivity and business performance depend in great measure on efficient management of their IC, making the evaluation of the return on IC investments a critical hurdle to overcome to turn those investments into sources of competitive advantage (Costa, 2012).…”

Intangible assets and organizational citizenship behavior: A conceptual model

“…Most studies in the management field (e.g., human resource management, organizational behavior, strategic management, organizational theory) are conducted using single level analysis at either the micro or macro level ( Aguinis et al., 2011 ; Hitt et al., 2007 ). For instance, while existing studies on IAs (e.g., Dost et al., 2016 ; Inkinen, 2015 ; Martín-de Castro et al., 2019 ; Subramaniam and Youndt, 2005 ) were conducted at organizational level, studies on OCB (e.g., Organ, 1988 ; Podsakoff et al., 2000 ; Williams and Anderson, 1991 ; Van Dyne and LePine, 1998 ) were conducted at individual level. Even though these distinction-based studies benefited their respective specific areas, the studies also generated fragmented knowledge that affected the practical impact of the findings ( Durand et al., 2017 ).…”

Effect of Corporate Governance on Intellectual Capital Disclosure

“…A new issue of IC focused on understanding the management of IC disclosure (IDC). IC integration into corporate reports is a major problem that arises and has not yet been resolved in IC management (Castro, Díez-Vial, & Delgado-Verde, 2019).…”