Intellectual capital measurement: a critical approach

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate intellectual capital (IC) measurement critically so that the dynamics of intangible value creation can be better understood and to provide insights into how IC is constructed rather than what IC is.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a case study on how a division of a large Australian financial institution utilised an approach based on complexity theory to investigate IC in practice. The method utilises narrative, numbers and visualisations to make sense of IC at a particular point in time.FindingsIt is argued that trying to “fit” existing popular frameworks to gather IC measurements inside organisations has little relevance to understanding the value‐creation process. As a result of the investigation of IC in this paper, it is found that, to date, IC measurement has relied heavily on “accountingisation” and that alternate methods to understand IC need to be developed. The paper highlights that academics and practitioners need to develop new skills.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study is limited to the use of an alternate method to investigate IC in a particular organisational and cultural setting. The research opens the possibility of the benefits of changing thinking about both research into, and the practice of, measuring IC.Practical implicationsRather than being constrained by the traditional models of measuring intangibles, by way of contemporary IC reporting frameworks, a more open process is outlined that could improve the timeliness and use value of the information.Originality/valueThis paper has relevance to both IC academics and practitioners as it critically examines the contemporary IC frameworks and offers an alternate method for examining IC which has the potential to add to a discourse which focuses on additional understanding of IC.

Indicadores de aprendizaje organizacional en grupos de investigación universitaria

“…Aunque existen diferentes posturas sobre el capital intelectual, frecuentemente se asocia con tres tipos de activos intangibles: capital humano, capital estructural y capital relacional (Bontis, 2001), los cuales están interrelacionados (Dumay, 2009). El capital humano es la base que da origen a los otros dos (Kianto, Hurmelinna-Laukannen & Ritala, 2010) y comprende el conocimiento, las habilidades, los valores y el potencial innovador de los individuos dentro de la organización, al igual que su capacidad de aprender.…”

Managing the transfer of aerospace knowledge

“…Researchers suggest that a qualitative, narrative approach to understanding the factors and benefits of understanding and management of intellectual capital is more useful for firms than using a quantitative approach where data are forced into an algorithm (Demartini and Paoloni, 2013;Dumay, 2009). One tangible locus where knowledge is transferred occurs in the mentorship dyad.…”

Outlining the impact of intellectual capital accumulation and depletion processes on the performance of an insurance firm: a dynamic resource-based perspective

“…In the last two decades several frameworks for managing IC have been developed in both academic and practitioner fields. These frameworks include The Skandia IC Navigator (Edvinsson and Malone, 1997), the Intangi-ble Assets Monitor (Sveiby 1997) (Marr et al, 2004) and some others (Marr, 2005;Lönnqvist et al, 2009;Dumay 2009;Pasher and Ronen 2011).…”