Intellectual capital: a human capital perspective
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14691930110385919 |
| Pages | 127-135 |
| Date | 01 June 2001 |
| Published date | 01 June 2001 |
| Author | Lars Nerdrum,Truls Erikson |
| Subject Matter | Accounting & finance,HR & organizational behaviour,Information & knowledge management |
A human capital
perspective
127
Journal of Intellectual Capital,
Vol. 2 No. 2, 2001, pp. 127-135.
#MCB University Press, 1469-1930
Intellectual capital: a human
capital perspective
Lars Nerdrum
Researcher, Norwegian Institute for Studies in Research and Higher
Education (NIFU), Oslo, Norway, and
Truls Erikson
Associate Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
(NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
Keywords Performance, Intellectual capital, Competences
Abstract In this article, intellectual capital is seen as complementary capacities of competence
and commitment. Based on theoretically and empirically robust human capital theory, we define
intellectual capital as individuals' complementary capacity to generate added value and thus create
wealth. Resources are then perceived to be both tangible and intangible. This view is an extension
of human capital theory to include the intangible capacities of people. Implications for future
research are discussed.
Introduction
Strengthening organizational resources constitute a centraltopic of the strategic
management literature. Although there has been considerable progress in
identifying the qualifications and capacities needed by business organizations
in recent years, a satisfying analytical framework for studying intellectual
capital is still lacking. Acknowledging the frameworks of Sveiby (1997, 1998),
Kaplan and Norton (1992), and Edvinsson and Malone (1997), we conceive the
competence dimensionof intellectual capital in a similar vein as Ulrich (1998).
OECD (1999) defines intellectual capital as ``the economic value of two
categories of intangible assets of a company'', that is, organizational and
human capital. Organizational capital refers, for example, to proprietary
software systems, distribution networks, and supply chains (Petty and Guthrie,
2000). Employing human capital theory, we here concentrate on and define the
part of intellectual capital that is based on human resources. Human capital
theory is well founded both theoretically and empirically, and can be
generalized and adapted to constitute a solid platform for the analysis of
intellectual capital.
Contextual background
Ulrich (1998) conceptualized intellectual capital as a multiplicative function of
competence and commitment. Congruent with the arguments of Ulrich (1998),
and Quinn et al. (1996), an examination of the characteristics and features of
intellectual capital reveals that it represents a particular case as far as its
different components are complementary. This brings about a new dimension
in human capital analysis. Without constituting a revolution, this methodology
can be used for capital items revealing a high degree of complementarity.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
http://www.emerald-library.com/ft
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