Intellectual Capital Measurement Methods

Intellectual Capital Measurement Methods
Bratnicki and Struzyna characterize Intellectual Capital as the sum of knowledge which
possess people who creates a community of the company and a practical transformation
the knowledge in components. He has divided Intellectual Capital on components like
organizational and social capital and human capital.
Another definition given by Bukowitz and Williams present Intellectual Capital in dynamic
way as a form nonmaterial assets, which thanks to flows of knowledge can generate
a potential to create goods. 5 It includes three main elements like: human capital, customer
capital and organizational capital.
Interesting approach to the components of Intellectual Capital present Grudzewski and
Hejduk, who say that an intelligence of the organization is not a simply sum of intelligence
of it employees but it is a result of existing the synergy phenomenon. The intelligence of
the company is built by different elements like: communications intelligence, technological
intelligence, innovation intelligence, financial intelligence, marketing intelligence, organizational
intelligence, social intelligence and ecological intelligence.
As we can see there are many definition of Intellectual Capital. These definitions differ each
other in some way but they are not disqualify each other. Most of them present Intellectual
Capital as a knowledge capital or capital which derives from knowledge. Some of them
says that Intellectual Capital is a intelligence of a organization or a form nonmaterial property.
All presented definition are correct and right because they include all those factors
that are nonfinancial and valuable for a company’s business.
But it’s necessary to notice that not all knowledge constitute the Intellectual Capital. The
basis of IC is Knowledge which is useful for the company. This knowledge can be Intellectual
Capital then, if we can process and utilize it for the company good. 6 Therefore – basis
of previous definition – Intellectual Capital can be described simply as all connected
each other Knowledge Resources (material or nonmaterial, tangible or intangible)
that the organization disposes in creating value needed to gaining competitive
advantage in long term . 7
Intellectual Capital is a complex concept. It possess big and complicated structure, which is
not exactly specified. In order to measure IC, it is necessary to understand the distinguish
between the different components of IC. Detailed structure of IC have been presented in
fig. In the approach Intellectual Capital can be divided into organizational capital, relational
capital and human capital. Human capital (HC) consists of knowledge capital, competence
capital, attitude and intellectual agility all members of the organization and their ability to
quick taking decisions, cope with the problems and create good interpersonal relationship.
Organizational Capital (OC) is dependent on productivity of the organization, its structural
capital, culture and ability to development. It is a kind of investment in systems, tools and
philosophy, which decides about the process of flows knowledge. This capital encompasses:
intellectual property (patents, copyright, licences, trademarks), structural capital (organizational
structure, database or computer equipment), business processes capital (organizational
culture, style of management or software) and market and development capital. Relational
5
W. R. Bukowitz, R. L. Williams, The Knowledge Management Fieldbook, Financial Time, Prentice Hall, London 2000,
s. 223.
6
T. A. Steward, Intellectual Capital, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, New York 1997.
7
Own definition of Intellectual Capital.
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