An Exploratory Study Linking Intellectual Capital and Technology Management towards Innovative Performance in KIBS
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Intellectual Capital as an Overarching Construct
2.2. Disentangling IC Components: Human, Relational and Structural Capital
2.3. KIBS, Technology and Innovative Performance
3. Materials and Methods
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Human Capital Development
4.1.1. Competencies and Skills
4.1.2. Training
4.2. Relational Capital Development
Partnerships for Knowledge Acquisition and Innovation
4.3. Structural Capital Development
4.3.1. Business Processes
4.3.2. Tacit Knowledge Management
4.3.3. Dynamic Technological Capabilities for KM
4.3.4. Organizational Culture Management
4.3.5. Strategic Technology Management for Innovation
4.4. Innovative Performance
5. Conclusions and Implications
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Company | Business Sector | Core Activity | Number of Employees | Managerial Position | Age of the Manager (y.o.) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IT | Software development for data protection | Less than 50 | Middle management | Under 35 |
2 | IT | Providing ICT solutions to an international beauty company | Less than 50 | Middle management | 36–45 |
3 | IT | AI-powered quality engineering services | Less than 50 | Middle management | Under 35 |
4 | IT | Software development firm with an international clientele | Less than 250 | Middle management | Under 35 |
5 | IT | Cyber security solutions for the military information sector | Less than 10 | Top management | 36–45 |
6 | IT and Banking | FinTech activities management in a digital hub | Less than 250 | Top management | Over 45 |
Dimension | Question |
---|---|
Human Capital (adapted from Bontis [21]) | Does your company employ staff with the highest level of competencies/skills in its industry? If so, can you provide specific examples of recruitment policies and practices? |
Does your company continuously train staff to acquire and develop digital skills? If so, can you provide details about policies, practices, and prioritised digital competencies? | |
Relational Capital (partially adapted from Vătămănescu et al. [7]) | Does your company develop new knowledge and innovation by engaging with partners (including R&D organisations, business schools, technological institutes, etc.)? If so, can you provide some details about how this works in practice? |
Structural Capital (partially adapted from Petty and Guthrie [22]; Cassol et al. [45]) | Does your company have flexible and efficient business processes? If so, can you provide some practical examples? |
Does your company encourage the informal sharing of business knowledge among employees? If so, can you provide some practical examples? | |
Does your company have the technological capability in place to capture relevant new knowledge from staff for business purposes? If so, can you provide some practical examples? | |
Does your company encourage an organisational culture of trust and collaboration? If so, can you provide some practical examples? | |
Does your company have a strategy based on up-to-date technology for new product/service development or business process improvement? If so, can you provide some details about such strategies? | |
Innovative Performance (partially adapted from Thorgren et al. [51]; Vătămănescu et al. [7]) | Has your company produced incremental/radical innovations in its sector? If so, can you provide some details about the innovation management in your company? |
Has your company’s competitive position/performance improved due to technology-based innovation? If so, can you provide some details about the effects of this innovation on the company? |
Dimension | Sub-Dimension | Main Approaches |
---|---|---|
Human Capital | Competencies and skills | Advanced technical competencies and skills are sought in sectors developing state-of-the-art technologies; Technical abilities are developed gradually, over time, in less demanding domains; Soft skills are an important element when scrutinizing employees’ profiles; Skills and competencies are the main prerequisites for organizational and systemic innovation. |
Training | Companies provide opportunities for professional conversion and career development; Employees have access to online learning resources anytime and are encouraged to take responsibility for this learning process through self-learning management; KIBS see themselves as learning organisations and nudge their employees to enhance their abilities and open new career paths. | |
Relational Capital | Partnerships for knowledge acquisition and innovation | Establishing sustainable transorganizational relationships with a view to avail open innovation, innovative performance, and innovativeness is imperative; Long-term partnerships consolidated via technology advancements and a propensity towards collaboration are conducive to organizational growth and business performance. |
Structural Capital | Business processes | Remote and hybrid working has been facilitated by the advancement in information and communication technology, which is more readily embraced in the IT industry; There is a more flexible approach to organisational structure as the staff is encouraged to seek agility in responding to customer and organisational needs. |
Tacit knowledge management | Various online platforms and collaborative digital networks facilitate individual knowledge exchanges; Organizations support employees to informally share knowledge, resulting in best practices whenever it is suitably capitalized. | |
Dynamic technological capabilities for KM | Companies turn to developing in-house R&D hubs to prevent valuable knowledge loss; Companies acknowledge the importance of inward and outward knowledge exchanges on purpose to foster dynamic technological capabilities towards innovation. | |
Organizational culture management | Efforts are being made to create common physical and psychological spaces where staff can interact and exchange knowledge; Creating a culture of kindness, integration, and psychological safety, as well as establishing systems that reward collaboration, have become common practices. | |
Strategic technology management for innovation | Devising technology strategies that rely on the employment of existing capacities for both product/service development and organisational business processes is imperative in very competitive markets. Keeping abreast with the latest technological trends and tools is a mandatory requirement. | |
Innovative performance | - | Technological innovation succeeds in improving the company’s innovative performance and/or competitive position. |
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Dinu, E.; Vătămănescu, E.-M.; Stăneiu, R.-M.; Rusu, M. An Exploratory Study Linking Intellectual Capital and Technology Management towards Innovative Performance in KIBS. Sustainability 2023, 15, 1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021356
Dinu E, Vătămănescu E-M, Stăneiu R-M, Rusu M. An Exploratory Study Linking Intellectual Capital and Technology Management towards Innovative Performance in KIBS. Sustainability. 2023; 15(2):1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021356
Chicago/Turabian StyleDinu, Elena, Elena-Mădălina Vătămănescu, Roxana-Maria Stăneiu, and Mihaela Rusu. 2023. "An Exploratory Study Linking Intellectual Capital and Technology Management towards Innovative Performance in KIBS" Sustainability 15, no. 2: 1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021356