Constructing a Knowledge-based Identity: Experiences from Working with Intellectual Capital Statements

Abstract

This paper analyses the inter-relationship between organizational identity and intellectual capital (IC) statements and suggests the IC statement as a framework for developing a knowledge-based identity. The results are based on a case study of a Danish electricity transmission system company, which started the process of changing its public provider identity towards a knowledge-based identity in a changing market by applying the framework of an IC statement. The IC statement, as a new way of defining and working with strategic company resources, makes it possible for a company to communicate how it wishes to define its activities both externally and internally. The paper concludes that, by working with IC statements, a company can achieve a way of constructing a new identity. Furthermore, the process of creating an IC statement can legitimize the whole idea of changing towards a knowledge-based identity