Recognition and management of intellectual resources: preliminary evidence from indigenous Irish high‐technology firms

Abstract

Intangible intellectual resources, arising from changes in the nature of economic forces, have now joined the more traditional tangible triad of land, labour and capital. One of the keys to commercial success, therefore, will be the capacity of a firm to identify, manage, foster and invest in these intellectual resources, and, in particular, in the people which underpin them. This article makes two contributions to the emerging literature on intellectual capital. First, based on empirical data, it offers some preliminary results of a study of the drivers and generators of intellectual capital. This enables the tentative identification of some key relationships and knowledge drivers within this sector and of the consequent challenges for disciplines such as accounting and management. Second, it posits a theoretical/methodological approach to intellectual capital based upon Habermas’ concept of communicative action.