Using intellectual capital management for facilitating organizational change

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the role of intellectual capital (IC) management in an organizational change process. The purpose is to obtain new empirical findings and an enhanced understanding of the role of IC in an organizational change process is obtained.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the existing literature on change management and IC management is reviewed. Then, empirical research is carried out in terms of an action research project on IC development processes in three case companies. These processes and their outcomes are evaluated using interviews.FindingsAn IC model can be a useful tool for change management as it helps to ensure the alignment of the change content with the strategic goals of the organization.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based on applying the Danish IC management model in Finnish companies. Different results might have been obtained if another IC management model had been used or the companies representing other countries and cultures had been selected.Practical implicationsThe paper demonstrates that IC tools can be useful for promoting organizational change processes. However, more important than the specific conceptual model or measurement method chosen seems to be the process of organizational representatives connecting their contextual and idiosyncratic understandings to the model.Originality/valueThis paper makes a contribution to the existing knowledge by reporting and critically evaluating the implementation of dynamic IC management practices. This is a contribution to the existing conceptually oriented literature on the topic. In addition, the analysis of empirical IC management projects applied in a change context has novelty value.