A Multi-step Approach for Managing Intellectual Capital Inside Communities of Practice

The increasingly pervasive use of social online services has contributed to raising interest in studying the active participation of individuals to business development processes. Starting from a validated framework for intellectual capital analysis, the aim of this research project is to refine and implement a multi-step approach of intellectual capital management and assessment. Intellectual capital (IC) can be seen as a set of intangible assets commonly grouped into three dimensions: (1) human capital (HC), as a set of individual knowledge; (2) structural capital (SC), as the knowledge and capabilities stored in the organizational structure; and (3) relational capital (RC), as the internal and external relationships with stakeholders. The unit of analysis upon which the integrated step-by-step methodology is based is an online community of practice, operating within one of the most important Italian telecommunication company. The basic assumption underlying this study is that communities of practice (CoPs) play a fundamental role in innovation dynamics because of their ability to shape the organizational knowledge base. An integrated approach will provide both academics and practitioners an effective tool for assessing intellectual capital and its related dimensions, its creation and the effectiveness of implementation plans conceived as a result of its application.