On Knowledge Management: Intellectual Assets as Facilitating Infrastructure

2.1. Intellectual Capacity

OECD has presented one of the most practical definitions of intellectual capacity. According to that definition there are two types of intangible capital in organizations: the first one is organizational structural capital and the second one is human capital. The human capital in internal organizational environment is labeled as employees and the human capital in external organizational environment includes customers and suppliers. Other scholars such as Roos et al (1997), Bontis (1996), Brooking (1996) and Stewart (1997) have reviewed the literature of intellectual capacity. Intellectual capital is rather complicated and vague but once it is diagnosed and implemented well, it can make an organization highly competitive (Binits, 1999). Brooking (1996) puts it this way: Intellectual and human capital provides a robust infrastructure which empowers an organization to achieve its goals. Intellectual capital is in fact the experience, information and the mental assets which are the drivers of future corporate wealth (Skyrme, 2003). Making comparison between the definitions given by Brooking (1996), Roos (1997), Stewart (1997) and Bintis (1998), there are three key concepts which they all agree on: Human capital, structural capital, and relational capital.