There is widespread understanding that intellectual capital (IC), consisting of the valuable knowledge resources of an organization, is a key enabler of innovation activities; however, little is ...known about the more specific contingencies impacting the relationship between IC and innovation. Thus, this article examines firm technology level and innovation type as contingency variables. It was argued that because high‐tech and low‐tech firms differ in terms of several knowledge characteristics (complexity, tacitness and pace of renovation), it is likely that their innovation performance is supported by different combinations of IC components. Furthermore, differences between product/service and managerial innovation could also lead to changes in the degree of relevance of various IC components. To test these contingency hypotheses, a survey dataset collected from 180 Spanish companies is analysed using structural equation modelling. The results demonstrate that both firm's technology level and type of innovation affect how IC influences innovation performance. The findings contribute to a knowledge‐based perspective on innovation and pave the way for a more context‐sensitive and contingency‐mindful approach to understanding innovation and knowledge‐based value creation.
While intellectual capital's (IC) impact on innovation has been well‐established, increasing understanding of related contingencies would yield great benefits to both research on and the practice of ...innovation and IC management. With the rise of the service economy, servitization degree – i.e., the degree of relevance of service provision compared with the delivery of manufactured goods – represents an important contingency, with significant potential to shed more light on and improve the understanding of the IC‐performance relationship in the context of research and development. This paper examines how servitization moderates IC's impact on innovation performance by testing related hypotheses on a sample of 180 Spanish companies through a statistical analysis conducted through structural equation modeling based on partial least squares. The results indicate that servitization moderates the relationship between internal and external relational capital and innovation in different ways: The moderation effect is negative for internal relational capital, but positive for external relational capital, i.e., more service‐oriented companies benefit from internal collaboration and coordination to a lesser extent in their innovation endeavors, while external stakeholder communication and networks are crucial for achieving a high rate of innovation performance. The findings help develop a more fine‐grained understanding of IC's role in innovation and related firm‐ and industry‐level contingencies, as well as increase the understanding of R&D ecosystem agents.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review and critique the literature dealing with the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and innovation, and to outline the future of this research ...field.
Design/methodology/approach
Structured literature review (SLR).
Findings
The relationship between IC and innovation has been examined in great detail; however, much remains to be understood regarding the way of approaching and conceptualising both IC and innovation according to the current business environment. Moreover, academic literature on the IC-innovation relationship shows a disconnection between academia, and both business practice and policy-making, in this research domain.
Research limitations/implications
Since the study was developed by one person, the results could be influenced by her subjective interpretation. In addition, only journal articles published between 2006 and 2015 have been examined.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to IC literature by providing a unique SLR of the IC-innovation field of research. The paper points to pathways for future research in the IC-innovation domain.
According to past research, intellectual capital (IC) is a key driver of innovation performance and subsequent competitive advantage. Given the human nature of innovation activities (i.e. human ...beings produce innovations), human capital (HC) deserves special attention. Although researchers in the past have analysed the HC-innovation linkage, we still do not have a detailed understanding of how specific human capabilities affect innovation. Furthermore, the technology level of the firm could generate major differences in the HC-innovation relationship as it influences both the type of knowledge prevalent within the company and the radicalness of the innovations developed. Nevertheless, former literature has largely omitted technology level when studying the IC-innovation linkage. To fill this research gap, this study examines the role of human attributes, including knowledge, skills and motivation (i.e. traditional HC), learning capability (i.e. renewal capital) and entrepreneurial attitude (i.e. entrepreneurial capital) on innovation in high-tech versus low-tech companies. To that end, survey data from 180 Spanish companies were analysed by means of structural equation modelling based on partial least squares. The results obtained confirm that the influence of HC, renewal capital and entrepreneurial capital on innovation differs depending on the technology level.
Purpose
This study aims to analyse the complementary role of structural and relational capital (as the outcomes of codification and personalisation knowledge management strategies) in renewal capital ...and innovation in high- and low-tech companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The primary data, which were collected through a structured questionnaire from 180 Spanish companies, are analysed using structural equation modelling based on partial least squares.
Findings
Overall, the study offers three fundamental findings. First, it demonstrates the outstanding role of renewal capital as an intellectual capital (IC) component; second, it provides a conceptual analysis of the connection between knowledge management strategies and IC; and third, it highlights the necessity of considering the technological level of the firm as a contingency variable affecting the IC–innovation relationship.
Research limitations/implications
The study has three apparent limitations: The sample of firms is restricted to Spanish companies, data concerning the main study variables were collected from only one person at each firm, and not all of the possible components of IC were included in the research model.
Practical implications
Business practitioners can find useful guidelines for making efficient use of knowledge resources when boosting innovation performance, depending on the technological level of their firms.
Originality/value
Although many studies have tried to disentangle the IC–innovation connection, this study is unique, as it considers knowledge management strategies, a novel combination of IC components and the level of technological sophistication in the same analysis.
Understanding technical knowledge acquisition modes in organic farming (i.e., how organic farmers learn about the means and methods underpinning the practice of organic agriculture) and how such ...learning modes and subsequent knowledge affect environmental sustainability constitutes a necessary condition to develop a more sustainable type of agriculture. Using survey data from 358 organically certified Spanish farms, this paper analyzes the role of educational and research institutions, advisory organizations, and sectoral organizations when it comes to promoting different types of knowledge acquisition pathways among organic farmers, as well as the degree of effectiveness of such learning alternatives and the acquired technical knowledge vis-à-vis environmental sustainability. The results obtained show that sectoral organizations are the most relevant actor and that a balance is needed between social interaction-based and codification-grounded learning pathways to facilitate the acquisition of technical knowledge by organic farmers and thus contribute to environmental sustainability.
•Sectoral organizations constitute the most relevant knowledge promoters.•A balance is needed between social interaction- and codification-based learning.•ICT-based learning proves to be highly effective.•Mastering ICT applications for farm management boosts environmental sustainability.•Formal education is negatively related to environmental sustainability.
PurposeFollowing the contextual approach to intellectual capital, this study analyzed the specific types of external relational capital that foster product/service, process and managerial ...innovativeness in organic farming as key drivers of sustainable food production.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from 358 organically certified Spanish farmers were analyzed using structural equation modeling based on partial least squares. A total of three models, one for each type of innovativeness, were developed to analyze the impact of external relational capital. These models took into account four specific types of relational capital: vertical relationships, horizontal relationships, relationships with government institutions and relationships with knowledge-intensive institutions.FindingsAlthough relational capital and innovativeness are clearly underdeveloped, knowledge generated through and embedded in external relationships plays a substantial role in promoting innovativeness in organic farming. Moreover, depending on the type of innovation to be developed, the type of external relational capital that is relevant differs.Practical implicationsThis study's findings indicate that organic farmers prioritize process innovation over product/service and managerial innovation. For the latter categories, building relationships with customers, consumers and government institutions is key. Policymakers should encourage farmer-engaging socialization spaces that emphasize family farms and their knowledge contribution.Originality/valuePast studies have examined the overall degree of association between external relational capital and innovation, often overlooking the nuances of contextual factors. In contrast, this research delves into the unique contributions of knowledge sourced from various external relationships, focusing specifically on how these relationships influence different types of innovation within the specific context of organic farming.
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