Get When Knowledge Is An Asset: Explaining The

Intangible knowledge is the knowledge of an organization's employees, and it is a key source of competitive advantage. Some of these assets can be expressed as patents, copyrights, intellectual proprietary rights, or other types of rights.

Glossary » K » Knowledge Assets Definition. A knowledge asset refers to an organization's intellectual resources. It can be in the form of information, ideas, understanding, learning, memory, patents, policies, databases, software, or various types of skills, expertise, and capabilities of an organization's workforce.

To treat knowledge as a strategic asset, you need to identify, capture the knowledge and make it accessible. Each business area needs to assign a person responsible for ensuring that a consistent approach is adopted. Otherwise, archived knowledge that is inaccessible has no value.

This is knowledge relevant to an organisation's strategy and operations. Knowledge assets can be human (individuals, teams, communities), structural (strategies, policies, processes, procedures) or supporting technologies.

Types of knowledge assets include information, learning, ideas, understanding, insights, memory, technical skills, and capabilities. Knowledge assets reside in documents, databases, software, patents, policies and procedures, and more.

Valuing knowledge as an asset is the basis on which all other knowledge principles depend. It is essential to establish a culture where knowledge is valued if people are to share and capture knowledge freely and if the leadership of organisations are to promote knowledge management and support staff in such activity.

As such, this form of capital has immeasurable value and cannot be quantified. This is why it's considered an intangible asset, which is one whose value cannot be touched or measured. As noted above, knowledge capital largely depends on the skills and talents of individuals.

These assets give an organization a competitive advantage in a given market. It's different from financial capital, which is tangible and measurable. Intellectual assets include: Knowledge and skills of individual team members.