How to measure an organization’s intellectual capital

Intellectual capital, as used here, is a concept that deals with intellectual property concepts, like patents and licences, but also includes less tangible assets like know‐how, skills and information systems. The need to measure the amount of intellectual capital in an organization has grown in importance. The worth or value of an organization cannot be given by the values in the balance sheet alone. Just as the use of discounted cash‐flow analysis is being accepted as a more reliable measure of value and will eventually replace other accounting‐based valuations, the value of intellectual capital will need to be measured and determined. Intellectual capital will also be a useful concept for setting corporate goals and strategies. Describes some current conceptions of intellectual capital and looks at ways of measuring intellectual capital. Compares intellectual capital valuation with financial cash flow valuation. Suggests that additional studies regarding the measurement of intellectual capital are still needed, and recommends, when good measures of intellectual capital are not available, the use of indicators as a means of indicating that intellectual capital is present or growing.