Exemplary Research - Essay Example

Introduction

This paper is a summation and critique of two papers based on social and intellectual capital. These two papers are:

• Clarifying the Entrepreneurial Orientation Construct and Linking it to Performance, by G T Lumpkin and G G Dess. This paper analyses the entrepreneurial strategy-making process that goes into the creation of performance-oriented goal-achievement programmes that are the helm of social capital. (Lumpkin et al, 1996)
• Social Capital, Intellectual Capital and the organisational advantage, by J Nahapiet and S Ghoshal. This paper basically discusses a mechanism that can create the platform for the use of social capital for the creation of intellectual capital. (Nahapie et alt, 1998)

These two papers have been used to demonstrate how a management strategy can be built on the basis of intellectual capital for better performance in the goal achievement arena. To begin with, traditionally, organisations have been seen to work on the premise of three basic factors of production – land, labour and capital. These three factors have been hailed as equally important with labour always having occupied a special place of importance. In this regard, the three factors of production were enough to nicely and simply sum up the requirements of an organisation. (Nahapiet et al, 1998)

The modern-day organisation used four factors of production or four basic categories of resources: land, labour, capital and expertise. With the advent of various technologies and trends like globalisation, there has been a strong emphasis on the growth of manpower development along the lines of securing employees as long-term assets in whose hands the growth of the company lies. This is where the term expertise comes in. (Lumpkin et al, 1996)

Exemplary Research

Objective and Quotation: Social Capital, Intellectual Capital and the organisational advantage

Expertise means many things to many people due to the sole reason that it includes a lot of elements that contribute to the organisation's strength when it comes to the achievement of goals. This has basically been used in Non-governmental organisations but has recently been added to every corporation’s list of priorities. This brand of expertise gives rise to intellectual capital through a strategic growth and development process of the organisation’s human capital. These two papers deal with the study of intellectual capital as a form of social capital within the corporate sphere in terms of its brand asset relevance aspect. In this respect, it has been realised that intellectual capital needs to be measured to chart and track the course that is being followed by the organisation and the people within it, as far as reaching and achieving goals is concerned. (Nahapiet et al, 1998)

Evidence in Applicability: Clarifying the Entrepreneurial Orientation Construct and Linking it to Performance

Whether it is in the Research and Development department or the marketing department of the organisation, this term has been categorised to imply a lot of things which an employee must possess for the relevant department in terms of characteristics of basic mental competency. There are various companies in the world that have conceptualised intellectual capital and recognised the same as a strategy for building a brand asset. This, in turn, has given the brand a competitive advantage and competency through its intellectual capital base, which makes its manpower a ‘thinking’ capital and not just a ‘doing’ capital.

This competency has a strong nexus with the competitive advantage that an organisation has and the quality of the same. This level of competitive advantage is the primary tool in measuring the IC in the organisation. The characteristics of this competency may be creativity, foresight and intellect, among numerous others. In this regard, we will delve further into the intellectual part of things, as this paper deals with the concept of intellectual capital. (Lumpkin et al, 1996)

Intellectual Capital: Final Analysis

This part is based on the synthesis of the study on the above two articles. As a nuance of power strength within organizations, intellectual capital has been defined in relation to international marketing and knowledge management to ensure that the unique innovations that take place within the organization are the whole and sole property of the same. Intellectual capital may be defined as that resource of the organization which depends on the thinking capacity of the individual employees which yields results in terms of innovations and other such factors within the organization. This capital is implemented through a strong focus on creativity and the creation of a knowledge base. This area also has a strong connection with economics where it is known as an “intangible”. According to, it has been given intellectual rights as a capital asset, which has great worth for the organization in terms of cost-effectiveness and productivity. (Lumpkin et al, 1996)

Conclusion

In terms of performance management, this paper has discussed the new role of the Human Resource element that has emerged in the organisation. This role can be summarised through the use of the following categories: (Nahapiet et al, 1998)

• Business Partner
• Change Manager
• Monitor
•  

These four categories are the most basic to the functioning of the modern-day organisation. The human resource or human capital element in the organisation has emerged as one that perpetuates this role at every level of the organisation through effective integration of personal and organisational goals in terms of effective performance management of intellectual and social capital. (Nahapiet et al, 1998)