The Role of Intellectual Capital Management in the Research Institute Development

Modern organisations operate in a dynamic environment that is mainly characterised by the uncertainty and intensified competition. Such conditions require efficient and flexible operation and building capacities for the effective use of opportunities that emerge in the environment and neutralize or predict threats. These types of capabilities are based primarily on intangible assets, which are currently a key factor in the success of organisations. Taking this into account, the author of the paper examines the role of intangible resources of an organisation in generating its added value with particular emphasis on specific features of research institutes. Among intangible assets, knowledge plays a special role in the creation of the added value and the competitive advantage of the organisation. The author indicates the need to continually improve the knowledge management processes, which allows its free flow, as well as a steady increase, which will help to develop intelligent organisation. The analysis conducted in this paper also covers key factors that facilitate the accumulation, generation, development, and diffusion of knowledge. An important part of the effective management of knowledge is the measurement and reporting of the intellectual capital of the organisation. For this reason, the main groups of methods of intellectual capital measurement are discussed, with particular emphasis on the scorecard methods, which are most often used in research institutes. The article also shows the influence of a reliable and systematic measurement of intellectual capital on the development of research units. In this paper, the original model of intellectual capital measurement, which was developed at the Institute for Sustainable Technologies - National Research Institute in Radom is also discussed.