The other term used to refer to intangible resources and capabilities is intellectual. Though apparently less controversial, one might ask if we are limiting our ability to perceive intangible resources and capabilities by limiting them to what is intellectual? In other words, can the term intellectual include such capabilities and resources that are not, strictly speaking, intellectual? For example, does it include the emotional intelligence of a team and its leader, an essential factor for the success of the project? Does it include interpersonal qualities, like the ability to lead, inspire, and initiate trust, essential for effective knowledge sharing? Does intellectual include the shared values and culture an organization has built through the years? Strictly speaking, it does not...
Successful managers and businesses have been managing intellectual capital one way or another all along, whether consciously or intuitively.