Knowledge‐intensity as an organisational characteristic

The sector of knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS) has a central role in modern economies. However, there are no explicit and generally acknowledged criteria for characterising KIBS or other knowledge‐intensive organisations. In addition, the concept of knowledge‐intensity has no significant managerial use. This paper aims to widen the existing understanding about the concept of knowledge‐intensity and take a step towards its operational application and managerial usefulness. Methodologically, two steps are carried out. First, a conceptual study based on intellectual capital literature and literature on knowledge‐intensive firms is carried out. Second, an interview study (n=8) is carried out to empirically examine the role of knowledge assets in selected KIBS organisations. This paper contributes by tackling the vagueness of the concept of knowledge‐intensity: the paper demonstrates that there are different types of ‘knowledge‐intensity profiles’ among KIBS companies and that knowledge assets can be used as an analytical framework to identify the sources of value creation.