Samenvatting

In today’s intellectual capital literature, we see a shift from identifying intangibles towards understanding the dynamics of value creation. As it is not clear what “dynamic” stands for, the aim of this explorative and conceptual paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamic dimension of IC.
Based on a review of the early IC literature, the dynamic dimension (or dynamics) of intellectual capital seems to refer to the logic that value creation is the product of interaction between different types of (intangible) resources. As the idea of value creation through combination of knowledge resources is closely related to the New Growth Theory (Romer, 1990, 1994), this paper explores the New Growth Theory and its implications for the dynamic dimension of intellectual capital. Based on the exploration of the New Growth Theory, a conceptual model is presented in which the elements that constitute the dynamic dimension of intellectual capital are integrated. These elements are ideas, things, the process of knowledge creation, the process of continuous innovation, and institutions.
The main conclusion of this paper is that the concept of knowledge is more closely related to the dynamic dimension of IC, than the concept of intellectual capital. Therefore, further research would probably benefit from approaching this topic from a knowledge management point of view.
It is suggested that further research should focus on exploring the metaphors that contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of IC, on the contribution that ideas can make to increase the effectiveness of knowledge management, and finally on the institutional arrangements that support the process of knowledge creation and innovation.