The research aims to investigate what Italian state universities consider as intellectual capital (IC) in their performance plans. Universities assume a specific responsibility in the production and dissemination of knowledge and in the investment in research and human resources; consequently, a central role has been given to IC approaches in managing universities. Drawing from this, in 2009 Italy required state universities to issue a performance plan with a section devoted to IC.Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis was conducted to discover the type and extent of IC strategies in a group of 44 contemporary performance plans.Findings – The findings show a variable focus on IC items, with a particular emphasis on aspects related to the development of relationships with external partners, supporting the idea that nowadays the university sector is strongly investing in the development of relational capital to achieve its third mission.Practical implication – In assessing practices of IC planning the current study highlights the path of development that will be undertaken by the Italian system in the near future. Also, it provides universities with a benchmark for ranking their own position in term of IC strategies in comparison to the overall Italian university system. Based on this analysis each university is able to identify what the possible weaknesses of its IC strategies are, in order to improve its competitive position.Originality/value – The paper makes an original contribution to research on IC strategies in universities, given the lack of empirical studies on these issues.

Italian State University Contemporary Performance Plans: An Intellectual Capital Focus?

NARDO, Maria;
2013-01-01

Abstract

The research aims to investigate what Italian state universities consider as intellectual capital (IC) in their performance plans. Universities assume a specific responsibility in the production and dissemination of knowledge and in the investment in research and human resources; consequently, a central role has been given to IC approaches in managing universities. Drawing from this, in 2009 Italy required state universities to issue a performance plan with a section devoted to IC.Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis was conducted to discover the type and extent of IC strategies in a group of 44 contemporary performance plans.Findings – The findings show a variable focus on IC items, with a particular emphasis on aspects related to the development of relationships with external partners, supporting the idea that nowadays the university sector is strongly investing in the development of relational capital to achieve its third mission.Practical implication – In assessing practices of IC planning the current study highlights the path of development that will be undertaken by the Italian system in the near future. Also, it provides universities with a benchmark for ranking their own position in term of IC strategies in comparison to the overall Italian university system. Based on this analysis each university is able to identify what the possible weaknesses of its IC strategies are, in order to improve its competitive position.Originality/value – The paper makes an original contribution to research on IC strategies in universities, given the lack of empirical studies on these issues.
2013
Italian State University ; Performance; Intellectual Capital
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11770/142777
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