Customer Reviews

Knowledge and Strategy (Knowledge Reader)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This unique and information rich book manages to tie intellectual capital to competitive advantage together in practical terms. What makes this book different from most is that other books tend to either focus on knowledge management as a process or go deep into details of that discipline, or treat the value of knowledge in theoretical terms with no solid link between competitive advantage and organizational knowledge.

Part I of the book covers resource-based strategies and how they support competitive advantage, with knowledge and intellectual capital as the primary resource. Part II extends the business imperatives by providing a resource-based view of knowledge itself and how it relates to organizational strategy. In Part III a compelling case is developed with a central theme that knowledge is a strategic asset. While few would dispute this fact, putting it into practice and incorporating this into organizational culture is the tricky part. The three chapters in this part of the book provide the basis for a value proposition to begin assimilating this into the corporate culture. Part IV is where it all comes together with four chapters that cover issues that will be encountered when integrating knowledge and strategy.

Chapters that I thought were particularly valuable or on the mark include: Knowledge and Competence as Strategic Assets (Chapter 9), Strategic Analysis of Intangible Resources (Chapter 10), and Leveraging Intellect (Chapter 15). Each of these were exceptionally well written and highlighted and synthesized the key theme of the book. If you're interested in linking knowledge to strategy for competitive advantage this book provides clarity and is full of ideas. I also recommend "CyberRegs: A Business Guide to Web Property, Privacy, and Patents" by Bill Zoellick, especially Part II (Patents), which shows how to further leverage intellectual capital.