Social Facets of Knowledge Creation: The Validation of Knowledge Assets

Abstract

In this study we discussed the construct validity of knowledge asset measurement models by focusing on the adequacy of theoretical content. The importance of an organization's role as a social community in creating knowledge assets has not been adequately addressed in existing organizational knowledge asset measurement models. This social aspect of an organization manifests itself in the knowledge conversion process through which various knowledge inputs are transformed into organizational knowledge assets. We suggested that, from the organizational learning and dynamic capability perspective, the construct of knowledge assets should cover the organization's learning capability, accumulated through social interaction within and outside the organizational boundary. In our proposed model, social capital provides an infrastructure for knowledge creation, and learning capability measured knowledge creation and exchange activities. Indicators of social capital and learning capability are suggested, and implications and limitations of this study are discussed.