The term „intellectual capital statement“ is often controversially discussed in practice and has different expectations. While the classic balance sheet relates to the company’s monetary values, the intellectual capital statement is aimed at intellectual capital that is difficult to grasp, i.e., employees, structures, and relationships. Manfred Bornemann and Rüdiger Reinhardt show how an intellectual capital statement works and what design options there are for a company’s employees in the „Handbook of intellectual capital statements – implementation and case studies“. Ursula Hesselmann read the book.

11 chapters

In a total of eleven chapters, Dr. Manfred Bornemann (Managing Director of Intangible Assets Consulting GmbH and member of the „Knowledge Balance“ working group) and Dr. Rüdiger Reinhardt (Professor of Business Administration and Human Resources Management and Head of the Business Psychology course at the Fern-Hochschule Riedlingen), explain how knowledge in organizations can be specifically recorded, evaluated, and controlled. For this purpose, the basics and the methodology of the intellectual capital statement are presented in practice, the importance of intellectual capital is discussed, and interfaces to other management instruments are shown.

Individual steps are explained

In addition, the individual steps for creating an intellectual capital statement are explained in detail and illustrated with case studies by users. According to Bornemann and Reinhardt, the intellectual capital statement contributes to higher competitiveness, better use of intangible assets, and a clear strategic orientation of organizations. As an internal control instrument, the intellectual capital statement names the adjusting screws that influence the various processes and strategies. This makes the instrument suitable as a strategic early warning system for holistic corporate management.