IC in the Age of Big Data

Purpose: To contribute to the literature on the nexus of Intellectual Capital (IC) and Big Data by exploring emerging researchers trends. Design/methodology/approach: To present a literature review discussing contributions from IC research and Big Data highlighting novel and emerging issues. Findings: A conceptual framework demonstrating how Big Data perspective validates the need to shift IC research from focusing on the organization to the eco-systems focus. The framework has four main dimensions: Why: the managerial reasons for using Big Data for IC; What: the typologies of Big Data for IC practices; How: the Big Data processes adopted for IC management; Who: the organisation’s stakeholders involved and impacted by value creation. Originality/value: The paper is novel because it investigates the effects and implications that Big Data can offer IC research, by supporting the emergence of a fourth stage of IC research. Additionally, it explores recent literature on Big Data through an IC lens. Practical implications: Outlines the socio-economic value of Big Data, from and about the companies’ ecosystems; identifies entrepreneurial opportunities for existing companies through Big Data for renewing their value proposition; and outlines new tools for managing Big Data to support disclosing IC value drivers and for creating new intangible assets