Enhancing Innovation through Intellectual Capital: A Theoretical Overview

Innovation is one of the main drivers of economic development. In the knowledge economy era, the quickness of technological developments and globalization has changed the structure of business world. Consequently, this situation creates opportunities and also threats for companies. Companies should attach importance to innovation in order to maintain sustainable growth and gain competitive advantage. According to Barsky and Marchat (2000) in the new economy the value of a company is not found with its tangible assets, revenues, financial ratios or market share, but with its intellectual capital, organizational culture, customer loyalty and brand equity. According to resource-based view of the company; the resources are fundamental factors of competitiveness and performance. These resources are regarded as strategic assets, which include tangible and intangible assets. Intellectual capital which is becoming one of the important commercial assets of the 21st century is a way of describing a company's intangible assets that are vital for company success. Intellectual capital consists of human capital, relational capital and structural capital. Intellectual capital which is a core strategical resource of a company is playing a crucial role in a company's innovation performance. This study attempts to analyze the interrelationships between intellectual capital and innovation in the context of resource-based view of the company. This study also focuses in particular on the effects of human capital, relational capital and structural capital which are the components of intellectual capital, on innovation by integrating the relevant theoretical and empirical evidence.