Leveraging intellectual capital in developing countries : evidence from Kenya

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how organization’s resources and community aspects shape intellectual capital (IC) performance in developing countries. In fact, it is still unclear to what level organizational aggregation can influence forms of IC performance in the simultaneous presence of strong traditional legacy and eagerness for development. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on a project of aggregation of artists in Kenya. It uses a mixed methods approach. Findings: The analysis first documents that multiple capital resources, i.e., human, social, and organizational contribute to improve IC performance. Social and organizational resources have the largest positive effects. This study then supports the importance of community aspects in fostering IC performance. In this light, it appears to facilitate knowledge interaction and interrelationship networks rather than accentuate possible pre-existing groups’ rivalry. Research limitations/implications: The results are inferred from a single case study, and so the reader is given the caveat that the results cannot be easily generalized. The evidence gathered can represent a useful ground on which to build future studies comparing different legal, social, cultural, and economic contexts. Practical implications: This study gathers insights on how organization’s resources can lead to IC performance in developing countries and in a setting characterized by a high degree of institutional complexity. It also addresses the call for more research on programs implemented at local level to leverage IC and to valorize traditional knowledge in a sustainable and concrete way. Originality/value: Evidence on IC in developing countries is still scant, besides their potential for growth. This study attempts to address this gap. Moreover, it pays attention to the context by analyzing the community aspects. Finally, the use of mixed methods further validates previous evidence on the relationship between organization’s resources and IC performance.