A Conceptual Model of Intellectual Capital from the Perspective of Innovation

With regard to the transition of societies from the age of industry and information, the importance of intellectual capital in the world of business has increased as the fourth production factor, which, along with land, labor and financial capital, optimizes the incentives for the creation of intangible value. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the issue of intellectual capital and the maximum use of human resources at the company's disposal according to the innovative approaches of the companies. The purpose of this article is to explain the theoretical concepts of intellectual capital and innovation along with conceptual models regarding intellectual capital and also to present the structural model of intellectual capital with the approach of promoting innovation from the perspective of experts through the phenomenological approach for the first time in Iran. This research is of the qualitative research type and its paradigm is of the interpretation type, in order to benefit from the experiences of the people involved in this subject area, the qualitative research method and the phenomenological approach have been used in it. The analysis of the research was also done using the 7-step collage technique. The research sample includes 12 intellectual capital experts in Iran who were selected through the snowball technique. According to the findings of the research, 36 main categories in the form of 4 major themes constitute the components of the proposed model of intellectual capital in Iran, which are group characteristics, social norms, technology, financial systems, customer relations, competitor relations, and company relations. With community, creativity, employees' job satisfaction and employees' learning abilities are among the most important main categories in the proposed model and companies can take effective steps towards the development of intellectual capital with an innovative approach by considering these categories.