Mapping intellectual capital in a small manufacturing enterprise

The US$1.2 million company faces critical issues of management succession, business strategy, market expansion and innovative product improvements. These would prevent a steady flow of future potential earnings. The core knowledge resides in the management team who has worked in the factory from young. They have not patented the equipment designs or the proprietary processes. The first step in managing its intellectual capital uses the framework of the ISO 9000 standard to provide a mapping structure for capturing its core knowledge in products, process, management and customers. The focus on quality sets the context for shaping and organising the work of capturing its core knowledge. The ISO 9000 standard provides convenient categories for knowledge mapping, and presents a common language for consultant-client interaction during the mapping process. A limitation in using the ISO 9000 standard for knowledge mapping is its inability to map knowledge concerning the customer base and product opportunities.