PurposeThe paper concerns the research problem of how to analyse the performance of a knowledge society as a whole, and in particular, of how to analyse national intellectual capital. The paper aims to build a conceptual foundation for national intellectual capital performance, and based on this, to construct a multidimensional measurement system for Finland and to investigate its usefulness.Design/methodology/approachThe framework and measurement system of national intellectual capital performance is constructed on the basis of the intellectual capital and knowledge management research literature. The illustration of the measurement system is carried out using empirical data from various institutions.FindingsThe paper argues for the strategic, dialogic and societal measurement of national intellectual capital.Research limitations/implicationThere was neither an exact purpose of measurement nor a detailed strategy for the knowledge society to aim at. Because of this, the measurement system serves as an illustrative example that provides a starting point for more in‐depth case studies on national intellectual capital.Practical implicationsThis paper is targeted at policymakers and government officials concerned with questions related to national knowledge‐based development. The framework and measurement system constructed can serve as a basis for the strategic measurement of knowledge societies.Originality/valueThe paper shows how to apply the concept of national intellectual capital performance to analyse knowledge society. The approach proposed takes into account the strategic nature of national intellectual capital that has been ignored in earlier studies.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to tackle the problem of societal knowledge management from the perspective of critical management research. The focus is on national intellectual capital analysis as part of societal knowledge management. First, the aim is to identify the dominant discourse that governs the discussion around national intellectual capital and its measurement. Second, the aim is to explore the prospects for an alternative conceptualisation and to propose a heuristic tool through which it is possible to approach national intellectual capital and its measurement in a critical, informed and analytic way.Design/methodology/approachThe study takes a critical standpoint and leans loosely on the methodology of critical discourse analysis by Norman Fairclough.FindingsThe paper argues for the emancipation of national intellectual capital from the orthodoxy that relates it to economic growth, quantitative measurement, objectivity and universality towards a discourse that regards the value of national intellectual capital and its analysis more broadly, recognising the contextual and subjective nature of national intellectual capital.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptual analysis provides a basis for further empirical assessment of national intellectual capital.Societal implicationsThe paper offers a critical conceptual lens through which to approach societal knowledge management. The constructed heuristic tool for analysing national intellectual capital can serve as a basis for strategic knowledge‐based development.Originality/valueThe paper offers a critical reflection of intellectual capital on the national/societal level and a starting point for critical societal knowledge management.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper aims to identify future challenges for productivity research. Design/methodology/approach -The research was explorative and qualitative by nature. It was carried out using two approaches: literature review and empirical analysis based on 38 interviews. All the interviewees were well-known Finnish productivity experts, including both practitioners and academics. Literature review included a systematic examination of a selected set of international productivity articles, Finnish doctoral dissertations, research reports and studies related to productivity projects. Findings -The paper offers a view of the current status of the productivity research field, especially from the Finnish perspective. The key productivity challenges as well as research themes and questions, which were seen relevant in the light of these challenges, are presented. In addition, some recommendations for how to go forward in the productivity research are brought out.Research limitations/implications -The paper is limited to a Finnish point of view, and further research is needed to examine whether these findings apply also to other countries. There is a vast amount of existing productivity research available and, for practical reasons, the literature review focuses only on selected materials. Practical implications -By bringing out productivity-related opportunities and challenges, the paper creates understanding about the applicable means to improve productivity in the future. Originality/value -The paper helps researchers to develop productivity research forwards to grab at future opportunities and challenges.

The sector of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) has a central role in modern economies. However, there are no explicit and generally acknowledged criteria for characterising KIBS or other knowledge-intensive organisations.\ud In addition, the concept of knowledge-intensity has no significant\ud managerial use. This paper aims to widen the existing understanding about\ud the concept of knowledge-intensity and take a step towards its operational application and managerial usefulness. Methodologically, two steps are carried out. First, a conceptual study based on intellectual capital literature and literature on knowledge-intensive firms is carried out. Second, an interview\ud study (n=8) is carried out to empirically examine the role of knowledge assets in selected KIBS organisations. This paper contributes by tackling the vagueness of the concept of knowledge-intensity: the paper demonstrates that there are different types of ‘knowledge-intensity profiles’ among KIBS companies and that knowledge assets can be used as an analytical framework to identify the sources of value creation