Title: Securing intellectual assets: integrating the knowledge and innovation dimensions

Authors: Kevin C. Desouza

Addresses: The Information School, University of Washington, Mary Gates Hall, Suite 330D, UW Box 352840, Seattle, WA 98195-2840, USA

Abstract: The concept of intellectual asset security has received widespread attention in recent times. Much of this attention can be attributed to the fact that knowledge assets can be used to secure competitive advantages for organisations. Moreover, one might assert that in today|s knowledge-based economies and markets, it is these assets that truly differentiate organisations and are the only true source of sustainable competitive advantages. In order to have a robust program for managing intellectual assets, an organisation must account for its knowledge management and innovation processes. In this paper, drawing on: 1) a semiotic-based model for knowledge management (Desouza, 2006); 2) an organisational process of innovation (Desouza et al., 2006), the author describes an integrated process framework for the management of intellectual assets. The framework is then used to describe salient security management challenges faced when managing intellectual assets. Executives involved in security management programs in 23 organisations were interviewed to elicit key security management challenges faced by organisations when addressing intellectual assets.

Keywords: intellectual assets; innovation; information security; semiotics; security policy; technology policy; technology security; security management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2011.039311

International Journal of Technology Management, 2011 Vol.54 No.2/3, pp.167 - 203

Published online: 06 Apr 2013 *

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