Michael D. Moberly October 28, 2009
Converging and bundling a company’s intangible assets with its core mission – business strategy is a timely, important, and growing trend. But, why is such an exercise worthy of management team and board’s time?
First, its an economic fact – business reality today that, 65+% of most companies’ value, sources of revenue, sustainability, and foundations for future wealth creation today lie in – are directly related to intangible assets.
Second, when properly executed, the convergence – bundling of a company’s intangible assets will better reflect-address a company’s core business mission and strategic (operational) culture which, in turn, can deliver more effective and efficient utilization of those assets by, among other things, identifying opportunities and strategies to (maximize) extract value!
Third, converging and bundling a company’s intangible assets with its core business mission is not just a masqueraded prelude to downsizing, shifting of resources, or elimating business units. Rather, convergence and bundling are about integrating the valuable – contributory intangible assets a company produces and recognize them as business disciplines. The objectives of course, are to (a.) elevate the assets’ value, (b.) deliver (additional) revenue and (enterprise wide) sustainability, and (c.) position the assets to become viable (strategic) foundations for (company) growth and expansion. All of which, its important to note, have relevance to shareholders and shareholder value.
Fourth, management teams and boards can kick start the process of converging and bundling their intangible assets by: (a.) determining who, how, and where those assets are produced and/or exist internally and externally, (b.) identifying the relationships and inter-connectedness of those assets to the company’s mission, and (c.) approximating the contributory (value) those assets produce internally and externally relative to the company’s products and services, as well as its brand, goodwill, image, reputation, etc.
Fifth, taken literally, converging and bundling a company’s intangible assets with its business strategy means recognizing that decisions related to the development and utilization of those assets become business decisions, not solely legal processes.
Ultimately, management teams and boards are obliged to elevate the level of management, oversight, and stewardship exercised over the full range of their company’s intangible assets and the favorable internal and external networks, relationships, and connections those assets facilitate and/or produce.
This post was adapted/modified by Michael D. Moberly from the work of Ron Carson.
