Michael D. Moberly   March 18, 2010

In today’s globally competitive and predatorial business (transaction) environment, company management teams and boards should consistently ‘be in the hunt for’ innovative ways to create (additional) value, revenue, and competitive advantages through better identification, utilization, leveraging, and exploitation of their intangible assets.

A company’s intangible assets should first be examined individually, and secondly, to determine/assess if marketable commonalities and/or combinations exist that could be bundled to expand venues in which the assets can be utilized, and thereby add sources of revenue and opportunities for growth. That’s a good thing! 

To fully achieve this almost surely profitable exercise, in my judgment, and to do so consistently, requires an additional element beyond single training seminars.  That additional, but often overlooked element is to create a consistently alert, articulate, innovative, and supportive ‘company culture’ that’s operationally attuned to intangible assets, i.e., (a.) what they are, (b.) how they’re produced, and (c.) how they contribute to, underpin, build, and sustain a company’s value, sources of revenue, and growth opportunities.

A company culture is a shared system of values that defines what is important (to a company) and contains certain norms and beliefs that convey appropriate and accepted attitudes and behaviors (for a company).  In most instances, a ‘culture’ will emerge – be exhibited and observable as management teams and employees (collectively) recognize the beneficial (economic) outcomes that can accrue as they engage and solve problems through those collectively shared norms, values, beliefs, and attitudes which accrue in the form of greater efficiencies, competitive advantages, and reputational value. (Adapted by Michael D. Moberly from Dr. Edgar Shein)

A well oriented company culture gives permancy and depth to (a.) recognizing the importance of intangible assets that exist in most all company activities and processes, (b.) helps employees recognize and distinguish those intangibles, and (c.) understanding and confidence in tweaking and nuancing those intangibles to benefit themselves and the company, e.g., building, strengthening, and sustaining competitive advantages and customer and supplier relationships.