Intellectual capital and maintenance of work ability: The wellbeing perspective

This study shows that definitions of intellectual capital (IC) provided by the IC experts interviewed have very much in common with the maintenance of work ability (MWA) concept that is the central framework for Finnish occupational health and safety activities. Both concepts include competence, internal structures and relations. Only the emphases differ. IC has a more collective notion of competence than MWA. IC also places more emphasis on the productive aspects, whereas MWA stresses security and wellbeing. The biggest difference is in the way individual health is treated. MWA assumes that health is a very important element of productive capacity, whereas some of the IC experts interviewed ignore it. It is obvious that IC experts have much to learn from MWA experts about how psycho-social health affects people’s innovativeness and productive behaviour. In particular, the study shows how elements of occupational wellbeing are involved in the shift of emphasis from individual to collective competence.