The third stage of IC: towards a new IC future and beyond

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the overall contribution made by the papers presented in this special edition of the Journal of Intellectual Capital . Design/methodology/approach – This article is an editorial based on the author's reflections of the papers presented in this special edition. Findings – Intellectual capital (IC) has a future, based not only on the third stage of IC research, which strengthens IC practices inside organisations, but also on a complementary fourth stage which develops IC eco‐systems. Originality/value – the papers presented ground the third stage of IC research as a legitimate research undertaking, while at the same time recognising that we need to extend our IC missionary work beyond the boundaries of the organisation, and into the environment where organisations exist.