How do Miles and Snow's strategic types differ in their knowledge assets? Evidence from Italian SMEs

Abstract

This paper takes a knowledge-based view of firms and discusses the importance of linking organizational knowledge assets into corporate strategy. In order to conceptualize knowledge assets, the paper adopts the intellectual capital (IC) framework, which distinguishes three IC components: human, structural and relational capital. As regards business strategy, the paper adopts Miles and Snow's model, which identifies three strategic types of successful organizations: Defenders, Analysers and Prospectors. The paper explores the ways in which the three strategic types differ in weighting the single components of their IC. This study represents an attempt to extend the Miles and Snow typology including the aspect of knowledge assets. The link between knowledge asset management and strategy is investigated by means of three case studies conducted in Italian small and medium enterprises from the food sector. The paper argues that firms of different Miles and Snow strategic types have different mix of IC components.

Keywords:

• intellectual capital
• strategy formulation
• SMEs
• case studies

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Silvia Massa

About the authors

Stefania Testa is an assistant professor at the Department of Communication, Computer and System Sciences at the University of Genoa (Italy), where she received her Ph.D. Prior to joining the University as a faculty member, she was a consultant in a leading American consultancy firm. Her research interests include innovation management, knowledge management and intellectual capital in large as well as small and medium enterprises.

Stefania Testa

Silvia Massa is an assistant professor at the Department of Communication, Computer and System Sciences at the University of Genoa (Italy), where she received her Ph.D. Her main research interest is knowledge management in organizations.