Valuing the IT workforce as intellectual capital

Abstract

In recent years information is increasingly being viewed as a critical building block for creating business value. Information technology (IT) workers have a unique and important role in generating information resources for organizations. This paper argues for the potential utility of establishing an economic value for the IT workforce within organizations. More specifically, the paper describes the benefits in terms of enhancing human resource programs, stimulating organizational learning, more accurately estimating the value of new projects, and assessing the value of mergers, acquisitions, and other restructurings. The paper also presents three measurement approaches based on past indicators, present task information, and future expectations for the calculation or estimation of such value.