VISUALIZING, MEASURING AND MANAGING KNOWLEDGE

As companies continue to trade at many multiples of their book value, executives are beginning to look for ways to manage and measure the in tangible assets that are increasingly recognized as large contributors to their organizations' market value. Companies such as The Dow Chemi cal Company, Skandia and Buckman Laboratories International are develo ping measurement systems to assess how well they leverage organization al knowledge to create value for customers, which is ultimately reflec t in stock prices. These organizations are developing measurement syst ems for intangibles that can: 1) align individual actions with organiz ational strategy, and 2) anticipate positive as well as negative finan cial outcomes in enough time to enhance the former and possible avoid the latter altogether.