Looking for missing outcomes: accounting for intellectual capital and value creation in ecosystems

Abstract This article investigates intellectual capital (IC) and value creation at an ecosystem level, which is a topic relatively unexplored within public administration. Yet, public sector organisations are a prime example of how IC transcends the scope of individual entities and contributes to knowledge transfer and value creation into wider society. The research was developed within the first step of an interventionist research project focusing on a public sector agency which supports local authorities in Italy and launched an in-depth review of its processes to assess in how far it was fulfilling its mission. Part of this initiative was to assess whether, how, and to what extent the agency creates value for itself and for its stakeholders. The research develops a framework which visualises the importance of accounting for outcomes which are both internal and external to an organisation. The analysis underlines the need for reporting frameworks to consider the overall value creation, maintenance, and erosion. The analysis moves beyond the outcomes of activities and outputs for a single entity to appreciate their impact on its stakeholders’ IC. Results call for the emergence of defined roles for IC management and for the adoption of an ecosystem perspective in governance, business, and reporting models for the public sector. Public managers should adopt a business case imperative with a particular emphasis on maximising value creation for the whole ecosystem. IC visual maps including key stakeholders can help in such endeavour and improve reporting frameworks.