Introduction and Overview

Abstract

The success or failure of corporations in today’s global economy depends on many individual, organisational and environmental variables. However, one of the most important factors for sustaining competitive success are the people in an organisation. Practitioners and academics alike agree, that intellectual capital has become the new basis for competition in the post-capitalist society (Drucker 1993). Individual and organisational knowledge plays thus a central role in building competitive advantage (Hamel & Prahalad 1994b). The ability to learn and to un-learn has become a critical — if not the most important — factor for ensuring corporate success in a world of growing complexity and ever faster technological changes (Argyris & Schön 1978; Senge 1990; Davenport & Prusak 1998).

“In the 21^st century, the education and skills of the workforce will end up being the dominant competitive weapon.”

(Thurow 1992, p. 275)