Introduction

This book is about organisational capital and organisational design. Why should we consider such a topic now? Because of the deep transformation of our socioeconomic systems, where the traditional vertical paradigm – e.g. the enterprise – is less and less relevant. Indeed, in the context of the knowledge economy, the way organisations carry out their activities is being challenged on all levels. Whereas new information and communication technologies have induced more pressures towards a decentralised organisation, companies themselves have developed new managerial practices (outsourcing, networking and joint intangible assets building), which have challenged their most embedded routines. This, of course, has a deep impact on how we can view business modelling in the knowledge economy.