The Valuation of Human Capital in a Research Department: An Analysis of its Impact and Importance

The valuation of human capital in a research department is crucial for the success and competitiveness of knowledge-intensive companies. This study aims to advance the understanding of human capital assessment by examining its impact within the research sector, which is vital for industries relying on innovation and knowledge creation. Previous research has focused on the importance of human capital at the executive level, but this study expands the concept to encompass employees and their education, training, and knowledge acquisition. Human capital is recognized as a key factor in enhancing productivity and establishing a sustainable competitive advantage, contributing to higher financial performance. However, there is a lack of research on the diverse effects of human capital at different organizational levels and the coordination between executive and employee levels for optimal outcomes. The interplay between human capital and relational capital, which involves the relationships between the organization and its stakeholders, also requires further exploration. The phases of the work can be articulated in a path that can be described as follows: a) analysis of the literature to identify the drivers of value creation; b) administration of the questionnaire to the research department c) Empirical analysis of the validity of traditional methodologies for assessing human capital in the light of the identified KPIs The analysis intends to proceed with the identification of guidelines aimed at identifying processes for determining the cost configurations necessary for the application of cost-based evaluation methods. Subsequently we proceed to the identification of those which are instead based on economic quantities and only subsequently we intend to proceed with the verification of the creation of an empirical methodology with a multiplier calibrated on the drivers of the analysis of the literature and on the basis of the frequency of the answers of the interviewees. The analysis aims to show how the role of analysis in the adaptive structure department as a sample to investigate the role of human capital to understand the value creation path in a high intensive cognitive company.