Knowledge Market System for Valuing Intangible Assets

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Solution Overview

Problem

Businesses face challenges in managing and valuing knowledge assets due to the intangible nature of knowledge, leading to ineffective inventory systems and a lack of incentives for employees to capture and leverage knowledge, resulting in repeated efforts and missed benefits.

Innovation Solution

A knowledge market system is created with a knowledge base that assigns strike values to assets, computes earned values based on usage, and provides accounts that balance credits for adding new knowledge and debits for using existing knowledge, encouraging participation through incentives.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If businesses use conventional knowledge bases focusing on small subsets of knowledge, then the system is simple to manage, but the coverage of knowledge assets is limited and businesses repeat what they already know

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveknowledge base management complexityVSAvoidknowledge asset coverage
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The knowledge base is segmented into multiple knowledge accounts, each representing a distinct knowledge asset or category. This allows the system to manage diverse knowledge assets (customer lists, patent portfolios, technical knowledge, etc.) separately while maintaining an overall unified structure, thereby increasing coverage without excessive complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a financial/accounting dimension to knowledge management by assigning strike values and tracking earned values. This transforms intangible knowledge assets into measurable, valuatable items with balances that can be tracked over time, enabling comprehensive coverage of knowledge assets while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized valuation metrics

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Productivity

If businesses do not implement incentive structures for knowledge capture, then employees are not motivated to share knowledge, but implementing incentives increases system complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveknowledge capture and sharingVSAvoidincentive system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides continuous feedback to employees through knowledge accounts that track strike values (initial valuation) and earned values (usage-based accumulation). Employees see tangible results of their knowledge sharing through balance updates, creating a feedback loop that motivates continued contribution without requiring complex incentive administration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The incentive system is designed to be self-managing through automated tracking of knowledge usage and balance updates. The system automatically calculates earned values based on usage data and updates knowledge account balances without requiring manual intervention or complex administrative processes, thereby motivating employees while minimizing system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Measurement precision

If businesses do not track the value of knowledge assets, then they cannot measure growth or return on knowledge assets, but implementing tracking systems increases complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveknowledge asset value measurementVSAvoidvaluation system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system transforms the measurement of knowledge assets by introducing standardized parameters: strike values for initial valuation and earned values for usage-based measurement. These parameter changes enable precise measurement of knowledge asset value and growth without requiring complex analytical systems, as the tracking is based on straightforward arithmetic operations on assigned values

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces knowledge accounts as intermediary structures that mediate between raw knowledge data and valuable metrics. These accounts automatically aggregate and calculate strike values, earned values, and balances, providing precise measurement of knowledge asset performance without requiring complex direct measurement systems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Productivity

If employees are not aware of the costs and benefits of sharing knowledge, then knowledge sharing is insufficient, but educating employees increases time consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveknowledge sharing behaviorVSAvoidemployee education time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides immediate, tangible feedback to employees through visible knowledge account balances that update in real-time based on knowledge sharing and usage. This continuous feedback makes the benefits of knowledge sharing transparent and immediate, reducing the need for extensive education while driving improved sharing behavior

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces complex educational campaigns with an automated economic incentive system. Instead of spending time educating employees about knowledge sharing benefits, the system automatically enforces incentives through strike values, earned values, and balance tracking, substituting mechanical education processes with automated economic signaling

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS7792718B2Method of using market techniques to incentivise and value knowledge building
Publication Date: 2010.09.07 SERVICENOW INC
  • US7792718B2 patent drawing
  • US7792718B2 patent drawing
  • US7792718B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method for operating a knowledge market is disclosed. The method for operating the knowledge market includes creating a knowledge base with a plurality of knowledge assets. A strike value is assigned to each of the knowledge assets. An earned value is calculated for each of the knowledge assets based on the corresponding usage of the knowledge asset.