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The aim of the paper is to explore the requirements of knowledge‐based management in the regional development network of the Tampere region in Finland.

The requirements of knowledge‐based management are analysed on the basis of the perceptions of the regional developers interviewed (n=13) and by using the extended SECI model and intellectual capital framework as analytical tools.

Different regions benefit from different knowledge‐based management activities according to their performance in the cycle of the extended SECI model and the intellectual capital available among the regional developers. When the knowledge‐based management requirements of a regional development network are identified by applying these two frameworks, more appropriate investments (e.g. for ICT infrastructure) and development activities can be made.

The perspectives of knowledge creation (i.e. the extended SECI model) and intellectual capital provide one approach for evaluating the call for knowledge‐based management of regional development. Other perspectives are also expected to be valuable as the understanding of regional knowledge‐based management in different contexts is enhanced.

The study contributes by proposing and applying a method for evaluating the requirements of regional knowledge‐based management.

National intellectual capital (IC) measurement models produced by academics provide potentially valuable information for policy making. However, there is a lack of research explaining how policy makers actually deal with issues related to national IC. The purpose of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of national IC from the perspective of policy makers. The aim is to understand how they perceive the concept of national IC and how it manifests in the actual work processes they perform.

The empirical data comprise interviews from eight ministry officials representing six ministries in Finland. These ministries are expected to be the main potential users of national IC information.

The findings show that the policy makers are not familiar with the concept of national IC. However, the elements of national IC (e.g. competence level, national brand) are easily identified and highly valued. The information the policy makers have on the different elements of national IC is obtained from various sources and there is no specific national IC measurement model in use.

The results of the study contribute to the research stream of measuring national IC by taking into account the information users’ perspective. This could help researchers in the further development and implementation of the models.

There appears to be a significant disconnection between the academics producing novel solutions to measure national IC and the practitioners dealing with national IC‐related development initiatives. This paper produces new knowledge for bridging that gap.

The paper aims to evaluate the knowledge-based urban development (KBUD) dynamics of a rapidly emerging knowledge city-region, Tampere region, Finland.

The paper empirically investigates Tampere region’s development achievements and progress from the knowledge perspective.

The research, through qualitative and quantitative analyses, reveals the regional development strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Tampere region.

The paper provides useful suggestions based on the lessons learned from the Tampere case investigation that could shed light on the KBUD journey of city-regions.

This introduction paper to the special issue on “The twenty‐first century knowledge‐based value drivers of innovation and sustainable development” aims to focus on such relationships between knowledge, learning, capabilities, innovation and competitive advantage in different forms of organization: businesses, clusters and regions. The purpose is to point out the conceptual pillars and contribute to the ongoing debate on: how knowledge assets impact organizational performance, what are the characteristics of such value‐generating processes, what factors affect the process of building organizational capabilities and distinctive competences, and how organizations translate specific capabilities into sustainable competitive advantages.

The article is based on a thorough analysis of the management literature addressing the nature, role and relevance of knowledge, organizational capabilities, learning and knowledge management for organization competitiveness. The conceptual background sets the foundations for a better understanding of the strategic importance of knowledge‐based value drivers for innovation and sustainable organizational value creation.

As knowledge management is establishing itself as a research discipline, it is fundamental to define the conceptual pillars grounding the application of knowledge management initiatives for innovation and business performance improvements. This paper provides a framework summarizing the key assumptions at the basis of understanding the strategic relevance of knowledge‐based value drivers for growth and competitiveness.

In addressing some of the questions posed, this article provides some implications for future research that build on different perspectives and emphasize the importance of adopting multi‐disciplinary approaches to disentangle the complexities of how organizations convert knowledge resources to a long‐lasting competitive advantage.

This editorial presents the key conceptual pillars explicating the role of knowledge resources as building blocks of organizational capabilities and how firms can develop and maintain their competences by promoting and nurturing learning processes. The value of this paper is the definition of a conceptual framework outlining the relationships between knowledge management, organizational capabilities, organizational learning and competitiveness.