By means of a review of the entrepreneurial importance of intellectual capital, this article analyzes how it is applied for the Spanish company Irizar, helping it to overcome the productive crisis. In this context, we attempt to validate three premises about the generation of knowledge, which let us understand how a company can overcome critical moments: 1) it should motivate creativity and decision-making processes among its workers (labour autonomy); 2) it must develop human resource practices in an environment and culture that strengthen the transmission of knowledge; and 3) it must maintain a high level of commitment in the workforce.