This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Social Capital In Organizations – Beyond Structure And Metaphor

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Waldstrøm, Christian () (Department of Organisation and Management, Aarhus School of Business)
Abstract

The importance and usefulness of social capital as a concept in the study of organizations have been established by a large body of research. The aim of this paper is to review the concept of social capital in an organizational context, and it identifies five main issues that need to be addressed in future research before social capital can move definitively beyond being merely metaphor for advantage. First, the unresolved issue of causality is a barrier in the study of social structure and social capital alike, and hampers both measuring scales and implications drawn from empirical research. Secondly, it is necessary to determine whether social capital can or should be measured. Thirdly, the negative aspects of social capital should be explored and integrated into the existing research. Fourthly, the field between social capital of the individual and organizational social capital

lacks a consistent, bridging theory. Finally, there is a lack of understanding on how social capital develops over time and the potential benefits of taking a life-cycle view of social capital. In conclusion, the field of social capital in organizations still needs a consistent and coordinated research effort in each of the mentioned areas – separately and concurrently - in order to move beyond structure and metaphor.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.hba.dk/fsk/pdfs/0003146.pdf
Our checks indicate that this address may not be valid because: 404 Not Found. If this is indeed the case, please notify (Helle Vinbaek Stenholt)
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Management in its series Working Papers with number 2003-7.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 30 pages
Date of creation: 01 Jul 2003
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:hhb:aardom:2003_007

Contact details of provider:
Postal: The Aarhus School of Business, Fuglesangs Allé 4, DK-8210 Aarhus V, Denmark
Phone: +45 89 48 66 88
Fax: + 45 86 15 01 88
Web page: http://www.asb.dk/about/departments/man.aspx
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Helle Vinbaek Stenholt).

Related research
Keywords: Social capital; review; social liability; causality; organizations;

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. John F. Helliwell & Robert D. Putnam, 1995. "Economic Growth and Social Capital in Italy," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 21(3), pages 295-307, Summer. [Downloadable!]
  2. Gabbay, Shaul M. & Leenders, Roger Th.A.J., 2002. "Social capital of organizations : from social structure to the management of corporate social capital," Research Report 02B05, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management). [Downloadable!]
  3. Lederman, Daniel & Loayza, Norman & Menendez, Ana Maria, 2002. "Violent Crime: Does Social Capital Matter?," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 50(3), pages 509-39, April.
  4. Turner, Marlene E. & Pratkanis, Anthony R., 1998. "Twenty-Five Years of Groupthink Theory and Research: Lessons from the Evaluation of a Theory," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 73(2-3), pages 105-115, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? All RePEc services are meant to be be free forever, as they are all run by volunteers.

This page was last updated on 2009-12-1.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.