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What is social capital?

Michael Feder

Written by Michael Feder

Kathryn Uhles

Reviewed by听Kathryn Uhles, MIS, MSP,听Dean, College of Business and IT

A group of young professionals discuss social capital

Building social capital is about more than being popular. It's when a person connects to other professionals in their field of interest and develops social ties. This can be through a mutual exchange of information and opportunities. It can also be through career advice, mentoring, or coaching in career development.

Why is social capital important?

Social capital can be built through one-on-one interactions, social relationships, and even group activities. The latter might involve a shared experience, such as going out for a happy hour or attending a company event. It can also be an individual pursuit, like taking a career development course.

Learning how to build social capital can be difficult for many people, particularly introverted or younger people who haven鈥檛 been in the working world very long. There are, however, some simple ways to build various types of social capital that will encourage career growth down the road.

Social capital can be categorized in three ways:

Bonding听鈥 This is usually found between members of a tight social group, hence their social bond. As research says, "Bonding social capital is often associated with local communities where many people know many other people in the group (network closure). Bonding social capital is often associated with strong norms, mores, and trust which can have both positive and negative manifestations and implications for social exclusion."

Bridging 鈥撎Many types of social capital are found between people who are not part of the same general circles. For instance, someone may hang out with co-workers and also with friends who live in the same city but aren鈥檛 part of the same industry. Each is technically connected to other people within the group. Visualize these connections like a bridge, where one connection might lead to a new one.

Linking 鈥撎Although this is similar to bridging social capital, it differs in one key way. Linking is a network of relationships across formal, institutional or explicit connections. For example, an elected official might have ties to the local community. They may also have deep roots in education, activism, or the entrepreneurial world.

If someone has professional social capital with another person, they may be able to ask them to "put in a good word" with their employer. Or if they are traveling to a foreign country and have social capital with someone who lives there, they may provide the traveler with a personalized list of hotel and restaurant recommendations. Or if they have听an even higher level of social capital, or "cache" with that person, they may agree to play tour guide.

How can relationships enhance career development?

With enough social capital, you might be able to:

  • Apply for a new job
  • Pursue new opportunities at your current job (think job shadowing or joining an employee resource group)
  • Transition into a new career
  • Identify a mentor for advice and guidance to develop new skills and knowledge
  • Collaborate on a work project with co-workers or other professionals in your field
  • Gain exposure to career development opportunities others in your network might discover

Not all relationships with fellow workers offer the same value, especially in an organization with hierarchical relationships and status differences that affect access. Status provides authority, which is social capital that has value. For example, someone in the C-Suite can better connect with a wider range of people than an entry-level employee.听 senior executive is likely to have more immediate access to individuals throughout the company than a floor manager.

In addition, individuals from underrepresented communities and first-generation graduates are more likely to have听limited social capital听as it relates to providing access to career development opportunities.

Social capital can really benefit overall career development. However, like any other advantage, it鈥檚 only useful if you know how to leverage it.听

How to build social capital

Here are several easy ways to build social capital:

  • Join professional organizations听in the field or a career of interest. Alumni organizations, for example, offer opportunities to connect with others in the same field of interest. Benefits of such organizations may include activities for leadership development, mentorship, interview coaching, and resum茅 writing.
  • Join LinkedIn groups听and start or actively engage in conversation by asking for help.
  • Find events听you to attend that challenge growth and understanding of the world. Some will be available nearby. Plenty of others will be online through virtual event companies and ticketing agencies. While there, make sure to connect with speakers and attendees and follow up with them either via email or a personalized message on LinkedIn.
  • Build a network听while understanding the importance of sharing knowledge, expertise, and diverse experiences. Continued learning is crucial in today鈥檚 working environment. Information and technology constantly evolve.
  • Be authentic听with people. When building a network, it鈥檚 crucial to be intentional and genuine when connecting with other professionals. As far as career development, invest time in developing meaningful relationships that benefit from a diverse network.

Improve your social capital with a focus on your career

Are you interested in improving your social capital to launch a new career, enhance your current one, or just improve your professional life in general? Building social capital isn鈥檛 the only way to achieve your goals.听Career coaching听may offer real benefits as well. 果冻视频 offers Career Services for Life庐 for current students and graduates of our degree programs.

Watch听.

The Framework | Social Capital 101: Building Strong Relationships for Success


0:00 if you're somebody who works hard at 0:01 their job has plenty of experience and a 0:04 shiny degree but keeps getting looked 0:06 over for promotions and pay raises then 0:08 what you're missing might be social 0:11 capital what's social capital and how 0:13 can you use it to grow in your career 0:16 well that's what this video is all about 0:18 I'm Dr George love I've been managing 0:20 and leading people and organizations for 0:22 over two decades I help working adult 0:25 students to enhance their career 0:26 prospects and strategies by using the 0:29 wealth of research out there on topics 0:30 such as management leadership and 0:33 organizational behavior one thing I've 0:35 learned is that your hard work won't 0:37 matter to the movers and decision makers 0:39 in your company unless you make it 0:41 matter and how you make it matter is 0:44 social 0:46 [Music] 0:47 capital okay so let's talk about what 0:50 social capital is and why it's important 0:54 here's something I learned in my first 0:56 ever graduate course in business 0:58 performance doesn't necess necessarily 1:00 mean promotion in fact average workers 1:03 who spend their time networking and 1:06 getting to know their co-workers can see 1:08 promotion opportunities more frequently 1:11 than the hardest working employees who 1:13 don't do this kind of networking that 1:16 networking produces Social Capital which 1:19 can be defined simply as the benefits 1:22 and resources that a person can draw 1:25 from The Social Network so how can you 1:28 begin to develop your social capital 1:29 capit to achieve your goals First Step 1:33 develop your social network and learn to 1:35 influence others if you're going to 1:37 develop Social Capital you will need 1:39 that social network a classic article on 1:42 those social networks is the piece that 1:44 I have included in the description and 1:45 titled competent jerks lovable fools and 1:49 the formation of social networks in the 1:52 piece the researchers argue that even if 1:54 you were only marginally competent if 1:55 you were likable people tend to want to 1:58 work with you over someone was highly 2:00 competent but hard to be around what 2:02 they call the jerk what that said to me 2:05 was that I needed to make sure that I 2:07 understood how to make a good impression 2:09 and be likable the main thing is to find 2:11 time and opportunities to talk to your 2:14 co-workers that can mean stopping by 2:16 somebody's desk or finding time in your 2:19 schedule to grab lunch when you're in a 2:21 meeting with others make sure to talk 2:23 about more than just business and 2:26 express genuine interest in their 2:28 interest and hobbies outside of work try 2:31 to find people outside of your 2:33 department to have those meetings with 2:35 too in short Don't Be a 2:38 Jerk step two organizational citizenship 2:41 behavior and generating Social Capital 2:44 you're working on step one and expanding 2:46 your social network what next well as 2:50 you get to know more people throughout 2:52 your organization you should identify 2:54 opportunities above and beyond your 2:57 defined duties to help improve your 2:59 organization 3:00 this is what is called organizational 3:03 citizenship Behavior or OCB engaging in 3:06 OCB can mean a load of different things 3:09 it can mean helping to organize a team 3:11 building day or an afterwork social 3:13 event it can mean getting a card for a 3:16 coworker when they're sick and getting 3:17 others to sign it simply cleaning up 3:20 after yourself instead of waiting for 3:21 someone else to do it can be an active 3:24 organizational citizenship actions like 3:27 these can help you develop social 3:29 capital as you start to positively 3:31 impact the organization and the people 3:33 in it the next question is what do you 3:36 do with this social capital you are 3:38 accumulating step three power and the 3:41 wise use of social capital for quite a 3:44 number of years now when I have been 3:46 discussing Social Capital with my 3:47 students I know that developing it is 3:50 one thing but using it to get things 3:52 done in your organization is another as 3:55 you are helping out others you can draw 3:57 on your relationships to ask those in 4:00 your social network for help when you 4:02 need to get something done whether it be 4:04 more resources for a project or 4:07 opportunities for promotion there are 4:09 important things to consider when using 4:11 your Social Capital getting that project 4:13 you want to proove for example might 4:15 mean someone else's does not you getting 4:18 that promotion May mean someone else 4:20 doesn't get it so use your Social 4:22 Capital but make sure that how you use 4:25 it doesn't make you come off as a jerk 4:28 if you remember anything from from this 4:30 video remember this it is good to work 4:32 hard but just working hard in and of 4:34 itself is not the best way to advance in 4:37 your organization you're going to have 4:38 to polish your people skills actively 4:40 Network and make ongoing Connections in 4:43 your organization at the same time you 4:45 need to identify ways to go beyond your 4:47 defined role look for ways to add value 4:50 to your organization through the use of 4:52 OCB especially when it comes to helping 4:54 others in your personal Network finally 4:57 you then need to take the social capital 4:59 to influence others so that you can get 5:01 things done that build your personal 5:03 brand and reputation that way you could 5:06 Advance into a formal leader in your 5:08 organization how does that sound do you 5:10 have any tips or tricks to developing 5:12 your networking in the workplace sound 5:14 off in the comments and make sure to 5:15 subscribe for more videos on topics 5:18 ranging from business skills to learning 5:20 tips
Headshot of Michael Feder

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and its Writing Seminars program and winner of the Stephen A. Dixon Literary Prize, Michael Feder brings an eye for detail and a passion for research to every article he writes. His academic and professional background includes experience in marketing, content development, script writing and SEO. Today, he works as a multimedia specialist at 果冻视频 where he covers a variety of topics ranging from healthcare to IT.

Headshot of Kathryn Uhles

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Currently Dean of the College of Business and Information Technology,听Kathryn Uhles has served 果冻视频 in a variety of roles since 2006. Prior to joining 果冻视频, Kathryn taught fifth grade to underprivileged youth in Phoenix.

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