A Multilevel Model of Group Social Capital

A Multilevel Model of Group Social Capital
Author(s): Labianca, Giuseppe and Oh, Hongseok and Chung, Myung-Ho
Year: 2005
Paper Number: GBS-OM-2005-002
Goizueta Department: Organization and Management

Abstract

We introduce the concept of group social capital, which is the set of resources made available to a group through group members' social relationships within the social structure of the group itself, as well as in the broader formal and informal structure of the organization. We argue that greater group social capital resources lead to greater group effectiveness. We propose that there are many different conduits through which group social capital resources flow: intra-group closure relationships, as well as bridging relationships that span vertical and horizontal intra- and inter-group boundaries. We present a multilevel, multidimensional model that argues that an optimal balance of all of these varied conduits maximizes group social capital resources and, ultimately, group effectiveness.