Social capital and political bias in knowledge sharing: An exploratory study

The benefits of social capital for the sharing of knowledge are frequently emphasized in the literature. However, a few authors have also begun to draw our attention towards the drawbacks of social capital for the working of organizations. In particular, instrumental social capital - as opposed to c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human relations (New York) 2006-10, Vol.59 (10), p.1343-1370
Main Authors: Willem, Annick, Scarbrough, Harry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Cooperation
Group dynamics
Influence
Information sharing
Knowledge sharing
Networks
Organization theory
Politics
Power relations
Qualitative research
Social capital
Social exclusion
Social integration. Social relations. Social participation
Social networks
Social organization. Social system. Social structure
Social relations
Sociology
Sociology of work
Sociology of work and sociology of organizations
Trust
Work organization. Working relations
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Summary:The benefits of social capital for the sharing of knowledge are frequently emphasized in the literature. However, a few authors have also begun to draw our attention towards the drawbacks of social capital for the working of organizations. In particular, instrumental social capital - as opposed to consummatory social capital - is seen as linked to power relations, which can inhibit the sharing of knowledge. To contribute to this debate on the role of social capital, we carried out a qualitative study in two Belgian companies. Our findings reveal that social capital generally tends to enhance the sharing of knowledge but that in its instrumental form it reflects opportunistic and political objectives, and promotes a highly selective form of knowledge sharing.
ISSN:0018-7267
1741-282X
DOI:10.1177/0018726706071527