The Social Capital Imperative
Revealing, Developing, and Leveraging Organizational Networks
Published on 19. August 2025
Book
Hardback
744 pages
978-0-19-775539-6 (ISBN)
Description
Social capital--the resources and goodwill of network contacts--can be activated to enhance employees' performance, leadership effectiveness, careers, and overall organizational functioning. Despite years of research highlighting networks' role in addressing business challenges, organizational solutions still overwhelmingly focus on enhancing individual knowledge and skills or changing formal organizational structures and processes. Shifts in the business environment make adding a social capital lens to the historical human capital lens no longer just 'nice to do' but an imperative. Employees and organizations will benefit from carefully considering network connections and intentional efforts to foster their development and use. By prioritizing intentional connections, organizations can create a virtuous cycle of opportunities and prevent a vicious cycle of overwhelm.
This book guides practitioners in revealing novel insights using network analysis and creating impact by developing and leveraging organizational networks. The opening section provides readers with a strong foundation in network science. The remainder of the book includes review chapters and case studies in strategic application areas. Review chapter authors provide readers with a strong scientific grounding explaining why networks are important for each application area and the likely implications of revealing, developing, and leveraging networks. Case authors provide inspiration and opportunities to learn from their real-life experiences, sharing challenges faced, actions taken, and lessons learned from applying network science within organizations. This book aims to provide clearer links between insights, actions, and outcomes practitioners can expect when revealing, developing, and leveraging organizational networks, demonstrating the powerful perspective that a social capital lens adds.
This book guides practitioners in revealing novel insights using network analysis and creating impact by developing and leveraging organizational networks. The opening section provides readers with a strong foundation in network science. The remainder of the book includes review chapters and case studies in strategic application areas. Review chapter authors provide readers with a strong scientific grounding explaining why networks are important for each application area and the likely implications of revealing, developing, and leveraging networks. Case authors provide inspiration and opportunities to learn from their real-life experiences, sharing challenges faced, actions taken, and lessons learned from applying network science within organizations. This book aims to provide clearer links between insights, actions, and outcomes practitioners can expect when revealing, developing, and leveraging organizational networks, demonstrating the powerful perspective that a social capital lens adds.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 46 mm
Weight
1238 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-775539-6 (9780197755396)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Kristin L. Cullen-Lester | Greg Pryor
The Social Capital Imperative
Revealing, Developing, and Leveraging Organizational Networks
E-Book
03/2025
OUP USA
€64.99
Available for download
Kristin L. Cullen-Lester | Greg Pryor
The Social Capital Imperative
Revealing, Developing, and Leveraging Organizational Networks
E-Book
03/2025
OUP USA
€64.99
Available for download
Persons
Kristin Cullen-Lester is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Mississippi and co-founder of Network Leader. She earned her Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from Auburn University and previously worked as a senior research scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership. Kristin's research examines the impact of professional networks on workplace effectiveness, career success, well-being, and large-scale strategic change. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and published in top academic journals. Kristin has won numerous awards, including the 2021 Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Practice from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Greg Pryor is a talent management leader and co-founder of the Connected Commons, a social network science research community. Greg's HBR article, How to Succeed in a New Role, was selected as one of 2023 ten definitive management ideas. Greg served as Senior
Vice President and People & Performance Evangelist at Workday, where the Great Place to Work Institute recognized him as Innovator of the Year. Greg served as Juniper Networks' Vice President of Talent, Head of Talent Management for Merrill Lynch's Global Technology and Operations function, and was a Partner in Accenture's Human Performance Practice.
Greg Pryor is a talent management leader and co-founder of the Connected Commons, a social network science research community. Greg's HBR article, How to Succeed in a New Role, was selected as one of 2023 ten definitive management ideas. Greg served as Senior
Vice President and People & Performance Evangelist at Workday, where the Great Place to Work Institute recognized him as Innovator of the Year. Greg served as Juniper Networks' Vice President of Talent, Head of Talent Management for Merrill Lynch's Global Technology and Operations function, and was a Partner in Accenture's Human Performance Practice.
Content
Foreword
List of Contributors
Part l Opening
1: Kristin L. Cullen-Lester;Greg Pryor: The Social Capital Imperative
Part II Network Foundations
2: Cecile Emery;Daniel S. Halgin;Zexi (Flavia) Li;Xiwen Zhao: Essential Concepts and Measures in Organizational Network Analysis
3: Scott Hines: Conducting Network Analysis to Deliver Organizational Insights
4: Nicolas Petit: Tips and Traps When Conducting Network Analysis in Practice
Part III Workforce Well-Being
5: Michelle Mahdon;Alexandra Gerbasi: The Influence of Networks on Workers' Well-Being
6: Cody Martin;Michael Hoffman;Clint Kofford: Mitigating Collaboration Overload to Improve Workforce Well-Being at Johnson and Johnson
Part IV Career Management
7: Caitlin M. Porter;Ashley H. Pearson: Networks as a Source of Competitive Career Advantage
8: Donna Chrobot-Mason;Ali O'Malley: Combining Networks and Coaching to Spur Professional Development and Change
9: Deb Zehner;Greg Pryor: Accelerating New Hire Networks
Part V Human Resources
10: Patrick Downes: Advancing Human Resources Practice by Adopting a Social Network Perspective
11: Phil Willburn;Curtis Hampton: How Workday Scaled and Sustained a Culture of Connection
12: Andras Vicsek: Bridging Cultures Through Influencers in Postacquisition Integration
Part VI Creativity and Innovation
13: Travis J. Grosser;Ziyue Cui: Network Drivers of Employee Innovation
14: Michael Arena: Strategies for Creating Adaptive Space to Support Innovation at General Motors
Part VII Teams and Team Systems
15: Cynthia Maupin;Semin Park: Managing Internal and External Networks for Team Effectiveness
16: Victor Bilgen;Chris Gideon;Neha Parikh Shah: Strategically Building Network Connections Across Geographic Markets to Improve Sales Agility and Enhance Organizational Growth
17: Lauren Blackwell Landon: Emergency Response Coordination in Space
PART VIII Knowledge Sharing
18: Andrew Parker;Julia Brennecke: Knowledge Networks in Organizations
19: Katelyn Cavanaugh;Eric Middleton;Matthew Berkheiser: Removing Knowledge-Sharing Barriers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
PART IX Organizational Change and Transformation
20: James M. Vardaman;Feigu Zhou: Social Networks and Organizational Change Implementation
21: Hemerson Paes: How Roche Pharma International Unlocked Cross-Boundary Collaboration at Scale
22: Theresa Floyd;Giuseppe (Joe) Labianca;Brad Patrick: Crowdsourcing Organizational Structure Through Social Network Analysis
Part X Leadership Effectiveness
23: Caton Weinberger;Laura Bauer;Dorothy Carter: The Role of Networks in Leadership Effectiveness
24: Michael Campbell: Designing the Science of Networks into Leadership Development at Workday
Part XI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
25: Juan Du;Meredith Woehler;Kristin L. Cullen-Lester: Engaging Employee Networks to Promote Workforce Diversity and Inclusion
26: Patrick Decker-Tonnesen;Deb Zehner;Anjali Bhagra: Mayo Clinic's Exploration of Barriers to Women in Leadership
Part XII Closing
27: Greg Pryor;Kristin L. Cullen-Lester: How to Reveal, Develop, and Leverage Networks for Greater Impact
Index
List of Contributors
Part l Opening
1: Kristin L. Cullen-Lester;Greg Pryor: The Social Capital Imperative
Part II Network Foundations
2: Cecile Emery;Daniel S. Halgin;Zexi (Flavia) Li;Xiwen Zhao: Essential Concepts and Measures in Organizational Network Analysis
3: Scott Hines: Conducting Network Analysis to Deliver Organizational Insights
4: Nicolas Petit: Tips and Traps When Conducting Network Analysis in Practice
Part III Workforce Well-Being
5: Michelle Mahdon;Alexandra Gerbasi: The Influence of Networks on Workers' Well-Being
6: Cody Martin;Michael Hoffman;Clint Kofford: Mitigating Collaboration Overload to Improve Workforce Well-Being at Johnson and Johnson
Part IV Career Management
7: Caitlin M. Porter;Ashley H. Pearson: Networks as a Source of Competitive Career Advantage
8: Donna Chrobot-Mason;Ali O'Malley: Combining Networks and Coaching to Spur Professional Development and Change
9: Deb Zehner;Greg Pryor: Accelerating New Hire Networks
Part V Human Resources
10: Patrick Downes: Advancing Human Resources Practice by Adopting a Social Network Perspective
11: Phil Willburn;Curtis Hampton: How Workday Scaled and Sustained a Culture of Connection
12: Andras Vicsek: Bridging Cultures Through Influencers in Postacquisition Integration
Part VI Creativity and Innovation
13: Travis J. Grosser;Ziyue Cui: Network Drivers of Employee Innovation
14: Michael Arena: Strategies for Creating Adaptive Space to Support Innovation at General Motors
Part VII Teams and Team Systems
15: Cynthia Maupin;Semin Park: Managing Internal and External Networks for Team Effectiveness
16: Victor Bilgen;Chris Gideon;Neha Parikh Shah: Strategically Building Network Connections Across Geographic Markets to Improve Sales Agility and Enhance Organizational Growth
17: Lauren Blackwell Landon: Emergency Response Coordination in Space
PART VIII Knowledge Sharing
18: Andrew Parker;Julia Brennecke: Knowledge Networks in Organizations
19: Katelyn Cavanaugh;Eric Middleton;Matthew Berkheiser: Removing Knowledge-Sharing Barriers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
PART IX Organizational Change and Transformation
20: James M. Vardaman;Feigu Zhou: Social Networks and Organizational Change Implementation
21: Hemerson Paes: How Roche Pharma International Unlocked Cross-Boundary Collaboration at Scale
22: Theresa Floyd;Giuseppe (Joe) Labianca;Brad Patrick: Crowdsourcing Organizational Structure Through Social Network Analysis
Part X Leadership Effectiveness
23: Caton Weinberger;Laura Bauer;Dorothy Carter: The Role of Networks in Leadership Effectiveness
24: Michael Campbell: Designing the Science of Networks into Leadership Development at Workday
Part XI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
25: Juan Du;Meredith Woehler;Kristin L. Cullen-Lester: Engaging Employee Networks to Promote Workforce Diversity and Inclusion
26: Patrick Decker-Tonnesen;Deb Zehner;Anjali Bhagra: Mayo Clinic's Exploration of Barriers to Women in Leadership
Part XII Closing
27: Greg Pryor;Kristin L. Cullen-Lester: How to Reveal, Develop, and Leverage Networks for Greater Impact
Index