TEAM DYNAMICS
In Danish work culture,
we deal with a concept called
Social Capital
Social Capital is a fundamental theory that is important to keep in mind when working with people, whether as a leader, middle manager, or aspiring leader.
You can discover more about the theory in the section below.
“Social Capital and Metaperspective”
Social capital is about creating value through employees by fostering value-creating relationships, respectful and effective communication and a constructive feedback culture that ensures everyone takes responsibility for their own communication and relationships. High social capital directly impacts the organization’s ability to achieve positive results on the bottom line.
Approaching collaboration and relationships from a well-being perspective often emphasizes simply enjoying each other's company and taking care of one another, as well as oneself.
However, social capital is about developing the qualities that enable employees to collaboratively work on core tasks (e.g., serving guests) and collectively achieve great results. It’s about “making each other shine.”
High social capital means that we excel at helping each other improve across functions while respecting each other's differences. This allows us to collaborate in the best possible way when engaging with guests.
The 3 Diamonds of Social Capital
In Other Words, the Three Key Concepts: Trust, Fairness, and Collaboration on core tasks.
Three Forms of Social Capital in Organizations
1. Integrative Social Capital:
Refers to the social capital within a department or team. It focuses on how relationships and trust are built and maintained internally within a specific group.
2. Bridging Social Capital:
Refers to the social capital across departments or teams. It emphasizes the connections and relationships that facilitate collaboration and information exchange between different groups within the organization.
3. Connecting Social Capital:
Refers to the social capital between different levels or management layers. It involves the relationships and interactions that bridge the gaps between various hierarchical levels, ensuring effective communication and alignment throughout the organization.
If an organization has low social capital, the work becomes less attractive to employees. This can lead to lower job satisfaction, higher employee turnover, increased absenteeism, and reduced productivity.
It is also important to have social capital across all three dimensions of an organization. High social capital in just one department is not sufficient if there is a lack of effective collaboration across departments, for example. Social capital needs to be present in every dimension to ensure a cohesive and productive work environment.
A Bit About Fairness
Fairness is an individual feeling. As a leader, you can contribute to the sense of fairness experienced within the organization and by each employee by:
Ensuring everyone feels heard and involved
Treating everyone with respect
Handling conflicts constructively
Maintaining transparent processes and decision-making
A Bit About Collaboration
Good collaboration requires:
An appreciative approach
A shared reality
Effective communication across all levels
Working with feedback
Awareness of each other's differences
A Bit About Trust
To build trust as a leader, focus on:
Creating transparency
Delegating responsibility
Being actively listening
Communicating equally
Working on emotional intelligence
To foster a sense of belonging, trust is key. It drives engagement and contributes to a more committed and motivated workforce.
When interacting with others, situations often arise where it becomes evident that we experience things differently. We react in various ways and often end up in different places as a result.
By becoming aware of your own and others' behaviors, you can use effective communication tools to clearly express your desires, assert boundaries, set limits, and handle criticism constructively.
Strengthening collaboration across all levels of the organization enhances social capital. This involves creating value through employees by fostering value-creating relationships, respectful and effective communication, and a constructive feedback culture. It’s about ensuring that everyone takes responsibility for their own communication and relationships.
Focusing on collaboration and relationships from a well-being perspective can easily become about just enjoying each other’s company and looking after one another.
Social capital, on the other hand, is about developing the qualities that enable employees to work together on core tasks (e.g., serving guests) and collectively achieve excellent results. It’s about “making each other shine
High social capital has a direct positive impact on an organization's ability to achieve results on the bottom line.