Social Capital: An Introduction to Managing Networks

Social network analysis was, until recently, a relatively unknown branch of sociology and anthropology. The development of menu-driven computer software packages has opened up access for a wide range of audiences, including business and human resource managers. Yet, the tools themselves are of little value without an understanding of the concepts that can relate the computed measures to relevant applications. Social capital provides a framework for relating the abstract world of graph theory, which underlies network analysis, to the concrete world of human behavior. This book teaches how to understand and manage social capital to facilitate individual and organizational learning and goal attainment. Coverage includes both orchestrating relationships of others and navigating one's own social interactions. Written at an introductory level and accessible to those without background in network analysis or graph theory, this text combines both comprehensive analysis and concrete concepts to emphasize how critical a role social capital's applications play on the foundations of business as we know it today. A reference book for practice and academia, this book will appeal to graduate and undergraduate students of business, business executives and all those concerned with cultivating and refining an understanding of social capital.