Something Old, Something New: Reframing the Integration of Social Capital into Strategic HRM Research

Abstract

Relationships drive numerous organizational capabilities. While this is generally acknowledged, many of the most widely used frameworks guiding research and practice in human resource management (HRM) do not explicitly incorporate social capital and social network factors in their designs, despite recognition that relationships are influential. In this paper, we argue for an explicit integration and application of social capital mechanisms in strategic HRM frameworks. We illustrate how a relationship lens can contribute to strategic HRM thinking at the individual level using extensions of the job characteristics model (Hackman & Oldham, 1976), at the group level by enhancing the design of effective workgroups (Campion, Medsker & Higgs, 1993), and at the organizational level by augmenting the HR architecture (Lepak & Snell, 1999). Further, consistent with the emerging co-evolution perspective on micro-foundations of organizational outcomes, we propose that social capital and its development should be considered an input to HRM policies and practices, an element in implementation processes, and an outcome of HR activities. The proposed ideas both fill a gap in current strategic HRM theory and practice and challenge some of the basic assumptions guiding much of the work in this area. Implications for research and practice are discussed.