Human Capital Resources Emergence Theory: The Role of Social Capital

Abstract

The value of human capital resources (HCR) is widely recognized, but relatively little is known about their creation. Research conceptualizes HCR emergence as enabled through shared states which form in response to environmental conditions. Although this view implies that social interactions play a role in creating HCR, theory currently fails to clarify how social interactions act as key facilitators of the emergence process. This limitation persists partly because the structure and content of the social interactions are unaccounted for, making it impossible to fully understand and predict when HCR will be generated through the HCR emergence process. To address this deficiency, we draw from social capital literature, which provides a rich view of the structure and content of social interactions, to develop HCR emergence theory. This theory brings needed precision to theoretical perspectives on HCR emergence by proposing how unique features of social interactions influence the creation of HCR through the emergence process.