Managing Social Capital and Diversity for Performance in Public Organizations

Abstract

Managers concerned with the performance of their organizations will exploit available social, administrative, and human capital resources. However, extant theory and mixed empirical evidence leave the effect of social capital on performance unclear. The gains from these norms of reciprocity, participation, networking, and trust may disproportionately benefit only some of their clients, leading to disparities in outcomes among diverse clienteles. We argue that in such contexts, management will put in place policies to counter these disparities. Indeed, our empirical evidence from the management of public education supports the expectation that an institutional commitment to diversity successfully mitigates the uneven effects of social capital on organizational performance. This finding carries important implications for public management and equity in public policy outcomes and may be of particular relevance to management of outcomes relying on co‐production.

How can network leaders promote public value through soft metagovernance?

“…This article makes an original contribution by exploring the opportunities and challenges of employing soft metagovernance to promote public value in governance networks. It provides new insights into how public value is (de)constructed as a consequence of soft metagovernance in multi‐agency settings as leaders seek to exploit ‘social capital resources’ (Compton and Meijer ). A number of critical observations are made.…”

“…Some of these tangible returns from employing soft metagovernance were shared at the staff focus group. Social bonds and capital were recognized as pivotal to making things happen formally (Compton and Meijer ) and creating public value. Nonetheless, Bristol£ staff suggested that soft metagovernance is most often used at an individual level and is largely ad hoc in its application.…”

How social capital shapes citizen willingness to co‐invest in public service: The case of flood control

“…In social science, social capital is widely viewed as an important cause of public spiritedness, political participation, government responsiveness and economic development (McDonough et al ; Seligson ; Gibson ; Knack ). The importance of social capital has received increasing attention from public administration scholars and practitioners in recent years, since social capital determines the nature and intensity of interactions between citizens in a community and powerfully influences the performance of public organizations (Brewer ; Andrews and Brewer ; Piatak ; Williamson and Bond ; Compton and Meier ).…”

Theory to Practice: Policy Recommendations for Fostering Economic Development through Social Capital

“…Social capital as a concept has been used in a wide range of public administration research. This ranges from Compton and Meier's (2016) use of an index of survey items including trust, PTA involvement, and self-reported civic participation to demonstrate a relationship between social capital and diversity management practices in public schools, to the use of social network analysis to explore the management of effective forest planning (Paletto, Hamunen, and De Meo 2015). It is a powerful tool to foster economic development and overcome collective action problems.…”