A Multilevel Model of Group Social Capital

Abstract

We introduce the concept of group social capital—the set of resources made available to a group through members' social relationships within the social structure of the group and in the broader formal and informal structure of the organization. We argue that greater group social capital resources lead to greater group effectiveness and that there are many different conduits through which group social capital resources flow. We present a multilevel, multidimensional model arguing that an optimal balance of all these conduits maximizes group social capital resources and group effectiveness.