Measuring the Propensity for Building Social Capital Depending on Ties-Strength

Abstract

Purpose: This paper is addressing the question what personal characteristics help a leader to build social capital. The purpose is to present the development of a questionnaire to measure leaders' propensity for building social capital, depending on the perceived strength of bonds; it is also aimed at presenting the preliminary results of intercultural studies.Design/methodology/approach: This paper starts with a review of the theory on social capital and Granovetter's concept of the "strength of weak ties." Next the process of the development of the related questionnaire is presented. Findings:The developed questionnaire is a universal and reliable tool that can be used to study various social problems in different populations. The preliminary results of the questionnaire from 10 European countries suggest that the more distant the relationship is perceived the lower is the level of trust and sense of support. Moreover, data suggest that socio-economic organizations as well as those which are longer on the market obtained the highest results on the questionnaire's scales. Social implications:In conclusion possible applications are discussed, including measuring the dynamics of change in individuals' preparedness to build social capital, depending on the social or political context, for example, the presumable "openness" during peaceful social activities or movements.Originality/value: Social capital is commonly seen as a positive value, both in its individual and group dimensions, and several tools exist for measuring both. However, there seems to be a void and a need for a questionnaire measuring individual's propensity to develop social capital.

Peace-oriented mindset and how to measure it

“…Conflict prevention: Action to prevent disputes from arising between the parties involved, to prevent existing disputes from escalating into conflicts, and to limit the spread of the latter when they occur ( Reychler, 2017 ; Reychler & Langer, 2020 ). especially in the area of intractable conflicts, require a specific psychology, namely, developing trust and cooperation (i.e., social capital; see: Coleman, 2000 ; Fukuyama, 1996 ; Putnam, 1993 ); indeed, some people have the propensity for building social capital ( Zabłocka et al, 2016 ). Similarly, conflict prevention requires specific sensitivity for detecting lurking conflicts and empathy in order to preclude their outbreak.…”

“…indeed, some people have the propensity for building social capital (Zabłocka et al, 2016). Similarly, conflict prevention requires specific sensitivity for detecting lurking conflicts and empathy in order to preclude their outbreak.…”

Peace-Oriented Mindset

“…Peacebuilding (as defined above) in the area of intractable conflicts requires a specific psychology, namely, developing trust and cooperation (i.e., social capital; see : Coleman 2000;Fukuyama 1996;Putnam 1993); indeed, some people have the propensity for building social capital (Zabłocka et al 2016). Similarly, conflict prevention requires specific sensitivity for detecting lurking conflicts and empathy in order to preclude their outbreak.…”

How Much Do Leaders Seek to Be Influenced? The Concept of Social Influence in Reverse in Reverse

“…Such leader-member exchanges can positively influence overall satisfaction, commitment, role clarity and member competence and decrease turnover (Gerstne and day, 1997). Moreover, creating individual networks of support helps build social capital and empower bottom-up initiatives, both in the social sector (Praszkier and Nowak, 2012;Zabłocka and Praszkier, 2012;Zabłocka et al, 2016), as well as in business (Praszkier, 2017). Nowak et al (2015) propose a different approach to social influence, looking from the perspective of the influenced.…”