Social capital, a theory for operations management: a systematic review of the evidence
Year: 2011
Type: review
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: As Pfeffer (1993 Pfeffer, J. 1993. Barriers to the advance of organizational science: paradigm development as a dependable variable. Academy of Management Review, 18(4): 599–620. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) states that until agreement is reached on a subject, progress may be slow. This paper converges the discussions on social capital in the operations management literature by way of a systematic literature review of 3- and 4-star journals. Human resource management, voluntary work and entrepreneurship were identified as minor themes within the review and thus potentially underexplored areas. Quality management, project management and new product development show significant use of social capital and particularly the role of social capital in the intrafirm environment. Finally, supply chain management shows the most significant use of social capital, particularly in explaining the characteristics of buyer–supplier relationships and how these impact inter-firm performance. Areas of future research are presented that draw on all forms of social capital to explore how they may be affect by contextual factors. The paper concludes by proposing a conceptual model of social capital for use within operations management.
Authors: Rupert L. Matthews, Peter E. Marzec
Institution: University of Nottingham
Language: English
Subfield: Management Information Systems
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1971201355