In today’s economy, it seems we’re all being asked to do more with fewer resources. And that requires even greater cooperation, goodwill and support from our fellow coworkers in order to get things done. More than ever, we’re being challenged to, well, basically get along.
As a clinician, I’ve long been attracted to counseling psychology with its emphasis on lifelong growth and development. I appreciate the premise and acknowledgement that we are all “works in progress.” More and more these days, I notice that my coworkers are getting younger and younger. I 
guess that means I’ve had a longer time to be a “work in progress,” and I should hope that with each passing decade my development has moved me in a favorable direction from where I started. Getting along, for me, means being more willing to allow others their time on their development journey and not be so quick to judge. And perhaps in today’s challenging workplace, being slower to judge our coworkers may serve us all well as we pull together to get things done.
Yet, I know that partnering effectively with coworkers requires more of us than holding off on making snap judgments. And, while I don’t have any quick, two-minute fixes or breakthrough techniques to offer, there is some very interesting research underway that could inform our workplace relationships. This wave of international research, including studies at the University of Minnesota, focuses on something called “social capital.” Social capital researchers have enthusiastically responded to ideas advanced by Robert Putnam and others. In Better Together: Restoring the American Community, Putnam offers “social capital” as a remedy for the decline of social adhesion in our communities and organizations.
Social capital can be defined as the collective value of networks and shared group values that drive cooperation. The good news is that in the workplace, we are naturally provided with contacts that allow for the building of social capital. Working together in an organized group also typically provides a mission or common purpose that helps build social bonds. Our social capital is a tremendous asset that helps us tackle problems and support each other in our group efforts. Indeed, organizations with higher levels of social capital benefit from better quality of life.
I remember hearing that others may not remember what you did or said, but they tend to remember how you made them feel. This rings true for me and plays out when I encounter coworkers I have not seen in a long time. I notice there is some type of favorable emotional memory, even if I am not sure exactly how it was created. Perhaps it was some common courtesy, word of encouragement, a word of thanks, or an act of grace to accept my apology for an embarrassing oversight. Whatever the circumstance, there was creation of some type of social capital or connected that bonded us together and encouraged cooperation and goodwill. And it’s a powerful thing.
It makes me wonder how I can build even greater social capital among my coworkers and within my workplace networks. In other words, how am I investing in and managing my portfolio of social capital?
Mark Sanstead is manager of Hazelden’s St. Paul Fellowship Club mental health clinic.
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