The use of space and time in an organization to establish social capital
Space and time can be used to generate social capital in an Organization or cooperation. Organizations all over the world have proved that social capital is very important and powerful resource within any organization. It dictates the performance and improve productivity within an organization. In addition, the organization’s setup may promote or weaken social capital’s influence within it by curbing opportunities which are meant to promote its growth (Liu, 2017).
.Some may argue against the benefits that arise from space, time and social capital. Similar characteristics of social capital that makes it enable organizations to benefit financially from it have the potential and ability to come with negative causes. Potential disadvantages of social capital include harboring behaviors that promote laziness rather than hard work; it acts as a hindrance to inclusivity and social flexibility therefore it will divide more than it unites people within the organization. Not all the outcomes that results from social capital can be concentrated into wanted benefits hence it is not a guarantee of good results. The primary component of social capital is its capability to elaborate on indefinite benefits that an organization can get from relationships and friendly chains formed within the work environment. Critics have often complained about some of the functions of social capital. They claim that the applications are vague and illogical. For example presence of social capital has often been associated with fracture of the social fabric and moral degradation. Nevertheless, this has not hindered organizations to use it as tool that can solve a lot of their issues. It has often been singled out as an ideology that can harmonize the entire structure of an organization. (Torres, Sarmiento, Stauber & Zarama, 2013).
The sentiments above do not hold enough evidence to warrant a credible argument. Social capital focuses on the importance of the links established when people interact with each other. The main idea that drives and governs social capital is the philanthropy people feel towards each other .Its utilization can be realized when an organization uses its space and time to force it out into the open and capitalize on the advantage that are normally associated with it .The structure of an organization can be shaped and manipulated to sustain social interactions (Coff& Geys, 2006).
In my own perspective, Social capital can make any organization or cooperation more than just a collection of individuals who are out to exchange skills for salary. Social capital has the ability to close the gap or space between people working together. Some of the indicators that signals its existence include very high levels of trustworthy, strong personal relationships and vigorous communities that understand each other and have a sense of equal participation in every exercise undertaken by the organization .Such characters can attract other people to the group. This types of links create a supportive networks that is committed to achieving its common goals and objectives. Groups known to have social capital are also known to exhibit very rare talents and cohesive organized characteristics. Social capital is brought about by very intentional and appropriate organizational skills namely: providing workers with space and time to interact and share their experiences using effective communication skills. This in turn will give rise to trust. Communication leads to people acknowledging each and everyone’s beliefs and differences. Understanding one another leads to a very understanding community and thus reduces conflicts within an organization .social capital creates geniuses that ensures equitable distribution of opportunities within the organizational setup. Although social capital can be enabled by people who have known each other by interacting, many advantages are experienced by the organization itself as a whole. In the past social capital was associated with communities and nobody would ever think that it would be used as a tool by organizations to increase productivity and participation in their areas. When people know and acknowledge that they have a lot in common, it steers as sense of belonging and enhances truth .A lot of things can be learnt through this.
Engagement and association initiates social interaction and creative and critical thinking. Humans are social in nature including their work in general. People do not realize the importance of socializing. Turning information into profitability in many organization ignore this simple fact and underrates the role of socializing in work environments .Separating individual from each other only hinders their productivity. Socializing is very core and can no longer be ignored by organizations. Trust, personal friendships and society can be harnessed to improve organizations productivity (Cohen & Prusak, 2001).
The perspective undertaken by organizations to foster and bring about social capital differs from individualistic or the belief of atomic organization which prefer a relationship that is built on work interaction alone but omit other relationships that result from the networks formed as a result of relationships of employees within the organizations .Humans are built with a natural need to be recognized, loved and identified. The only way to do this is by allowing social interactions within organizations. The satisfaction that comes from friendships and other peers’ contrasts from the current famous ideology of freedom of agencies whose aim is to bring people together when only there are projects that need to be done by the organizations (Cohen & Prusak, 2001).
Time and space are very critical component that can be used to ensure that social capital thrive beyond the boundaries drawn by an organization. Social capital aggregates the potential resources which are connected to vast network formed by mutual human relationships. The only way that can define social relationship is functions that are closely linked to it. Its function is not a single entity but a variety of entangled entities with different characteristics that intercut to bring about a social structure that enables and facilitates certain individual actions that exist within the social structure (Liu, 2017).
Social capital within the context of an organization considers that different generations have experienced different forms of education and when they are combined with technological advancements and ever changing trends can bring about fundamental shifts in individualistic approaches in social life within the organizations workplace. Technology for instance has changed communication style and methods which has directly affected social interactions and relationships in particular (Nathalie & Ghoshal, 1998).
In most organizations the offices are small cubicles which are joined together at the sides, in one large hall. It is very rare to interact and communicate with one another as offices of each regular worker is partitioned. This does very little to help employees engage with one another easily due to the space arrangement that encourages only work interaction. This has often reduced productivity among workmates and other colleagues. It is however very vital to note that the level of interaction that is promoted by halls which have desks arranged closely together is also affected by personal, cultural and mental factors. The level of interaction in such a setting is not motivated by personal choice but the need to complete the organizations assignments (Liu, 2017).
The environmental conditions of an organization can be used as agents of social and business interactions among its workers. In order to push and promote trust in an organization, the influence that is created by space revolve around relative access to all levels of interactions both psychological and physical. For example when offices are arranged distant from each other it may deter friendships. Friendships are built on consistency. Consistency harbors trust. Spacing is the key that plays a vital role to bring out this two factors (Torres, Sarmiento, Stauber & Zarama, 2013).
Space arrangement patterns can hinder balance of relationships between an organizations. Cohesion can be built by an environment that has appropriate space that allows and facilitates social interaction at each and every level. Appropriate space also does not dictate how the interaction between the workers unfold and therefore the social network can be used to benefit the organization together with thee workers. Creation of space also dictates the appearance and atmospheres of the entire organization. When enough space is allocated for social interactions it can create enough chances and different environment settings for social interaction. Settings distinct interaction that results from work interaction and normal social interactions (Torres, Sarmiento, Stauber & Zarama, 2013).
Space can mold the quality and interval of interactions within an organization. Vital verbal cues that enable socialization have been ignored most of the times while coming up with a setup of an organization. When nonverbal cues are hindered during social communications, the quality of the interaction is normally affected because nonverbal cues help bring out emotions from one individual to another which can then build trust. For example when an organization has few breaks in between work sessions, workers are kept busy and the only way they can interact is through emails hence limiting nonverbal cues. Such types of interactions do not amount to social capital and primarily do not develop trust (Liu, 2017).
Socializing and interactions are directly affected by office layouts .space and office layout reciprocate and affect each other in equal measure. Therefore it is very important to put into account the nature and objectivity for work procedures within and amidst groups or crews when coming up with the framework under which this people will work. Not only should the framework of an organization support its workers but it should also initiate a way to maintain and support other areas of their lives through social interactions (Coff& Geys, 2006).
The entire design of an organization’s environment should create an atmosphere that encourages efficient social interaction. Proximity is a factor that should considered while coming up with a design as it makes social interaction more available. Therefore, structure in terms of space should be incorporated to send a direct message that they are there for the sole purpose of social interactions. Spaces also facilitate meetings and communication necessary within an organization. A board room cannot be used for social interaction but to hold meetings (Cohen & Prusak, 2001).
Time can be used as an indicator to any meaningful social interaction within an organization. The content communicated during a conversation, even if it is for a short period, is dictated by time allocated. Time can influence the place and manner in which a particular message will be transmitted. The space and time will then form an environment that will seal out factors that might interfere with the socializing session. Some people claim that some of the best innovations came to being in hallways and cafeterias. This clearly demonstrates that time allocated for social interaction gives the opportunity for people to open up their minds more and exchange ideas. Whether there is infrastructure or not, when an organization allocated breaks within certain intervals, this automatically creates socializing spaces. Breaks also give workers the chance to maneuver to different spaces therefore increasing social interaction (Liu, 2017).
Office designs within an organization should be well allocated in terms of space; an acceptable closeness from one worker to the next. Face to face social interactions are important in an organization. Interactions that are not planned or included in the organizations setup are likely to fuel performance and social capital both internally and externally (Cohen & Prusak, 2001).
Space within an office can be used as a tool for strategic planning within an organization .One of the ways of managing space is by ensuring that no space is wasted and it has fully maximized it potential to bring about interaction within all levels of an organization. Actual space should be intermarried with current communication technology to enable realization of social capital through interaction. Space should be designed to form a very vast system that caters for social purposes and make interaction possible. One of the ways of achieving this is through management practices that totally engages all people and understands the manner in which peoples work (Cohen & Prusak, 2001).
Social capital brings about benefit for both the organization that has ‘invested’ in it and its workers. This is because it facilitates loyalty and a transparent relationship between the employer and the employee as both of them acquire social capital. It can also be viewed in terms of a much broader perspective that can encourage very good business value practices. Another benefit is that it fosters innovation in an organization. The mixture of emotions and work environment can lead to solutions to problems that the organization faces on daily basis. It also creates an environment that encourages risk taking to explore various situations and opportunities hence converting simple social interactions into skills and business markets. For example when an organization gives a chance to each and every employee to discuss the problems they face outside their working environment, they are likely to come up with a solution that will have an impact on both the individual and the organization. In other words it enhances creative thinking (Liu, 2017).
Having an organization adapt a culture that consistently promotes social interaction is key. The management has a responsibility to ensure that it has enabled a conducive atmosphere to realize such a culture. This can be done by allowing everyone to be on board with the idea and exploring avenues that can make everyone understand the need for social interaction and how it can make an organization achieve its bojectives.by raising the awareness one can be able to encourage the culture to establish itself in an organization. The second method that can enable cement social interaction in organizations is by constituting socializing periods. The management should plan on ways that they can use to bring workers together through events and other social functions. This events can be less structured to steer up socialization. It is not a must to have, major events, even occasional free pizza will send a clear message and it will encourage social interactions. This example shows small signals can go a long way to show that an organization is willing to go an extra mile to in steering social change (Cohen & Prusak, 2001).
Spaces within an organization must be equipped to suit staff. This will bring a sense of ownership. Designers should be directed by employers to fit in extra spaces within the work space. The staff can then use the space as they please hence making it suitable to meet their own social needs at the office. If possible the employees can choose the purpose of each space. This will bring out a stronger picture of ownership and control. An example of an organization that has ever use this method is Facebook .Facebook gave its own organization the authority to shape and design their own work environment and to plan its layout (Torres, Sarmiento, Stauber & Zarama, 2013).
When an organization clearly states its vision and mission objectives and tries to combine them with certain demands required by social capital it can achieve its goals through communication of its ideas. Their employees will also fall in line with the measures hence promoting communication and social interaction within time and space (Torres, Sarmiento, Stauber & Zarama, 2013).
Social capital has the ability to soften existing conflicts within an organization and thus builds trust. Trust plays a very crucial role which is in alignment with the space a design in an organization. Trust provides a certain criteria in which individuals insights can be evaluated in relation to workspace and other social structures. Trust also articulates the type of relationship that is normally formed during social interactions. Space should not just enable interaction but it should build trust that would later grow into action and a sustainable social structure and order (Cohen, & Prusak, 2001).
References
Coff, H., & Geys, B. (2006). Community Heterogeneity: A Burden for the Creation of Social Capital?. Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell), 871053-1072. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00415.x
Cohen, D., & Prusak, L. (2001). In good company: How social capital makes organizations work. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.
Liu, C. (2017). Creating competitive advantage: Linking perspectives of organization learning, innovation behavior and intellectual capital. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 6613-23. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.06.013
Nathalie, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social Capital, Intellectual Capital, and the Organizational AdvantaGE. Academy Of Management Review, 23(2), 242-266. Doi:10.5465/AMR.1998.533225
Torres, A., Sarmiento, O. L., Stauber, C., & Zarama, R. (2013). The Ciclovia and Cicloruta Programs: Promising Interventions to Promote Physical Activity and Social Capital in Bogotá , Colombia. American Journal of Public Health, 103(2), e23-e30.
