Abstract
How can better jobs be created as a key element of a European public health strategy? To answer this question, an essential precondition is that we have an adequate understanding of organizations – their structure, processes, and outcomes. Our data confirmed the hypothesis that social capital plays a vital role in the performance of organizations and the health of their members. The data basis of our study consisted of a survey of 5,000 employees (45 % response rate) and productivity and quality data from the participating companies. By combining these two data sets, we found significant correlations between the social capital of the participating organizations, the organizations’ performance, and the health status of their employees. The results demonstrate that intangible factors of organizations can be measured and have a significant impact on the health and commitment of employees.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Badura, B. (2006). Social capital, social inequality and the healthy organization. In H. Noack & D. Kahr-Gottlie (Eds.), Promoting the public’s health: The EUPHA 2005 conference book (pp. 53–60). Gamburg, Germany: Verlag für Gesundheitsförderung.
Badura, B., Greiner, W., Rixgens, P., Ueberle, M., & Behr, M. (2008). Sozialkapital: Grundlagen von Gesundheit und Unternehmenserfolg. Berlin, Germany: Springer.
Badura, B., Kaufhold, G., Lehmann, H., Pfaff, H., Schott, T., & Waltz, M. (Eds.). (1987). Leben mit dem Herzinfarkt (Eine sozialepidemiologische Studie). Berlin: Springer.
Badura, B., & Kickbusch, I. (1991). Health promotion research: Towards a new social epidemiology. WHO regional publications, European series, no. 37. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Baumanns, R. (2009). Unternehmenserfolg durch Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement. Nutzen fĂĽr Unternehmen und Mitarbeiter (Eine evaluation). Hannover, Germany: ibidem.
Berkman, L. F., & Syme, S. L. (1979). Scoial networks, host resistance, and mortality: A nine-year follow-up study of Alameda county residents. American Journal of Epidemiology, 109, 186–204.
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, 95–120.
Fukuyama, F. (1999). The great disruption: Human nature and the reconstitution of social order. New York: Free Press.
Granovetter, M. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 1360–1380.
Hobbes, T. (1985). Leviathan, or, the matter, form, and power of a common-wealth ecclesiastical and civil. London: Penguin Books. (First published 1651).
House, J. S., Landis, K. R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 241, 540–545.
Insel, T. R. (2003). Is social attachment an addictive disorder? Physiology and Behavior, 79, 351–357.
Marmot, M. (2004). The status syndrome: How social standing affects our health and longevity. New York: Times Books.
North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance: Political economy of institutions and decisions. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Ostrom, E. (2000). Social capital: A fad or a fundamental concept? In P. Dasgupta & I. Serageldin (Eds.), Social capital. A multifaceted perspective (pp. 172–214). Washington: The World Bank.
Putnam, R. D. (1993). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Rixgens, P. (2010). Messung von Sozialkapital im Betrieb durch den “Bielefelder Sozialkpital-Index” (BISI). In B. Badura, H. Schröder, J. Klose, & K. Macco (Eds.), Fehlzeiten-Report 2009. Arbeit und Psyche: Belastungen reduzieren – Wohlbefinden fördern (pp. 263–271). Berlin, Germany: Springer.
Rizzolatti, G., & Sinigaglia, C. (2008). Mirrors in the brain: How our minds share actions and emotions. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Smith, A. (1976). An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press (First published 1776).
Solow, R. M. (2000). Notes on social capital and economic performance. In P. Dasgupta & I. Serageldin (Eds.), Social capital: A multifaceted perspective (pp. 6–10). Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Tomasello, M. (2009). Why we cooperate. Boston: MIT Press Books.
Wilson, D. S., & Wilson, E. O. (2007). Rethinking the theoretical foundation of sociobiology. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 82, 327–248.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Badura, B. (2014). The Impact of Social Capital on the Health and Performance of Organizations. In: Bridging Occupational, Organizational and Public Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5640-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5640-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-5639-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-5640-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)