People bring to their job more than the human capital they have accumulated through years of education and experience. They also bring social capital, the resources and support they can procure through their network of relationships.

Research demonstrates that social capital affects a number of important outcomes such as individual performance, career progression, and the ability to enlist the cooperation of others to achieve organizational goals. As business becomes more global and traditional authority more diffuse, firms are paying increasing attention to how their executives develop and nurture the social capital of their networks.