Creating Social Capital in our Communities, By Cathy Hamilton

From “Me” to “We” - Creating Social Capital in our Communities

Ever heard of the term Social Capital? This term is defined by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro (www.cfgg.org) as the “inter-personal relationships, social connectedness, trust, cooperation, and engagement in the life of the community. In many ways, social capital equates to the social fabric that weaves a community together.” Using the metaphor of ‘community as social fabric woven together’ opens the door for individual and collective leadership. Beautiful fabric, woven from the connections among diverse textures and colors, thread characteristics and dimensions, calls forth the imagery of creativity in life. How do we creatively respond in our efforts to craft a more just and equitable world?

Leadership is as simple and as difficult as taking ownership of the reality that we both live in and create our world. Peter Block (2009) outlines a significant role for leadership: crafting structures that enhance the experience of belonging (p. 98). Focusing on creating structures of belonging rather than leadership style, liberates leaders from having to think in traditional terms of the associated questions of whether or not one has the “appropriate characteristics” of good leadership. Taking the lead in crafting structures of belonging is taking what already exists within, your knowledge, skills and attitudes, and using it to create social capital within the communities where we live. That social connectedness, trust, and cooperation, the essential building blocks of social capital, can be fostered through intentional conversations that build community connections.

Yes! We can craft our world simply through talking with one another. Conversations that build on our relatedness, ask the right questions (and listen to the answers!), recognize one another’s gifts to transform community, and focus on the possibilities, can shift the conversation from “me” to “we.” Creative leadership can initiate and sustain these transforming conversations. No sense of belonging happens without trust – one of the fundamental building blocks of social capital. We can build that trust through conversations that make for change. Higher social capital means that people are more inclined to work together for the common good of all. Hmm….this could be a community worth living, learning, playing, and working in, huh? How might you contribute to the social capital of UNCG and beyond?

Author:

Cathy Hamilton, Ph.D.

Director. Office of Leadership and Service-Learning