Social Capital Equality: How the remote world is opening doors

[This is an excerpt of an article appearing in FE news on 26 Jan. For the full article please see the link in the comments]

"It's not what you know, it's who you know"

This is a hugely problematic adage for most people.? Personally, I enjoy networking, building a rapport and finding things in common with people.? Some people don’t enjoy it, but even more problematic is that access to networking, or more broadly, Social Capital, is not equally or equitably distributed.? This brief article aims to remind employers, educators and individuals of this discrepancy, particularly for those early in their career journeys.

By examining Social Capital as a whole, rather than just ‘networking’ or ‘nepotism’, we take account of situations where rather than simply direct access to opportunities through a contact, we include the way enhanced information flow, behavioural norms, confidence and industry familiarity could give a disproportionate advantage to certain candidates.?

Social Capital Definition: “the set of benefits individuals can gain from their social connections and social structures, such as access to information and emotional support.” ?(Adler & Kwon 2002)

The majority of examples of individuals building social capital found when researching are still generally positive and should be encouraged as they can genuinely lead to positive career outcomes - using your alumni network to explore opportunities in a particular industry, asking a career advisor or tutor’s advice about a local employer or organization, or attending an extra-curricular club to grow your passion and network in a certain field (and of course to evidence it to future employers). However, we must absolutely acknowledge that there’s a huge variance in the ‘starting level’ of a young person’s social capital, and that access to activities to build social capital (such as those listed above) are not equally available nor equitable.??

If a higher proportion of your network have been less able to access education or are not in professional roles, the social capital you derive from those connections could have less impact on career mobility than if you have an alumni network full of high-flyers.? Likewise, if you don’t attend college, or your institution doesn’t have extra-curricular clubs or tutors and career advisors on hand - or you’re too busy working a part time job to make use of them - your ability to build social capital through those pathways would also be more limited.

Role models play a hugely important role too. A 2022 survey of 5,000 professionals by McKinsey showed that women invest less in building and maintaining networks than men, frontline workers less than professionals, and public sector employees far less than tech industry workers - for example.??

A Hidden Brain podcast by Shankar Vedantam titled “Who’s in your inner circle” added an additional layer exploring the background of spousal choice and the knock-on effect on wealth creation of that unit. This echoes Robert Putnam, a Harvard academic's research on America's social capital divide in Bowling Alone (2002 Simon & Schuster)?claiming that professional classes invest more in family life, community networks and civic activities. This contrasts with the fracturing family life among poorer and less educated Americans, limiting future social mobility. - both terrifying when laid bare through well articulated findings.?

There is some hope however, and we must focus on those organisations and initiatives that are making the best and fastest moves in the right direction. Sionade Robinson Ph.D., FRGS, SFHEA from City, University of London says: "Professional experiences in undergraduate degrees are powerful.? We've put them into our curriculum because we believe every student should have the opportunity to extend their social capital and potential employer networks. In employability, these can be key.”? Oliver Newton of The Edge Foundation, advocates for “rich and engaging employer encounters throughout education,” adding that he himself reflects on “the importance of networking as a genuine way to build the connections and personal relationships that are at the heart of success in any industry.”

Closer to home and in a more accessible and scalable way, remote work experience such as the programs we work on at Virtual Internships , can bring a new network of professional connections into your front-room or student dorm, bringing fresh and immediate opportunities to build social capital.

Research by MIT recently usefully reminds us that weak ties are more useful than strong ties in gaining employment. “Your more casual acquaintances…have social networks that overlap less with yours and may provide connections or information you would not otherwise be able to access.”?

Moreover, as the current headlines are increasingly trending with the impact of #chatgpt on many aspects of study, qualifications and more, it is worth reflecting on where social capital stands in a future landscape. For the time being at least, building and maintaining social capital is something that can’t be fully outsourced to AI - so perhaps thinking more about building durable relationships with those who don’t look, think, talk or behave like you, may add an element of future-proofing to one’s career path.?

Huge Thanks to Femi Bola MBE, Dr Sionade Robinson, Piet Van Hove and Olly Newton for their insightful input and useful signposting on this topic, and the talented Amol Rajan for his BBC documentary "How to Crack the Class Ceiling "- highly recommended.