Three lessons on the transforming power of social capital
The transformational power of harnessing social capital was highlighted in a sell-out event in Cardiff last Friday with the President of the International Social Capital Association providing profound valuable new insights on how our society can harness the immense social power existing within our communities to tackle pressing issues of social division and polarisation, as well as improving our everyday social interactions in what we call #Social Capital Comms’.
Brisbane-based Tristian Claridge, cofounder of the Institute for Social Capital and the International Social Capital Association and a graduate of the University of Queensland, Australia, was visiting the UK as part of a European tour.
His research on social capital progresses theoretical understanding into practical applications, to address to poverty alleviation, community development, organisational culture, leadership, and the general challenges of modernity - particularly the role of non-economic forms of capital and their transformative effects on governance.
Three lessons I took away from the event were:
Social Capital is a philosophy as much as a process. Asked if one word captured the essence of ‘social capital’ Tristan replied with ‘Respect’. A respect grounded in the value and appreciation of relationships, and the sense of commonality that connects humanity.
Secondly, how this world view based on what connects people, what can drive them forward to better realise collective goals, and maybe be good or decent to each other faces a monolith of what Tristan identifies as ‘economics-led’ worldview. Where the cost of everything is known, but perhaps not its greater value of human and societal relationships.
This economics-led worldview leads to viewing relationships as transactional, often bound within insufficient and inadequate limited timeframes, leading to short-termism, a failure to reach its targets, and fuelling a growing disillusionment with the wider system.
The economics-led worldview underpins a systemic failure in our political and economic systems to manage and effectively respond to the immediate and existential threats faced by our society.
The economics-led worldview is what I label in my storytelling, a ‘Monster’, a goliath that if social capital-led thinking, of shared relationships, identities and norms is to flourish, needs to overcome.
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Thirdly, Tristan inspired a sense of hope. Social Capital is a much misunderstood and certainly under-recognised power within society. Through greater understanding, coming together in emergent spaces, like we did in Cardiff last week, sharing our insights, experiences, and knowhow we can collectively grow our collective wisdom - and social capital – to empower ourselves to make a greater difference.
The event also provided me with an opportunity to share a number of the tools co-created by the Dublin Conversations - a global collective developing new thinking and doing for the communications industries - on how to create change-making movements and harnessing the power of your ‘Twelve Connectors’ (all available from www.dublinconversations.org )
Tristan’s visit provided a rare opportunity for sharing new insights, exploring challenges, and finding new ways forward. I am glad we had the opportunity to grow our relationship.
The event was organised by social enterprise Grow Social Capital, with the kind support of Working Word Communications, CIPR Cymru, and PRCA Wales.
Do you need to find out more about Social Capital Comms and the immense potential to transform communications practice through social capital?
#SocialCapitalComms #SocialCapital #socialrelationships #InternationalSocialCapitalAssociation #ISCA #DublinConversations
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