The impact of social capital on the health and performance of organizations

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.