Full bibliography

This dissertation explores the relationship between social capital and an organizational capability during the earliest phases of emergence. Using an experimental methodology based on a virtual crisis simulation, this research examines the influence of social capital emergence on the evolution of capability performance in real time. Results illustrate the cross-sectional, autoregressive, and cross-lagged change in social capital and capability performance over three measurement intervals, suggesting the presence of a co-evolving relationship between the two constructs. This dissertation contributes valuable insight to the management literature by examining the micro-foundations of organizational capability emergence; demonstrating that the social, relational, and structural context of work is central, especially in its ability to shape collaborative practice and contribute to the collective ability to meet organizational needs. This study demonstrates how the process of social capital emergence occurs, and explains how it relates to the triggering of capability evolution. As a result, this dissertation has generated greater insight into how organizational capabilities grow and evolve, and how social capital contributes to these processes. By better understanding the role that social capital networks play in the emergence and evolution of organizational capabilities, we add some measure of control and predictability to capability evolution allowing organizations to take action to encourage, stabilize, or discourage capability change via specific intervention mechanisms, and