Bowling together - applying Robert Putnam’s theories of community and social capital to public relations

Abstract

Although the concept of Social Capital is by no means new, it has certainly spread more widely due to the writings of Robert D. Putnam. His writings have underlined the importance of civic engagement and social ties for the welfare of individuals and societies at large. Putnam’s theories lay the foundation for an understanding of the broader societal functions of public relations, and offer useful concepts and ideas for both theory and practice. Putnam’s theory of social capital posits that the success of societies greatly depends on the horizontal bonds of collaboration: only long-term relations, such as associations and clubs, are able to generate the cohesion that brings societal benefits such as lower crime rates, increased health, happiness and even economic prosperity. Putnam’s writings are timely in a world of increased uncertainty and increasingly fractured publics. The creation and maintenance of organizational social capital can be seen as a foundation for public relations and as spanning the boundaries of PR through topics such as stakeholder thinking, corporate social responsibility and relationship management. In fact, organizations with reciprocal, trusting stakeholder networks can be understood as having high amounts of social capital.