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The power of social capital: Better care through stronger connections

Who do you rely on in your world? Who relies on you? Who do you trust? Who knows that you can be trusted? These are the people in your network. Just as it is important to have a personal network of people we trust, it is equally important to have a robust professional network. The relationships we have in the workplace, and the social capital we build with our colleagues and patients, can make the difference between a job in which we survive and a job in which we thrive. Whether these connections with colleagues and patients are several times a day or once a year, in-person or asynchronously through emails, texting, referrals or charting, these connections matter. Regardless of the frequency or the mode, relationships are critical. Read on for more on social capital, its importance for providing high-quality coordinated patient care, and tips for cultivating social capital in professional networks. (Estimated reading time: ~4 minutes)

By Chantal Lécuyer, Sheryl Mills, and Minn-Nyoung Yoon

In today’s complex and busy healthcare world, delivering high-quality, coordinated care depends on every team member being proficient and knowledgeable in their area. Most importantly, coordinated care relies heavily on relationships—specifically, the relationships between and among healthcare professionals, support staff, administrators, and patients and their close ones. These often invisible, yet vital, networks of trust, collaboration, and mutual support are known as social capital. Trust and mutual reliance within and across professions—and across locations—is critical for coordinating high-quality care, and building relationships, networks and social capital. For high-quality collaborative and coordinated care, everyone involved trusts that everyone else involved will perform their parts competently and in a timely, professional way.[1]

Social capital refers to the value derived from social networks, shared norms, and mutual trust. In healthcare settings, strong social capital can lead to smoother communication between departments, faster problem-solving, improved patient outcomes, and a healthier, more supportive work environment. When individuals trust and respect one another, they are more likely to collaborate effectively, share knowledge openly, and stay motivated—even in high-pressure situations. A prospective study conducted in Sweden found that social capital—characterized by trust, reciprocity, and recognition—was positively associated with healthcare professionals' job satisfaction and work engagement. Furthermore, increased social capital predicted greater involvement in clinical improvements, highlighting its role in fostering a motivated and proactive workforce. Research in primary care settings demonstrated that higher levels of workplace social capital were linked to lower staff burnout and higher job satisfaction. These positive employee outcomes, in turn, correlated with improved patient ratings of care quality, suggesting that a supportive work environment translates to better patient experiences. A study on healthcare professionals indicated that robust social capital enhances knowledge sharing, which is crucial for patient safety. This collaborative environment leads to improved care coordination and reduced medical errors, underscoring the importance of trust and open communication among staff.[2]

Here are seven tips for cultivating social capital in healthcare workplaces—in-person and with colleagues who you might not ever meet face-to-face:

  1. Regardless of how you communicate, always communicate kindly, respectfully, clearly, and in a timely way with professional friendliness and courtesy.
  2. Just like a person seeking care is a person first, so are your colleagues. See colleagues as people first rather than labelling them by their role or profession.[3]
  3. Take part in opportunities that connect people from different areas–like interprofessional education. 🥳 These opportunities reduce siloing and enhance shared understanding and the effective coordination of care.
  4. Expanding networks means making the time to connect even just with a nod—or/and smile—of acknowledgement during a busy day.
  5. To reinforce a sense of collective purpose and shared goals, celebrate group successes. Recognize team achievements publicly. Think: WE did this together!
  6. To boost learning and trust, contribute to an environment where people feel safe to speak up, ask questions, or admit mistakes without fear of blame.
  7. In addition to participating in scheduled huddles, interdisciplinary rounds, etc., make time to participate in informal interactions. Social bonds are often formed in moments outside of and between clinical duties. Create opportunities for “social moments”—it is time well spent. 

Ultimately, cultivating social capital is not just about being “nicer” to colleagues. Cultivating social capital is an investment in better healthcare delivery and overall well-being. Whether your network spans multiple professions and locations or is in one clinic, a strong, connected team leads to more coordinated care, better patient outcomes, and a workplace where people thrive.

 

 

[1] Whether people are co-located, as in this fun 1:20 minute clip from Scrubs (Season 1, Episode 7), or not, the trust and mutual reliance in coordinating care is quickly illustrated. We can easily imagine what happens when someone drops the ball–or in this example, the urine sample. The opening sequence of this show also spells—well…sings—out this message in under 30 seconds. The main message is that no one person can provide high quality on their own. It takes well-coordinated, smoothly running teams.

[2] Social capital is not all roses, however. Social capital can contribute to narrowed viewpoints and inertia that can lead to decreased innovation and change as well as the reinforcement of institutionally derived power and social hierarchies. For more, check out Portes’s original 1998 work on this concept in Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology.

[3] Interpreting situations or making assumptions—also known as climbing the ladder of inference—comes naturally to people, what takes effort is coming down the ladder, or even better, staying off of it.