Social Capital: It matters, so why aren’t we measuring it? Social Capital: It matters, so why aren’t we measuring it? September 29, 2014 Paul Horton, Principal, The Athena Group

1 Many modern social challenges are highly complex in nature The Era of Complexity

2 3 Types of Complexity Dynamically complex – cause and effect relationships distant in time and space Generatively complex – don’t unfold in familiar or predictable ways Socially complex – individuals see the same things in very different ways (Kahane 2010)

3 Rapid Change, Uncertainty & Surprise Requires Adaptive Capacity 4 essential dynamics of adaptive capacity :  Diversity  Learning  Self-organization  Social capital and trust (Missimer 2013)

4 Social Capital = Trust, Norms, & Networks “Trust is the chicken soup of social life” Trust is defined here as:  willingness of the individual to take a risk or make oneself vulnerable o willingness to invest (one’s time and energy) o willingness to examine one’s own assumptions and biases Trust is defined here as:  willingness of the individual to take a risk or make oneself vulnerable o willingness to invest (one’s time and energy) o willingness to examine one’s own assumptions and biases

5 Social Capital = Trust, Norms, & Networks Norms Networks = both the exchange of knowledge and information + the number and quality of social connections Rothstein & Stolle 2003,4 Owen & Videras 2008 Sroka 2011, Nevens et al. 2008

6 The Role of Social Capital Social capital and trust are two highly interrelated factors that are: 1.critical for improving the conditions for social cooperation 2.highly correlated with the success of multi- stakeholder or cross-sector planning in general Social capital “enables solutions to collective action problems” Putnam (Rothstein & Stolle 2003,4) (Owen & Videras 2008) (Sroka 2011, Nevens et al. 2008) “…a lack of social capital encumbers daily life, limiting social and economic opportunities” (Rose-Ackerman, 2001)

7 Participatory Leadership & Social Capital

8 Participatory Leadership (aka, Art of Hosting) Participatory Leadership is a dialogue-based, participatory process architecture for engaging groups working on complex and interconnected challenges

9 A Culture of Performance Core Methodologies Open Space Technologies Story Telling Appreciative Inquiry Action Learning World Cafe Circle practice Pro-Action Cafe Collective Mind Mapping

10 Principles Basic to all Methodologies The wisdom is in the room Self organization – the power to add, change, or evolve system structure

11 Principles Basic to all Methodologies Collective clarity of purpose – the invisible leader We can learn to be OK with not knowing

12 Principles Basic to All Methodolgies 12 Listen with attention (listen to understand) Engage the collective intelligence for better solutions Explore questions that matter Speak with intention (speaking when you really have something to say) Suspend assumptions Trust that solutions will emerge from the conversations Place the purpose in the middle Encourage each person’s contribution

13 Participatory Leadership & Social Capital Social capital (and in particular, trust creation) - - common denominators in the successful outcomes and almost viral-like spread of Participatory Leadership in places such as: Columbus Ohio, the European Commission, Minnesota and Nova Scotia

14 Social Capital Success Factors  High levels of trust  A high degree of beneficial norms of communication and working  Robust, open flow of information and knowledge  A large number of social connections  High quality social connections  Positive internal (process & culture) and external (outcome & output) outcomes

15 Social Capital Success Factors Norms of Communication:  People listen with attention to others and value all voices  People feel listed to and heard  Conversations are authentic, genuine and based on honesty  People feel safe or have the courage to speak up, ask questions, and/or voice contrary opinions  People have ample time and space for reflection and self-awareness

16 Social Capital Success Factors Norms of Working:  The organization’s or system’s purpose is clear and meaningful  Meetings have a clear purpose and/or vision of success  Decision-making processes are clear and transparent  The decision-making structure is not overly hierarchical or rigid  Meetings are inclusive and participatory

17 Meta Success Factors  Changes towards a more open/supportive leadership style: o willing to let go of some level of control and encourage shared leadership o admit to not knowing all the answers o willing to slow down the decision-making process to allow solutions to emerge  Participatory Leadership as an “operating system”  Changes towards a more open/supportive leadership style: o willing to let go of some level of control and encourage shared leadership o admit to not knowing all the answers o willing to slow down the decision-making process to allow solutions to emerge  Participatory Leadership as an “operating system”

18 A Social Capital Assessment Tool

19 A Social Capital Assessment Tool

20 A Social Capital Assessment Tool

21 A Social Capital Assessment Tool

22 A Social Capital Assessment Tool

23 An Invitation - … Paul Horton, Principal, The Athena Group