Social Capital at Work

Unlock your leadership potential by leveraging the power of workplace relationships to increase creativity, productivity, and genuine connection.Work has never been more connected — or more lonely. Today’s managers are told that the solution to renewing collaboration and a sense of belonging at work is to add even more tech, but endless pings, virtual meetings, and AI “copilots” leave all of us drowning in shallow interactions—and without the deeper relationships that fuel innovation and shared purpose. Drawing on decades of research and practice, organizational social scientists John Burrows and Seth Rachlin reveal how we can restore what’s been lost in our workplaces and offer a new framework for rebuilding the social infrastructure to succeed at work. In Social Capital at Work, they show us how to move beyond surface-level interaction by investing intentionally in relationships and building social capital: the web of connections that boost performance, trust, efficiency, speed, and resilience among teams. Looking ahead to a workplace we will share with agentic AI, they argue that the central risk is not replacement but substitution, and urge us as leaders to stay in the loop by designing systems and norms that preserve human judgment, self-awareness, and real connection. Filled with practical strategies grounded in the science of social networks, Social Capital at Work gives us a vital playbook for turning relationships into our greatest advantage.