Social capital is related to but different from relational capital. It concerns "the good-will that is
engendered by the fabric of social relations and that can be mobilized to facilitate action" (Adler &
Kwon, 2002, p. 17) and is defined as "the sum of the resources, actual or virtual, that accrue to an
individual or group by virtue of possessing a durable network of more or less institutionalised relationships
of mutual acceptance or recognition" (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992, p. 119). Social capital
theory has mainly been the preserve of economists and sociologists but the value of goodwill in
broader terms means that organizational theorists now recognize the relevance of this social structure
and the social ties it brings in relation to a wide range of work issues. It is considered to make
the achievement of certain ends that would not be attainable in its absence possible. The management
of social capital has become viewed as a critical business competence. Whereas human capital
theory assumes that people, groups, or organizations do better (i.e., receive higher returns for their
efforts) because of their personal traits and characteristics, social capital theory assumes that they do
better because they are better "connected." This "connection" may be realized in the form of trust,
obligation, or dependency. Certain network structures, or certain locations in this set of exchange
relationships, become an asset in their own right, and it is this asset that is the social capital.