The role of social capital in knowledge management

Introduction

In today’s knowledge-driven economy, intangible resources, particularly intellectual capital (IC), are vital to innovation and long-term competitiveness (Kumar et al., 2025). On the other hand, in the so-called “knowledge age”, knowledge is considered a primary commodity that drives value creation (Salehi et al., 2022) and  sharing and circulating knowledge expands individuals’ capacities to generate ideas and maintain organizational learning (Lee, 2018). Although knowledge management (KM) and IC are often examined separately, research indicates that they are interdependent, informing and reinforcing one another (Abeysekera, 2021). Studies highlight how factors such as storing, leveraging, and structuring knowledge (Bhatt, 2000; Wong & Aspinwall, 2005), alongside IC measurement and reporting, contribute to value creation for firms (Abeysekera, 2021). IC, an organization’s collective knowledge, skills, relationships, and structures, has become central to management and investment practices (Abualoush et al., 2018). In this context, social capital (SC), namely the network of relationships, trust, and shared norms within and across organizations (Adler & Kwon, 2002), facilitates the exchange and integration of knowledge, thereby reinforcing KM practices and supporting IC development (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998). Indeed, Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998) theorized that SC creates the conditions for exchanging and combining knowledge, thereby fostering intellectual capital and competitive advantage. Empirical evidence shows that SC strengthens KM effectiveness, enhances IC, and drives innovation (Buenechea-Elberdin et al., 2018; Ramadan et al., 2017). Moreover, SC acts as a mediating mechanism that amplifies KM outcomes, particularly in dynamic and digital contexts (Al-Omoush et al., 2020). Beyond innovation, SC influences corporate governance and diversity outcomes (Afzazi et al., 2022; Oyotode‐Adebile & Ujah, 2021). IC has its greatest impact in knowledge-intensive services, especially ICT, software and professional services and in high-tech manufacturing (biopharma, medical devices, semiconductors, aerospace), where human and structural capital, codified know-how, and  intellectual property underpin sustain rapid innovation and appropriability (Abeysekera, 2021; Demartini & Beretta, 2020). In financial services, analytics capabilities, data architectures, and client relationships convert IC into superior risk management (Abualoush et al., 2018; Secinaro, Dal Mas, Brescia, & Calandra, 2022).  Healthcare and higher education rely on human and relational capital and inter-organizational networks to translate knowledge into translational innovation and continuous learning (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998; Alfiero, Brescia, & Bert, 2021; Vătămănescu et al., 2023). Creative media industries and publicsector digital transformation monetize or institutionalize structural capital, while emerging domains, AI platforms, green technologies, and cybersecurity, are increasingly IC-intensive, with social capital amplifying KM outcomes and co-innovation (Al-Omoush et al., 2020;  Demartini, 2015). 

Gaps and future directions:

• Much of the research to date is cross‐sectional and context‐specific, so there is a lack of general theory of how SC translates into IC across settings.  
• Measurement, as there is no single agreed scale for social capital in KM, and studies often mix constructs (trust, networks, norms).  
• Few studies take a longitudinal or multi-level approach: for instance, how do individual employee networks aggregate to firm-level IC over time?  
• Cultural and contingency factors need further investigation to analyze how SC’s effects on knowledge differ by national culture, organizational structure, or new technologies.
• The role of trust is underexplored.  

List of Topic Areas

• How does social capital translate into intellectual capital across different organizational contexts?
• In what ways does social capital act as a mediator of knowledge management in digital and dynamic environments?
• How can social capital in knowledge management be measured? To what extent do trust, networks, and norms function as distinct versus overlapping dimensions of social capital?
• How does social capital evolve over time, and what are its long-term effects on knowledge creation and sharing?
• How do individual employee networks aggregate to create firm-level intellectual capital?
• How is social capital value disclosed?
• How do national cultures influence the relationship between social capital and knowledge management?
• In what ways do organizational structures influence the effectiveness of social capital in enabling knowledge management?
• How do emerging technologies impact the development and role of social capital in knowledge management?
• What role does trust play in knowledge sharing and knowledge application processes?
• How can organizations foster trust to strengthen social capital in virtual and hybrid workplaces?
• Innovation and Performance Outcomes
• How does social capital-driven knowledge management contribute to organizational innovation?
• What is the relationship between social capital, knowledge management, and competitive advantage in dynamic markets? 

Submission Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here:

Submit via ScholarOne

Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see:

Author guidelines

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Dates

Opening date for manuscript submissions: 1 April 2026

Closing date for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026