Social capital in collaborative networks competitiveness: the case of the Brazilian Wine Industry Cluster

Abstract

This paper addresses the influence of social capital in collaborative networks. With the social context of collaborative networks becoming increasingly important, research has broadened the traditional concept of competitiveness to include and emphasise ‘soft’ elements, like social capital. The social capital concept can be attained in two different contexts: intra- and inter-groups. The objective of this study is to identify inter-organisational social capital elements and the relationship with collaborative network competitiveness. The idea is to answer some questions such as (1) what are the elements that explain inter-organisational social capital? (2) how are these elements related to competitiveness? (3) what organisational characteristics facilitate social capital formation? A survey was conducted in the enterprises from the Brazilian Wine Industry Cluster. The data were analysed using factorial analysis and bivariate correlations. The results point out three social capital factors that correspond to the social capital dimensions found in literature: structural, relational and cognitive. The research shows that the correlations among social capital dimensions and competitiveness are strong and significant, specially the structural and relational dimensions. Finally, implications for research and managerial practice were discussed.

Keywords:

• inter-organisational social capital
• collaborative networks
• competitiveness
• Brazilian Wine Industry Cluster

Acknowledgements

This work is being supported by the University of Caxias do Sul (Universidade de Caxias do Sul – UCS) and the National Counsel for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq).