Social capital and intentional change: Exploring the role of social networks on individual change efforts

Better understanding the mechanisms through which individuals engage in sustainable change efforts has been an ongoing concern of both researchers and practitioners. While dyadic interactions with others can play a significant role in individual change efforts, the purpose of this article is to explore how the networks of relationships in which individuals are embedded are likely to impact their efforts to engage in sustainable change.

This article develops a conceptual framework and offers propositions regarding the suggested impact of bridging and bonding social capital on each of the discovery phases of the intentional change process.

Drawing on a variety of literatures, It is argued that the bridging and bonding forms of social capital may each significantly influence the intentional change process, but in different ways. Also provided is an example of how the intentional change process can, in turn, be utilized to build one's social capital.

While previous research on intentional change has alluded to the importance of relationships to individual change efforts, little attention has been paid to the role that social capital may play in facilitating the individual change process. Considering the role of social capital in individual change efforts may suggest new avenues of inquiry for researchers, as well as provide insight to practitioners interested in mechanisms to facilitate change at the individual level.