Our Story
PASSION, DRIVE, CURIOSITY
Tristan Claridge founded the Institute for Social Capital as a website on social capital in 2005 to help other people wanting to research the concept or apply it to any context. In the beginning, it was not a business and was simply called Social Capital. The website quickly became the number one resource on social capital online.
Tristan was originally interested in how social capital could improve the performance of environmental groups but discovered that, at the time, the concept of social capital was not sufficiently conceptualised to allow for rigorous application. Instead, his research contributed to the theoretical understanding of the concept.
Progressing the theory
Social Capital Theories
Tristan’s work was clearly needed to help people navigate the complexity of the social capital literature and theories. His mission has always been to help people and, in the process, help them make meaningful changes in the world.
WORK WITH ORGANISATIONS
Organisational social capital
Over time Tristan became increasingly interested in the application of social capital to organisations, particularly to businesses. Tristan has extensive experience in business and has consistently utilised social capital theory in his work.
Social capital forward thinking
Helping people and organisations with social capital
Tristan now runs the Institute for Social Capital to help organisations of all types to improve their social capital and organisational culture. He continues to conduct research in the field and works with businesses and other organisations on cutting-edge social capital strategies.
Empower people's potential
The Potential of Social Capital
Consideration of social capital provides substantial opportunities to improve outcomes anywhere where people work together or where cooperation and positive social action is beneficial – which is just about every human endeavour.
Purposeful and deliberate
More effective, productive, and successful
The concept of social capital provides a framework for understanding why and how people collaborate, interact positively, and work together. Understanding social capital allows us to be purposeful and deliberate about how we build and use social capital and identify and reduce the risk of loss of social capital and the likelihood of negative outcomes.
In short, social capital allows people, teams, organisations, projects, and communities to be more effective, productive, and successful.
