Bowling Alone

Bowling Alone

Putnam, R.D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon and Schuster: New York, NY. ISBN: 0-7432-0304-3
Why is social capital important?
In the United States the ability and willingness to give one's time and or energies for the betterment of the whole community (social capital) is arguably what has made this country able to achieve the greatness it has.
Generalized reciprocity is valuable - it allows us to let down our guard and trust that others will return the favor. General reciprocity is more efficient - if we don't have to balance every exchange (barter) but use credit (trust) - we can get more done.
Measurements:
"Philanthropy - our readiness to help others - is by some interpretations a central measure of social capital" (Putnam).

·  Connected individuals are more likely to give their time and money to others than those individual who are isolated.

Government:

·  Social capital is necessary to achieve "buy-in" with regards to government processes. Meaning: If I am happy with my life, I am more willing to support the government. In order for the model to work, we must achieve a "vested interest" in the minds of every member of the community.

o  Vested community members are more likely to engage in dialog with elected officials.

o  Vested community members are more likely to volunteer for causes that hold meaning to them.

Educational:
Colleges and universities present an opportunity for increasing social capital, which can result in more civically minded community members. With an increasing trend by schools to move towards helping students understand the mutual benefit of being involved in one's community, more students are enriching their classroom experience by engaging in their neighborhoods, which then:

·  Increases student learning and outcomes achievement,

·  Encourages students to interact with one another and their neighbors,

·  Encourages students to take increasingly effective leadership roles, and

·  Fosters parental input and presence on campus, which benefits schools and sends signals to students that education is important and of value.

As staff and faculty do a better job of educating students of this symbiotic relationship, students can begin to see how an increase in social capital can support their learning and make them more competitive and marketable individuals after graduation.
At smaller institutions, fewer numbers of students in the classrooms give a greater opportunity for building deep meaningful relationships through more intimate time with faculty and staff. This can result in greater education about the benefits of building social capital. Conversely, larger schools tend to have more options for students to get involved. Therecan be a greater number of student organizations and greater variety of involvement opportunities, which can result in a greater chance for students to find something of interest and therefore more likely to increase their social capital.
Other opportunities for increasing social capital is through residence halls and offices on college campuses dedicated to providing service and volunteer opportunities for students. As students get involved with such programs on campus, they meet other students and build relationships which can enrich their college experience, strengthen their development, and potentially increase the likelyhood that they will continue such relationships with their commuinty after graduation.
College presents a prime opportunity for students to learn that success is not measured in dollars but rather in the service we give to something greater, larger, and more important than the individual.
Shifting the focus from teaching individualized leadership styles to servant-leadership models can be embraced both in higher education and K-12 through implementation of core educational classes dedicated to teaching the benefits of civic engagement. For example, just as math and science courses are required for graduation, "Civic Engagement 101: An Introduction to Civic Involvement" could be a core class with additional electives, volunteer services opportunities, and other service projects or leadership development programs offered for credit. Institutions that embrace offering such credit based opportunities could demonstrate their commitment to increasing students' knowledge of civic engagement and emphsize the importance of creating such opportunities as:

·  community service

·  letter-writing to elected officials

·  visits to town hall

Industrial:

·  Strong ties within business organizations can lead to reductions in anxiety and uncertainty

o  Lower levels of uncertainty can result in higher levels of employee engagement and greater levels of productivity

·  Industry can serve as a breeding ground for recruitment in social capital building activities outside of the workplace

o  Corporate sponsored volunteer activities, community building activities, sports teams (bowling league with cool shirts!)

·  Business/industry is a place where people from varied backgrounds meet regularly

·  Building social capital is essential for individuals in terms of networking for business and employment

·  "Social connectedness in the workplace might be described as a glass half-empty, not merely as a glass half-full. Most studies of personal networks find that co-workers account for less than 10 percent of our friends" (Putnam).

·  "Shorter job tenure, more part-time and temporary jobs, and even independent consultancy -- inhibit workplace based social ties" - we connect through other means (Facebook, LinkedIn).

·  Being connected with businesses and organizations within one's community can expand the network of resources available to him/her.

·  Recognizing the strengths various businesses and organizations have, can be advantageous to the community as a whole.

As we begin looking at ways to promote social capital in businesses in Bowling Alone, Ohio, here are a few ideas just to get the creative juices flowing:

1.  We need to promote volunteerism within businesses. How?

2.  We need to encourage more teamwork within the work area. We might even push for a change in management philosophies to encourage less-autocratic organizational charts and a flattening of the companies. (I don’t know if we can argue this logically, however, because Bowling Alone had more social capital during a time when the workplace was much more top-down. I only argue this from the premise that the more responsibility that we give to our employees, the more we will build up their leadership abilities. It should then follow that they will be more engaged in the workplace with a side advantage that they will take these skills out into the community.)

3.  We should encourage more diversity on the workplace.

4.  We could push for a reconfiguring of worksite designs to encourage interaction and teamwork.

5.  We could encourage businesses to encourage more social gatherings and interactions among the workers. This might include:

1.  Company sports teams

2.  Hobbyists such as photographers or scrapbookers

3.  Fitness/wellness groups such as walkers, cross country skiers

4.  Book clubs or movie clubs

6.  Encouraging volunteerism as a factor for companies to make a hiring decision. As well, they should make it part of evaluation process.

7.  Recruit local business leaders and small business owners to lead and oversee this effort.

8.  Work with local media to get stories about what local businesses are doing.

Social:

·  "In short, as the twenty-first century opens, Americans are going to church less often than we did three or four decades ago, and the churches we go to are less engaged" (Putnam). We need to find ways to increase engagement involvement.

·  Strong community ties and personal relationships build connections throughout the fabric of the community

o  Schools benefit from parental input and presence on campus. It sends signals to students that school is important and of value.

o  Community concerns are more easily addressed when communication channels are open and accessible.

·  Neighborhood watch groups encourage neighbors to get to know one another and create a more caring environment within the community.

·  Social capital improves the quality of life issues that may determine not only if a new business concern comes to town, but what type of businesses choose to locate within the community.

o  Live theater, the symphony, improv theaters

o  Churches

o  Civic auditoriums for conventions, trade shows, entertainment, and sports events

Social capital in the community plays a significant role in every aspect of our personal and community life. The basic idea of social capital is that our family, friends, and acquaintances are important assets in our lives. Whether it’s surviving a crisis, getting a job, or just enjoying the simple pleasantries of life; one can benefit from the people they are most associated. Communities that have an invested interest in social capital are capable of handling various dilemmas and are less vulnerable to life crisis. When social capital is at its peak people spend more time socializing with family, friends, and neighbors.
Here are some suggestions to cultivate social capital in your community:
1. Turn off the television and call an old friend
2. Host a movie night and invite neighbors and friends
3. Participate in a local blood drive by donating blood
4. Forum a local outdoor activity group
5. Start a community garden
6. Take walks with your family, friends or dog
7. Attend a local school play
8. Help fix someone’s flat tire
9. Welcome a new neighbor to town
10. Reach out to a lonely resident or senior citizen
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i25/25a01201.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/03/26/community2/index.html

Kotter, J. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, Mass. ISBN: 0-87584-747-1
John Kotter's website.

Synthesis of discussion on Kotter's Leading Change:
Key Leadership Elements:

·  Establish a clear vision for where we need to go and what Bowling Alone, Ohio will need to look like in the future.

o  communicate this vision

·  Establish a urgency to change within the community.

o  communicate this urgency

o  one idea was to do this through a add campaign targeting various groups.

·  Have a process for managing various stakeholders throughout the change process bringing people into the processes in a strategic way.

o  Establish our guiding coalition

§  With respected and/or powerful enough members of the community to give the guiding coalition weight.

o  Identify and leverage your opinion leaders

·  establish short term wins or intermediate objectives - short term goals that we can reach and measure.

·  empower people with the skills and authority to implement change

What are we trying to get them to do?
They need to get out and do something together (collaboration).
Understand the impact of building social capital (health, economic, safety, etc . . .)
Get involved in their town/community - participate and interact with other community members.

Leading Change Presentation

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Direct link to slideshow: Leading Change
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Leading Change: Kotter
Introduction:
Every leader can profit from Kotter's thinking on a practical eight stage process that should help achieve successful change. His steps include; (1) establishing a sense of urgency, (2) creating a guiding coalition, (3) developing a vision and strategy, (4) communicating the change vision, (5) empowering employees for broad-based action, (6) generating short-term wins, (7) consolidating gains and producing more change, and (8) anchoring new approaches in the culture. These steps can be adapted to organizations of all sizes.
Analysis of text & Questions:
Step 1: A high level of complacency and a low sense of urgency, Kotter asserts, constitute the two most significant impediments to change.
Where do we find complacency in the self-report Bowling Alone, Ohio?
How can we create a sense of urgency?

·  I believe the the greatest ROI in this area can be gained by linking personal health and well being to social capital (see chapter 20)

·  Target parents by highlighting the benefits of social capital and childrens' education and welfare

What should we recommend to our client in regards to avoiding complacency?
Step 2: In order to actuate change within an organization a strong guiding coalition is needed.
What recommendations will we make to our client for building a guiding coalition?
Who will be involved?
In your group how will we build a guiding coalition?
Step 3: Developing a vision and strategy
Vision is the explanation of why a change is needed. Kotter claims that vision is a central component to all great leadership and that it is essential in breaking through the forces that support the status quo.
What recommendations/ strategies will we provide to our client for getting their leaders to share sense of problem, opportunities and commitment?
What recommendations should we give them for creating a vision?

·  It is critical to start with the end in mind - - work backwards in a sense

Do we know what their vision should be? What will be the vision for Bowling Alone, Ohio?
What recommendations / strategies will you provide to our group in regards to visioning?
Step 4: Communicating the change vision
It takes time for organizations to accept and adapt changes.
What communication strategy will you suggest?

·  Well developed and targeted PSA's (public service announcements)

·  We can develop a website similar to www.realage.com that allows people to take a test and obtain their "social capital" score and what it ultimately means to their health, opportunity for economic gains, their safety and the safety of their community, etc . . .

What would be an appropriate timeline?

·  I think the timeline will have to be much longer than suspected. The timeline should be judged by small gains, not "set-in-stone" goals - - maybe 2-5 years?

Step 5: Empowering employees for broad-based action
The concept of empowerment cannot be overlooked when implementing change efforts. Kotter speaks of removing barriers to action that will help the change effort. This allows even the lowest level employees to participate in the change effort
What recommendations will we give our client in regards to empowerment? How can your group (sector) be empowered?
Step 6: Generating short-term wins
Short-term wins are only effective if they are visible to many, the terms are unambiguous, and the victory is closely related to the change effort.
What will be the short-term wins for our client? How can our client make them concrete and visible?
Step 7: consolidating gains and producing more change
What recommendations will we make to our client on how to create a culture of continuous change?