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Organizational research reveals that managers underprioritize social capital development for emerging leaders, indicating network expansion is critical alongside skill building for future influence.
High-performing employees who are tapped as potential leaders often don’t get the help they need building social capital in an organization. Although social capital is key to developing the influence future leaders will need to be effective, managers often prioritize providing experiences that build skills and job performance rather than making assignments that help individuals broaden their networks. Recent research offers lessons on how social capital is built and tends to operate in practice.
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James Areago (2026) studied this question.
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