The Role of Social Capital in Shaping Management in Jordan: A Case Study on Umniah Company

Abstract

This research describes a research project that examines the role of social capital in shaping management in the Jordanian telecoms sector, more precisely Umniah Company. In doing so it has sought to examine the relationship between social capital and the emergence of specifically 'Arab' approaches to management. Case study investigation is used to explore and elucidate the 'lived experience' of management in this organization. The interviews material has shown that social capital is playing a major role in shaping the practice of management. The case study provides empirical support for the idea that this is sustained by networking behavior, by relatively high levels of trust and by the existence of shared norms. The lack of studies on social capital from a management perspective and the lack of studies of such research in the Middle East in general, more precisely Jordan, make this research a path finding research and contributes toward the development of Jordan and contributed towards Arab management by entering Arab management in the management discourse.