Purpose - There has been limited research examining the influence of
inter-organisational relationships and the social capital they may
nurture in building SCRES. The authors aim to explore how three
dimensions of social capital (cognitive, structural and relational) may
act as facilitators or enablers of the four formative capabilities for
SCRES (i.e. flexibility, velocity, visibility, and collaboration),
identified by Jüttner and Maklan. Design/methodology/approach - Data
were collected from three separate tiers of the supply chain involved in
the response to an extreme event (the Lambrigg, UK rail crash). Using a
social constructionist approach, the paper explores how social capital
may enable the emergence of formative capabilities for resilience.
Findings - The data suggest that the dimensions of social capital may
play an influential role in facilitating the four formative capabilities
for SCRES and indicate the potential for these to be mutually
reinforcing. Research limitations/implications - The paper provides an
illustration of some links between resilience and social capital
constructs within one supply network, in the context of crisis response.
Different types of network and contexts may result in other outcomes
and have other facilitating effects upon SCRES. These findings should be
explored within other contexts. Practical implications - The authors
highlight that social capital may be nurtured deliberately or emerge as a
consequence of relationships within a network. Formal efforts to build
network communications, norms of reciprocity may create the conditions
for appropriable organisations to emerge when faced with extreme events.
Originality/value - Drawing from a social capital perspective, this
paper contributes to a fuller understanding of notions of relational
capital.