本稿では経営資源とくに知識の創造と活用に対する協力関係や自発的関与が、どのように確保されるかについて考察する。まず経済学の立場から、取引コスト理論、エージェンシー理論、そして所有権理論をとりあげる。取引コスト理論によると市場では情報の偏在と限定合理性の制約のために機会主義的行動が発生する。そうした機会主義的行動の発生を抑えるために組織は形成されるとの説明がなされる。しかし、組織を形成したからといって、情報の偏在や限定合理性の制約が解決するわけではない。階層組織のなかで当該活動を行うとしても、エージェンシー問題の発生は抑止されない。経営資源との関わりにおいて各当事者の努力を引き出す新たな理論として所有権理論があるが、人と一体化した知識に関わる努力を引き出すインセンティブ設計は難しい。経済学の各理論からの対応策が上手く働かないとすれば、他のアプローチをとる必要がある。当事者間のネットワークがもたらす諸効果はソーシャルキャピタルと呼ばれる。本稿ではソーシャルキャピタルの一環として、経営資源の創造や活用に関わる当事者間の協力や自発的関与が実現されることを示す。とくに知識の創造と活用の局面では、主体間のさまざまな知識や情報の結合と交換が必要となる。そこではネットワークにて生じる信頼関係、共通目的、そして協力へのモチベーションが大きな役割を果たしていると考えられる。

Many scholars view organizational advantage as accruing from particular resources within organizations. They view knowledge as the source of resources that provide sustainable competitive advantage in a market. New knowledge is created by an individual through mutual interaction, and is stored within the individual's brain. As tacit knowledge is codified, it makes it easier for people to understand and use this knowledge. Cooperation between individuals is necessary for creating and utilizing new knowledge. Economic theories such as those that analyze transaction costs, principal-agency, and property rights, attempt to find factors that initiate cooperation. However, such theories failed because they viewed people in terms of the economic man (or homo economicus) model for pursuing their own interests. These theories often ignore the shared interests of organizations or communities. In this article we seek cooperation from the viewpoint of social capital. The proposition of social capital is defined as a network of relationships that constitute a valuable resource for conducting social affairs. A dense network increases social capital to create and transfer knowledge through continuous interactions in a particular set of people. Organizations are conducive to the development of high level of social capital.

Many scholars view organizational advantage as accruing from particular resources within organizations. They view knowledge as the source of resources that provide sustainable competitive advantage in a market. New knowledge is created by an individual through mutual interaction, and is stored within the individual's brain. As tacit knowledge is codified, it makes it easier for people to understand and use this knowledge. Cooperation between individuals is necessary for creating and utilizing new knowledge. Economic theories such as those that analyze transaction costs, principal-agency, and property rights, attempt to find factors that initiate cooperation. However, such theories failed because they viewed people in terms of the economic man (or homo economicus) model for pursuing their own interests. These theories often ignore the shared interests of organizations or communities. In this article we seek cooperation from the viewpoint of social capital. The proposition of social capital is defined as a network of relationships that constitute a valuable resource for conducting social affairs. A dense network increases social capital to create and transfer knowledge through continuous interactions in a particular set of people. Organizations are conducive to the development of high level of social capital.

Resource based view, Social capital, Cooperation, Network, Organization