Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

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Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam.
This book hit a collective nerve and propelled what is an intensive, detailed study of social change in the US to a relative best seller. In his seminal book “Bowling Alone”, Putnam chronicled the social changes in the United States which have led to a reduction in social capital. Putnam used bowling as a metaphor to illustrate the growing isolation of many Americans. Bowling is still a popular social pastime, but more and more Americans are now "bowling alone" rather than in leagues.
What exactly is social capital? It's described as an informal network of mutual aid and information exchange that keeps communities thriving. Crucially this network can act as a strong support for satisfaction and happiness.

Bowling Alone is a detailed and painstaking discussion and, although not an easy book to read, is worth taking some time over. Putnam shows how changes in work, family structure, age, suburban life, television, computers, women's roles and other factors have all contributed to the decline in social capital.
He also points towards possible answers, and to why this issue matters. For example, Putnam asks:

"What is the single most common finding from half a century of research on the correlates of life satisfaction?" His research gives a surprisingly clear answer:

It is “that happiness is best predicted by the breadth and depth of one’s social connections.”

Putnam covers some significant topics of much relevance to the happy manager. He reviews the importance of the workplace in re-building social capital. For you as an individual, can the workplace help build social capital? For you as a manager, does social capital in the workplace help organisations become more productive? The picture isn't clear, but there are some indicators: "people with friends at work are happier at work."

Putnam also gives us cause to think about other aspects of our lives which may impact on our happiness. His sections on money issues, dual incomes, time pressures, and mobility all help summarise the stressful nature of modern life. Then in his section on health and happiness, Putnam argues the importance of social capital in dealing with that stress...

"of all the domains in which I have traced the consequences of social capital, in none is the importance of social connectedness so well established as in the case of health and well-being....Social connectedness matters to our lives in the most profound way."

Putnam's summarises his intent neatly with this statement:

“In small ways......and in large ways, too – we Americans need to reconnect with one another. That is the simple argument of this book.”

In raising his concerns and presenting a sobering picture, Putnam powerfully illustrates the benefits of building social capital, our social connectedness. His book is brimmimg with facts and insights which ask the question: why aren't we paying more attention to social capital when it has such a positive effect on us all?

Some Suggestions to Get the Most from This Book.

You might find it useful to read some of our articles alongside Bowling alone. These use the wisdom of Putnam's work but applied to the context of being a happy manager!

For example, we build on the social benefit Putnam identifies, to ask how people arefinding happiness in life. Putnam proposes some startling answers.

In why are happy people so happy?, the need for more integrated and balanced lives is explored.

Putnam raises some very important issues about society as a whole. He asks questions about the kind of society we want to build and how we might build it. If the evidence seems to point to increased happiness resulting from increased social connectedness, why aren't we doing more about it? Bowling alone is a call to start doing more and to start now.

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