Unlocking the human and social capital of individual board directors - A qualitative study of the individual board director's contribution as a resource provider within unlisted SMEs

Abstract: The role of the board is becoming increasingly important for the success and development of the firm. Yet, how individual board directors contribute remains unclear. This study will therefore focus on how individual directors draw on their human and social capital as resource providers to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). An interview study was conducted with 22 experienced board directors in Sweden to identify, on a detailed level, what dimensions of human and social capital that are perceived as particularly important to be able to contribute to the board work. The findings from the study imply that the directors exhibit their role as resource providers around 15 dimensions related to six categories including education, work experience, skills, characteristics, bridging and bonding. The results enhance the knowledge about human and social capital dimensions, and primarily with respect to how they are manifested in the boardroom. It further enables the possibility to review them from a detailed and practical perspective, which goes beyond the existing rough measures provided by previous literature.