Human capital study: experience of empirical testing of complex tools

Abstract

This article approbates the Russian-language version of an interdisciplinary toolkit for human capital resources research. The Russian-language toolkit for measuring systematically organized human resources, which are consistent with social capital theory and intensively developing typology of psychological capital resources in the version of A. Moses, F. Lutens and V. Avoglio, is verified for the first time, determining the article’s scientific novelty. The toolkit has a two-level structure: general (external to the organization) and specific (internal) resources. Contemporary human capital theory assumes that people have different knowledge, skills, and abilities that can be successfully applied in solving work problems. The definition of social capital includes the concepts of trust, embeddedness, social support, and social exchange. The definition of psychological capital integrates four sub-indices: efficiency (based on trust and confidence), hope, optimism, and resilience. The empirical basis of the study includes the results of a mass sociological survey (N = 1 261). The sample represents the working population of the Tyumen Region 18 over years old (as of 2020). This has required using the methods of correlation and factor analysis. The results show the interrelationships and latent factors of the multidimensional construction of human, social and psychological capital in connection with concepts of trust and social well-being. The authors have identified the features of the Russian structure of human capital. The confidence in self-efficiency, as well as self-reliance, resilience, optimism, and belief in being in demand at work most strongly explain the variations in human capital in the Russian case. Thus, psychological capital is built into the concept of labor motivation, since it reflects willingness to work systematically, as well as employees’ perception of their socio-psychological characteristics, optimal to perform current and strategic work tasks. The social capital builds up in a multidimensional structure, when generalized trust and the strength of social contacts at work are almost orthogonal to each other.