Social Capital Formation in EU ICT SMEs: The Role Played by the Mobility of Knowledge Workers

Abstract

This paper aims to describe the process of social capital formation in information and communication technologies (ICT) small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in incubators in various European Union regions as part of the entrepreneurial process. It provides insights regarding understanding the growth process in EU ICT SMEs by connecting the formation of social capital and networks with current work trends of ICT knowledge workers. Utilising Bourdieu and Wacquant's reflexive sociology and their comprehensive theory of capital transformation, including cultural capital, it stresses the central role played by social capital formation in company growth in the sector under study. Simultaneously, it provides a theoretical explanation for challenges ICT entrepreneurs face in this process because of changing work patterns.