Organizational Nepotism in Public Organizations, Conceptualization, Effective Factors and Consequenses

Organizational nepotism is a collection of psychological and sociological processes related to the family considerations and favoritism existing inside and outside an organization representing the existence of corruption, discrimination and the influence of relation instead of standards in performing organizational actions. This study attempts to introduce a model of organizational nepotism in public sector institutions using qualitative research method and grounded theory strategy and also identify and explain the influencing factors on this behavior and related organizational results. Therefore, 14 top managers of five public organizations in Bushehr were interviewed as a sample using theoretical, purposeful and semi-structural method and the interview text was analyzed in three stages of open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The results showed that relational attitude as a pivotal phenomenon and in interaction with other factors leads to the formation of organizational nepotism. The relation of these factors has been represented in the final model of the study. Interest-seeking, ethnicity and ignoring public interests and rights has a tremendous influence in forming the attitude toward managers’ relational attitude and ultimately, this attitude is the basis for the emergence of an abusive phenomenon of organizational kinship.