The Role of Social Capital in the Job Performance Mediated by Teamwork (Case Study: Bu Ali Sina University Staffs)

Compared with physical and human capital, social capital plays a very important role in organizations and societies (Lin & Huang, 2009:191). The lack of social capital not only causes other capitals to lose their effectiveness but also creates difficulties in the paths of cultural and economic development (Paxton, 1999:92). Social capital provides a working basis for human and physical capital productivity and is central to the development of organizational resources (Ferri, Deakins & Whittam, 2009:141). Social capital theory has become increasingly important in recent decades, stressing the importance of social networking benefits (Kim & Kim, 2017). The theory contends that social relationships provide a basis for the exchange of resources and information, as well as knowledge for network members (Kim, Lee & Bonn, 2016). Social capital influences teamwork and job performance because as Adler and Kwon (2002: 31) state, the first advantage of social capital is the distribution of information. Social capital facilitates access to broader information sources and improves the quality, relevance, and appropriateness of information. They argue that the creation of networks of influence, control, and power is another advantage of social capital. They also acknowledge that coherence is the third factor in social capital theory. Portes (1998:10) considers the innovative and exploratory power of social capital from two aspects: first, this concept emphasizes the positive consequences of socialization and neglects the less attractive features. Second, it locates positive consequences beyond the discussion of capital and attracts the attention to how such non-monetary forms (e.g., the volume of assets or bank accounts) can be significant sources of power and effectiveness.  

The research method is quantitative using structural equation modeling to analyze the data. The study uses descriptive statistics and correlational techniques to answer the research questions. The study’s population included all 735 Bu-Ali Sina University staff. Based on Morgan’s Table, the final sample size was determined. Using a simple random sampling method, 253 participants were selected and surveyed. The data were collected using Nahapit and Goshal’s (1998) Social Capital Inventory (a 28-items Likert scale questionnaire measuring three dimensions of Relational, Cognitive and Structural), Lencioni (2006) Teamwork Questionnaire (a 19-items Likert scale questionnaire assessing five dimensions of commitment, trust, responsibility, constructive contact, and purposefulness), and  Paterson's (1963) Job Performance Questionnaire (a15-item Likert scale questionnaire). Cronbach's alpha was used to measure the reliability of the instruments. The internal consistency reliability of the questionnaires was as follows: social capital (0.90), teamwork (0.942), and job performance (0.91). This indicates that the instruments were internally acceptable. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to examine the validity of the instruments. To analyze the data, frequency distribution, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson correlation matrix were used. Confirmatory path analysis was run using LISREL.

The results showed that the variables of social capital and teamwork have a positive effect on University staffs’ job performance at 0.05 level. It was also found that social capital mediated by teamwork has a positive and significant effect on job performance at the 0.05 level. Based on the results of fitness indices in the confirmatory path analysis of the research model, we can conclude that, a) according to the assigned criterion, the ratio of χ² to df indicates that the conceptual model fits well with the measurement model, b) the value of the RMSEA index is acceptable, indicating the acceptable level of error, and c) the values of CFI, GFI and AGFI indices indicate the appropriate fitness of the structural model. Thus, according to the obtained results, it can be pointed out that the structural model of the study is acceptable. To justify the results, it can be argued that social capital enables the organization to acquire, combine, recombine, release resources and rebuild its capabilities in response to the environment dynamics (Lee, Li & Wu, 2018). Social capital refers to the capital that results from the interaction with individuals (Schenkel & Garrison, 2009: 527). It is inherently found in social relationships within an organization and is considered an important organizational asset (Andrews, 2010). Trust and mutual interaction that are indicators of social capital enhance teamwork and collaboration in the workplace (Read & Laschinger, 2015). It critically facilitates access to information and resources to promote performance and environmental opportunities (Jansen, Curşeu, Vermeulen, Geurts & Gibcus, 2013). Social capital along with characteristics of social life, norms, and trust enables participants to work together to achieve their shared goals more effectively (Chou, 2006). Social capital is a multidimensional concept that represents the characteristics of individuals and influences their social relationship and collaboration (Nenadovic & Epstein, 2016). It is demonstrated that social capital facilitates coordination and collaboration among employees, leading to greater productivity within the organization (Sulemana, 2015:1301).