The Role of Social Capital in Empowering the Employees of the Environment Organization (Case Study: Ahvaz County)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of social capital in empowering employees of the Ahvaz Environment Organization. The statistical population of the study included all employees of this organization (N = 70) which was used due to the limited number of employees. This descriptive-correlational study was performed using a survey technique and the data collection tool was a questionnaire whose reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and its rate for empowerment and social capital were 0.85 and 0.91, respectively. The validity of the content was also confirmed by consulting the faculty members of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Education of Khuzestan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Findings showed that all components of social capital including social trust, social cohesion, social participation and social awareness among the employees of the Environment Organization were moderate and the level of employee empowerment was moderate. The results of correlation coefficient showed that the components considered for measuring social capital had a positive and significant correlation with empowerment. The results of regression coefficient showed the ability to explain 39.9% of variance by social participation and social awareness variables.