Abstract
The purpose of this research is to present and analyze a pathology model of social capital within organizations. This study is exploratory in terms of its objective, cross‑sectional in its time dimension, and inductive in its theoretical approach. The statistical population of the study includes 86 managers and experts of Tehran Municipality, selected through non‑probability and non‑random sampling methods. A questionnaire was used to collect data for the research. To analyze the data, SPSS and AMOS software were utilized. The results indicated that the pathology model of social capital in organizations is identified through 6 categories of causal conditions, 3 categories of contextual factors, 6 categories of the core phenomenon, 3 categories of intervening factors, 10 categories of strategic factors, and 8 categories of consequences. The results of confirmatory factor analysis show that the factor loadings of all items are above 0.4 and have not been removed from the model, thus the considered indices are good measures for the identified factors. Furthermore, based on the results of structural equations modeling, the level of significance of the path indices is less than 0.05, indicating that the relationships between variables are significant. The path coefficients also demonstrated a positive relationship among all variables.
Introduction
Today, social capital is recognized as a key determinant of success and failure in natural resource management (Lopez, 2012). In societies with high levels of social capital, residents tend to lead healthier and happier lives and exhibit greater resilience against psychological stress (Weil et al., 2012). Social capital is considered one of the environmental factors determining a community’s level of adaptation and health, benefiting individuals in various ways. The primary benefit is the dissemination of information regarding health-promoting behaviors and the adoption of healthy lifestyles among individuals (Van Tran et al., 2024). Social capital, or social ties embedded in diverse cultural contexts, represents valuable resources that imbue individuals with a sense of identity. This conceptualization of identity fosters positive emotional experiences (Shan & Tian, 2022). Organizational social capital can be defined as the network structure based on mutual relationships and informal ties among organizational members, stemming from the trust among them. Consequently, trust serves as a tool for the more effective and easier achievement of their goals. Trust not only improves relationships among members within an organization but also enhances the organization’s capacity to interact with its external environment (Akbari Tabar, 2017).
In line with the evolution of urban theories, concepts of social capital have also entered urban planning. Today, pursuing approaches based on increasing social capital levels in communities and utilizing it across various levels of urban planning and design activities is recognized as an effective solution for reducing social costs, enhancing the quality of life, and improving the efficiency of urban management programs. Accordingly, based on conducted research, no study has specifically presented a social capital model within the Tehran Municipality, indicating a literature gap in this domain. Therefore, considering the aforementioned discussions and the significance of social capital in modern urban planning and management approaches, the present study aims to fill this research gap within the Tehran Municipality by presenting a model of social capital. It seeks to determine the status of social capital in the Tehran Municipality based on the proposed model. Consequently, in pursuit of this objective, the main research question is: What is the pathology model of social capital within the organization?
Theoretical Framework
Social Capital
Social capital, alongside economic and human capital, can be considered a component of national wealth, providing a suitable foundation for leveraging human and physical (material) capital, and serving as a pathway to success. No society can achieve any form of capital without social capital; many human groups, organizations, and societies have attained success relying solely on human and social capital, without economic capital. However, no human collective can undertake beneficial and purposeful actions without social capital (Khatiri et al., 2019).
Ahmadi et al. (2025) investigated the relationship between social capital and entrepreneurial spirit among students. According to the analytical findings of the research, there is a positive and significant relationship between social capital and entrepreneurial spirit. Furthermore, none of the demographic variables showed a significant relationship with entrepreneurial spirit. The conclusion of the present study is that by increasing social capital, the entrepreneurial spirit among students can be enhanced, thereby contributing to addressing a significant social issue in the country, namely the unemployment of graduates.
Ben-Hador & Hopkins (2025) examined organizational policies, social capital, and employee performance. Employees’ perceptions of organizational policies are predominantly negative and lead to adverse outcomes. Intraclass social capital acts as a job resource that can mitigate the negative impact of perceived organizational policy, viewed as a job demand.
Research Methodology
This research is exploratory in terms of its objective, cross-sectional in its time dimension, and inductive in its theoretical approach. The statistical population of the study comprises 86 managers and experts of Tehran Municipality, selected by non-probability and non-random sampling methods. A questionnaire was employed to collect the data for this research.
Research Findings
To analyze the data, SPSS and AMOS software were utilized. The results indicated that the pattern of social capital pathology in the organization was identified through 6 categories: causal conditions (3 themes), contextual factors (4 themes), the core phenomenon (6 themes), intervening factors (3 themes), strategic factors (10 themes), and consequences (8 themes). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the factor loadings for all items were above 0.40 and were not removed from the model. Therefore, the observed indices are good measures for the identified factors. Furthermore, based on the structural equation modeling (SEM) results, the significance level of the path indices is less than 0.05 (p < 0.05), indicating a significant relationship between the variables. The path coefficients demonstrated a positive relationship among all variables.
Conclusion
The present research was conducted with the aim of presenting and analyzing the pattern of social capital pathology in organizations. The findings of this study are consistent with the results of previous research by Ahmadi et al. (2025), Ben-Hador & Hopkins (2025), Fathi Bajestani et al. (2025), Hamzehei (2024), Zolghadr et al. (2024), Mahmoudi & Pourshahabi (2023), Saadati (2023), Saroukhani et al. (2021), and Troise et al. (2020). Fathi Bajestani et al. (2025) demonstrated that the pattern of social capital’s role in leveraging international business opportunities within the petrochemical industry consists of two parts: core factors and their indicators. This model is comprised of indicators that form the core and heart of the model.
Based on the research findings, the following suggestions are proposed:
The Tehran Municipality should continuously monitor, track, and observe these dynamics. It should refrain from politically motivated and subjective selection of individuals for professional and non-political positions. Furthermore, actions should be taken to engage retirees and utilize their experience and knowledge.
It is recommended that while considering normative rationality within the municipality; the values and norms of society, stakeholders, and customers should always be taken into account to strengthen organizational reputation and create a positive corporate image in their minds.