Exploring the Relationship Between Social Capital and Job Satisfaction: the Moderating Influence of Organizational Politics in Mongolia’s Energy Sector
Keywords:
Social capital, Job satisfaction, Organizational politics, Employee well-being, Mongolia, Workplace networksAbstract
This study investigates the relationship between social capital and job satisfaction in Mongolia’s energy sector, examining perceived organizational politics as a moderator. Using a cross-sectional survey, data was collected from 237 employees at the Second Thermal Power Plant in Ulaanbaatar. Social capital was assessed through workplace networks, leadership trust, and organizational norms; job satisfaction through pay, supervision, co-worker relations/nature of work, and career development; and perceived organizational politics through general political behavior, “getting ahead” practices, and ambiguity in pay and promotion decisions.
Results indicate that social capital is positively associated with job satisfaction. The strongest associations emerged between organizational norms and career satisfaction and between workplace networks and satisfaction with co-workers and the nature of work. Leadership trust was not significantly related to supervisory satisfaction. Regression analysis showed that social capital significantly predicted job satisfaction (, ), but this relationship weakened when organizational politics was perceived to be high (, ), consistent with a moderating effect.
The study extends Putnam’s trust-norm-network framework to organizational settings and suggests that reducing political ambiguity and strengthening transparency may enhance employee well-being and job satisfaction.
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