Requirements for improving social capital among faculty members of medical universities: A multicenter qualitative study

Abstract

Introduction: Social capital is critical to organizational dynamics, particularly in developing countries. This study explored strategies for enhancing social capital among faculty members at seven medical universities in the south of Iran.

Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2021. We used a purposeful sampling technique to recruit faculty members and conducted individual semi-structured interviews with them. Thematic analysis was used to analyze and describe the collected data.

Results: A total of 49 faculty members (34 males; 15 females) participated in this study. The participants expressed satisfaction with their affiliations with medical universities. Social capital was related to the feeling of belonging to the organization, as well as to interpersonal and intra-organizational relations. Social capital was associated with three components: empowerment, organizational policy change, and organizational identification. Additionally, a dynamic relationship between the individual, interpersonal, and macro-organizational levels reinforced the organization's social capital. This means that, just as the macro-organizational level affects the members' identities, the members' activism affects the macro-organizational level.

Conclusion: To strengthen the organization's social capital, managers should work on the mentioned components at the individual, interpersonal, and macro-organizational levels.

Keywords: faculty members; medical education; medical schools; organizational identification; social capital.

Figure 1

A schema of influential factors on social capital.