Family social capital and career advancement: the mediating role of family-to-work enrichment and the moderating role of perceived organizational politics

Abstract

PurposeDrawing on social capital theory, this study investigated the effects of structural, cognitive and relational family social capital on employees' career advancement through the mechanism of family-to-work enrichment (FWE), taking perceived organizational politics (POP) as a moderator.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 252 full-time employees working in public institutions and government departments in China, a collectivist cultural context. Hierarchical regression and path analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses.FindingsFWE significantly mediated the positive relationships between the three subtypes of family social capital and career advancement. The effects of structural and cognitive family social capital, but not relational family social capital (RFSC), on FWE were stronger when POP was low (vs high).Research limitations/implicationsFWE is arguably a promising mechanism for explaining the links between family social capital and career outcomes. However, due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, conclusions regarding causality remain limited.Practical implicationsFamily social capital may enrich the careers of employees in collectivist cultures. Managers should mitigate their organization's political climate to promote employees' career advancement.Originality/valueThis study contributes to career research by linking family social capital to career outcomes through the lens of FWE for the first time and by identifying organizational politics as an important moderator that can influence the dynamics of resource enrichment in a collectivist culture.