Workplace friendships
- Workplace friendships, i.e., when work colleagues are also friends, are a widespread phenomenon in organizations which has attracted increasing research interest in recent decades. Numerous studies have investigated consequences of workplace friendships and found positive outcomes, such as increased employee job satisfaction or organizational performance, as well as negative outcomes, such as decreased knowledge-sharing between different friendship cliques. Other studies have examined what shapes workplace friendships, focusing on determinants such as personality or the spatial composition of organizations. Finally, an increasing number of studies focus on multiplex workplace friendships, where employees who are friends are also linked by a specific work-focused relationship. In this chapter, we first take stock of the literature on workplace friendships by providing an overview of their antecedents and consequences at the individual, the group, and the organizational level, and review the smaller body of research on multiplexWorkplace friendships, i.e., when work colleagues are also friends, are a widespread phenomenon in organizations which has attracted increasing research interest in recent decades. Numerous studies have investigated consequences of workplace friendships and found positive outcomes, such as increased employee job satisfaction or organizational performance, as well as negative outcomes, such as decreased knowledge-sharing between different friendship cliques. Other studies have examined what shapes workplace friendships, focusing on determinants such as personality or the spatial composition of organizations. Finally, an increasing number of studies focus on multiplex workplace friendships, where employees who are friends are also linked by a specific work-focused relationship. In this chapter, we first take stock of the literature on workplace friendships by providing an overview of their antecedents and consequences at the individual, the group, and the organizational level, and review the smaller body of research on multiplex workplace friendships. Second, we critically discuss practical implications of workplace friendships, focusing on their relevance to three current challenges for employees and organizations: the increase in virtual work, social inequalities in organizations, and the increased overlap of professional and private life. Finally, we provide recommendations for organizations on how to address these challenges and effectively manage workplace friendships.…
Author details: | Natalie A. David, James A. Coutinho, Julia BrenneckeORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16640-2_11 |
ISBN: | 978-3-031-16639-6 |
ISBN: | 978-3-031-16640-2 |
Title of parent work (English): | Understanding workplace relationships |
Subtitle (English): | antecedents, consequences, and new challenges for employees and organizations |
Publisher: | Palgrave Macmillan |
Place of publishing: | Cham |
Editor(s): | Alexandra Gerbasi, Cécile Emery, Andrew Parker |
Publication type: | Part of a Book |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2023/02/21 |
Publication year: | 2023 |
Release date: | 2024/07/08 |
Number of pages: | 44 |
First page: | 325 |
Last Page: | 368 |
Organizational units: | Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Wirtschaftswissenschaften / Fachgruppe Betriebswirtschaftslehre |
DDC classification: | 3 Sozialwissenschaften / 33 Wirtschaft / 330 Wirtschaft |
Peer review: | Nicht ermittelbar |
External remark: | Correction: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16640-2_14 |