The influence of social capital and self-efficacy on work alienation: A research in health sector

It is a fact that changes and development in the economy, social and technological environment directly affect organizations. Besides, the positive or negative changes that the human resource, which is an indispensable value for the organizations, lived in itself affect organizations at least as much as other factors. Work alienation, which leads to consequences that can be difficult to compensate for the organization in particular, is a controversial phenomenon as an obstacle to change and development. Social environment, social network and inter-individual relations, in other words, social capital has a strong effect on the changes experinced by individuals who has direct influences on organizations. Social capital corresponds to all of the potential resources that exist in social network and emerge from social network relationships that individuals possess. The individual uses both these potential resources to shape both private and business life. Besides, it is thought that the power of the network relations existing in the individuals feeds the self-sufficency of the individual which is the belief in one's own abilities and skills to overcome the events that the individual experiences in life. In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of social capital and self-sufficiency on work alienation and the mediating role of self-sufficiency in the relation between social capital and work alienation. In accordance with this aim, the effects of eight sub-dimensions of social capital (participation in local commitees, social representation, trust and security sentiments, neighborhood relations, family and friends relations, tolerans to diversity, value of life, working relations) and self-efficacy on three sub-dimensions of work alienation: weakness, meaninglessness and self-alienation. Depending on the purpose of the research, first a large literature search was made on concepts and theoretical information was given. Then, the first-hand data collection technique was preferred and the survey questionnaire was applied to the employees of public hospitals operating in the health sector in Adana province. The data collected from 462 participants was used in the analysis of the study. In this study, as a result of the T test and Anova analysis to determine the differences of social capital, self-efficacy and work alienation variables between demographic groups; it has been determined that the social capital levels of employees differ according to age and self-efficacy belief perceptions differ according to type of task and education levels. As a result of the correlation analysis made to determine the relations between the variables; it has been determined that, social capital has positive and significant relationships between self-efficacy and its all sub-dimensions except participation in local commitee. Along with that, negative and significant relations were found between the social capital's all sub-dimensions except participation in the local comitee and neighborhood relations and weakness and meaninglessness sub-dimensions of work alienation. Regression analysis was performed to reveal the severity of the effects of the variables on each other. It has been determined that, all other sub-dimensions of the social capital (social representation, trust and security sentiments, neighborhood relations, family and friends relations, tolerans to diversity, value of life and working relations) excluding the participation in local committee sub-dimension, affect the perception of self-efficacy positively; social capital's value of life and working relationships sub-dimensions affect the weakness, meaninglessness and self-alienation sub-dimensions of work-alienation negative and significantly; social capital's neighborhood relations sub-dimension affects weakness sub-dimension of work-alienation negative and significantly. A simple mediation test was performed to test the interm varible role in the relationship of self-efficacy with social capital and work alienation. With this analysis it has been understood that, the relationship between social capital and work alienation is under the influence of self-efficacy and self-efficacy has a partial mediation role as an interim variable in this relationship.