| The contemporary volatile environment in which organizations operate inherently presents continuous challenges and threats to organizational enhancement. In such contexts, the factors that motivate employees to remain engaged and productive, even amidst crises, become critically important for ensuring organizational success and efficiency. Fostering greater workplace camaraderie can significantly enhance employees’ psychological capital, thereby ensuring their sustained commitment to the organization’s mission and objectives despite unfavorable circumstances. Consequently, the present study was undertaken to identify and analyze the antecedents and consequences of the Workplace Friendship phenomenon within governmental organizations in Lorestan Province. Methodologically, the research is applied in its objective and exploratory in its data gathering. It employs a mixed-methods design, integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches, anchored in a deductive-inductive philosophical framework. The statistical population comprised experts in management and human resources, sampled purposefully based on the criterion of theoretical saturation. In the qualitative phase, data were collected via semi-structured interviews, with validity and reliability established through content validity, theoretical validity, and both inter-coder and intra-coder reliability assessments. In the quantitative phase, a questionnaire served as the data collection instrument, validated through content validity and test-retest reliability. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed via Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM). The findings reveal that trust and transparency, organizational belongingness, and organizational justice constitute the most salient antecedents of Workplace Friendship. Furthermore, the components identified as the most significant consequences include enhanced organizational resilience, knowledge and experience transfer, and improved individual performance within the governmental organizations of Lorestan Province. |
