Although organizational social capital (OSC) is widely considered a potential resource for improving organizational performance, extensive research has paid limited attention to how employee well-being may be a positive outcome of OSC. Drawing on social exchange theory, need satisfaction, and spillover approaches, this study explores the effects of OSC on subjective well-being (SWB) through quality of work life (QWL) and job-related outcomes, such as organizational commitment and turnover intention. Using survey data obtained from public employees in South Korea, the results show that QWL mediates not only the association between OSC and organizational commitment but also the relationship between OSC and SWB. These findings highlight the importance of OSC as an intangible asset that can generate both organizational outcomes and employee well-being. In practice, these findings also imply that organizational resources and work environments should favorably respond to employees’ human needs to ensure improved employee well-being.

Although family-friendly policies (FFPs) accommodate the interests of both an organization and its employees, the extant literature has paid limited attention to how employee wellbeing can be a positive outcome of FFPs. Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and spillover theory, this study examines the relationship between FFPs and employees’ subjective wellbeing (SWB) through their sense of work-life balance (WLB) and organizational commitment. Using a survey of 946 South Korean public employees and partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM), this study finds that FFPs are positively and indirectly associated with SWB via its influence on WLB and organizational commitment. The findings imply that through positive spillover effects, FFPs as job resources can generate greater organizational outcomes and better employee wellbeing.

Purpose: The informal dimension of organizational experience can shape performance-relevant employee behavior, including voluntary turnover. The authors develop a multi-stage model of turnover intention relevant to public organizations based on the quality of informal intra-organizational employee ties. Specifically, the authors argue that organizational social capital reduces turnover intention both directly and indirectly via its influence on person-organization fit, organizational cynicism and job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach: The authors use data from a survey of 946 Korean public sector employees and partial least squares structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. A number of checks are performed to evaluate the integrity of the data and probe the robustness of the results.Findings: The authors find that there is a significant link between organizational social capital and turnover intention, but that this relationship is fully mediated by the specified intervening processes. Social capital is associated with increased P-O fit, increased job satisfaction and reduced cynicism. In turn, P-O fit reduces turnover intention both directly and indirectly via increased job satisfaction and reduced cynicism.Originality/value: While a number of studies demonstrate the value of organizational social capital, the current study works through the theoretical mechanisms by which social capital is transformed into valued organizational outputs. Some of these are specifically relevant to public organizations. The authors describe the model's practical relevance and suggest research questions that can build upon our findings. The authors also note the study's limitations.

By analyzing survey data on nuclear energy policy in South Korea, this study examined the influence of citizens’ knowledge on the perceptions of and attitudes to government communication initiatives that are characterized by symmetry and transparency, and their effects in developing institutional legitimacy and policy acceptance. The findings indicate that symmetrical and transparent communication are involved in forming institutional legitimacy and policy acceptance of government decisions on the controversial topic of nuclear energy, but the process differs depending on citizens’ knowledge of the topic. Well-informed citizens who used reasoning were more likely than others to respond positively to symmetrical and transparent communication, which shaped their support for institutional legitimacy and policy acceptance on nuclear energy policy issues. These findings provide some of the first empirical evidence of the effectiveness of government communication.

Given the growing importance of climate technology and its early stage of industrial development, the Korean government has supported climate-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through various policy measures, including credit guarantees. Although the extant literature argues that government financial support plays an important role in the growth of high-tech firms, research has been limited on the impacts of government financial support on company growth in the context of the climate-related industry. Using a sample of 582 climate-tech SMEs in Korea, this study explores the moderating effects of credit guarantees on the relationship between patents and firms’ sales growth as well as their direct effects on growth. This study found that credit guarantees and patent registration have positive effects on the increase in sales volume. Additionally, credit guarantees appear to weaken the relationship between patent registration and the sales growth rate. Based on these findings, we propose that, to develop the climate-technology industry, the voluntary innovation efforts of enterprises should be encouraged and credit guarantees should be provided for SMEs. In terms of managerial interventions, the government should especially avoid providing excessive benefits.