Designing an Organizational Social Capital Model in the Ministry of Education: The Case Study of Lorestan General Office of Education

The purpose of this study was to design a model for the development of social capital in the Ministry of Education. This study was applied in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of research method. The statistical population included all experts, professors, and top managers of educational management domain and Training and Improvement Department of Human Resources Office in Lorestan Province who have experience and have been active in the education arena. Sampling was done using purposive sampling up to the theoretical saturation point through snowball technique. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data related to research questions. Then, the three overlapping processes of grounded theory conceptualization (namely open, axial, and selective coding) were applied to analyze the data. The results showed that “structural, managerial, individual, and organizational developments” were the central categories. The “interaction, knowledge management, and facilities and logistics” categories were the causes that had an active role in the creation and development of social capital in the Ministry of Education. Strategies involved “cultural, recreational, and scientific activities, networking, and knowledge cycle.” Ccontextual conditions were “employees’ problems, organizational environment, and employee groups.” The intervening factors of the paradigmatic model included “human resource management strategies and organizational structure and culture.” Finally, “individual and organizational consequences” were found to be the consequences of social capital development.