Friendship Among Coworkers 127similar to ourselves: Organizations tend to select similar kinds of people, and in turn
people who feel that they match well to the organization tend to stay (Schneider,
1987). Beyond working for the same organization, coworkers are likely to be in
the same profession and have a similar educational background. Mutual attraction
is also essential in the formation of friendships, that is, we like those who like us
(Hays, 1985; Johnson, 1989) and this no doubt holds true in a workplace context.
In a work context we are often in a position to work with, help, or be helped by,
our colleagues (Halbesleben & Wheeler, 2011); instrumentality, reciprocity, and
cooperation are all factors that can lead to friendships developing. Finally, trust is a
key factor in genuine friendship (Fehr, 1996). It is possible that colleagues who have
built trust in the preexisting collegial relationship will be relatively more likely to
trust one another if and when their relationship develops into a friendship (Lewicki
& Bunker, 1996; Sias & Cahill, 1998). The process of friendship evolution from peer
to friend, then from friend to close friend, and finally from close friend to almost-
best- friend was examined by Sias and Cahill (1998). They found each of these tran-
sitions to be associated with different types of communication; with intimacy, trust,
and self- disclosure becoming more frequent as the relationships deepened.
As well as the individual, communication, and dyadic factors that influence if
and how coworker friendships evolve, the workplace itself can either facilitate or
hinder friendships simply through varying proximity. There has been a great deal of
research indicating that people who work closely with each other are more likely to
become friends (e.g., Athanasiou & Yoshioka, 1973; McPherson et al., 2001; Schutte
& Light, 1978). Aspects of the workplace such as the physical layout, schedules, job
routines, and task interdependence influence how frequently people interact, and
thus play a part in the formation of friendships. In addition, the culture or climate
of an organization, and the behavioral norms of other employees will have a pro-
found influence on whether or not employees have the opportunity to make friends
(Nielsen et al., 2000). Organizations that enable physical proximity offer opportu-
nities to identify similarities and build trust, and this in turn enhances friendships
among coworkers. This can be facilitated by organizing social and team- building
events or having a communal lunch room or relaxation areas and games rooms (Tse
et al., 2008). This contrasts with organizations that provide no structures to support
informal interaction, such as having policies that prohibit chatting informally with
others during work time, or on off- work topics; those where employees eat off- site
or at their desks, and that do not organize social events.
Types of Organizational Relationships
Early research on organizational peer relationships identified three types, dis-
tinguishable by their degree of closeness (Kram & Isabella, 1985): information
peer, collegial peer, and special peer. Most organizational relationships will be
one of these peer types, with research showing them to be both discriminable and