Friendship under ostracism: how informal ties relate to service-oriented citizenship behavior in public organizations

Informal relationships are widely regarded as important for the effectiveness of public organizations, yet the pathways through which these ties may relate to extra-role behaviors remain underexplored. Drawing on social support and social comparison theories, this study develops and tests a dual-path moderated mediation model linking workplace friendship to service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SO-OCB) among civil servants. Using two-wave survey data from 363 respondents in Heilongjiang Province, China, the results show that workplace friendship is positively associated with SO-OCB through two complementary indirect pathways: via social support from coworkers and via social comparison. Moreover, the friendship-social support association is stronger at higher levels of reported ostracism, suggesting that the link between workplace friendship and social support may depend on the relational context. These findings extend understanding of how workplace friendships may act as both resources and motivational cues, offering tentative practical insights for sustaining service quality and employee engagement in public sector organizations.