That’s what friends are for: anxious and avoidant attachment, workplace friendship and job performance

Abstract

Attachment theory suggests that variations in parent-child interactions shape adult relationships, with some individuals developing secure attachments while others develop insecure (anxious or avoidant) attachment styles. Despite the centrality of attachment theory in psychological and social sciences, there has been limited research on the role of attachment styles in the formation of intra-organizational networks. This study addresses this gap by investigating how attachment styles influence the formation of friendship networks in the workplace and examining the indirect link between attachment style and job performance through centrality in these networks. Using a multi-method, multi-study approach, we combine longitudinal analysis of friendship networks from MBA students (Study 1) with complete network data from a company in China (Study 2). Our findings reveal that individuals higher in attachment avoidance are less likely to form friendships at work, with friendship centrality mediating the negative relationship between avoidance and job performance. In contrast, our findings regarding anxious attachment were more complex, showing that anxiously attached individuals attempt to form friendships but simultaneously dissolve these relationships, highlighting a dynamic and potentially self-sabotaging process.