Identification and Prioritization of Indicators for Enhancing the Symbolic Capital of Managers (Case Study: SAIPA Automotive Group)
Keywords:
Symbolic capital, managerial legitimacy, leadership development, Components of organizational culture, ethical management, SAIPA Automotive GroupAbstract
The objective of this study is to identify, validate, and prioritize the key components and indicators that contribute to the enhancement of managers’ symbolic capital within the SAIPA Automotive Group. This applied qualitative study was conducted within an inductive research paradigm. The statistical population comprised academic and organizational experts in management and sociology. Using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, 18 experts were selected based on the principle of theoretical saturation. Semi-structured interviews were employed for data collection, focusing on managerial behaviors, ethical leadership, communication networks, and innovation practices as sources of symbolic capital. Thematic analysis was performed using MAXQDA 2020 software to extract main themes, subthemes, and conceptual indicators. Content validity was assessed using Lawshe’s CVR method to refine and validate the indicator set, while the Friedman test in SPSS 26 was used to prioritize the identified indicators based on expert consensus. The analysis identified four main dimensions, sixteen subdimensions, and ninety-three validated conceptual indicators for enhancing managers’ symbolic capital. The results revealed that personal and professional capitalization—encompassing psychological competence, ethical integrity, and communicative credibility—was the highest-ranked dimension, followed by sustainable and innovative value management, emphasizing adaptability, resilience, and innovation-driven legitimacy. Integrated performance management and development of managerial skills and competencies ranked third and fourth, respectively. The Friedman test results indicated statistically significant differences in mean rankings (p < 0.05), confirming that intangible factors such as ethics, communication, and organizational culture play a more decisive role in symbolic capital development than purely technical competencies. Symbolic capital operates as a strategic asset that integrates ethical credibility, innovation culture, and interpersonal influence into sustainable managerial legitimacy. Enhancing symbolic capital requires systematic cultivation of ethical leadership, communication excellence, and organizational adaptability to strengthen trust and reputation in complex industrial environments.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Alireza Habibi, Jafar Beikzad, Rahim Abdollahfam (Author)
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