Explaining the Impact of Cultural Factors on the Productivity  of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Case Study: Textile Industry of Yazd Province

Hashemianfar, Sayd Hassan

Volume 15, Issue 3 (Quarterly Journal of Political Research in the Islamic World, Fall 2025 2025) پژوهشهاي سياسي جهان اسلام 2025, 15(3): 131-161 | Back to browse issues page

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Hashemianfar S H. Explaining the Impact of Cultural Factors on the Productivity of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Case Study: Textile Industry of Yazd Province. پژوهشهاي سياسي جهان اسلام 2025; 15 (3) :131-161
URL: http://priw.ir/article-1-2017-en.html

Explaining the Impact of Cultural Factors on the Productivity of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Case Study: Textile Industry of Yazd Province

Sayd Hassan Hashemianfar ^*

Lecture, Department of Political Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran , hashemian118@pnu.ac.ir

Abstract: (121 Views)

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as dynamic engines of economic growth, play a vital role in the progress of developing societiessuch as Iran. However, these enterprises face various challenges, among which low productivity is one of the most significant. The productivity of SMEs is influenced by a wide range of economic, social, cultural, political, and managerial factors. While previous empirical studies have examined most of these determinants, the role of cultural factors has often been overlooked. This study aims to investigate the impact of cultural factors on the productivity of SMEs in Yazd Province. This research adopts a survey approach. The statistical population comprises 39 active companies in the textile industry of Yazd Province and 275 of their employees, selected through a non-random sampling method (due to the limited number of firms). Data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire, and its validity and reliability were confirmed through factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The findings show that the cultural variables of order and discipline, tolerance and cooperation, rationality, principle of confrontation, and applied and process-oriented thinking all have a positive and significant effect on SME productivity, collectively explaining approximately 49 percent of its variance. Among the examined variables, rationality had the highest mean value, while tolerance and cooperation, rationality, and the principle of confrontation exhibited the greatest direct effects. The results suggest that a cultural system grounded in order, rationality, interaction, and process orientation can effectively enhance the efficiency and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises in the textile industry.

Keywords: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Productivity, Textile Industry, Cultural System, Yazd Province

Full-Text [PDF 834 kb] (62 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2025/12/3 | Accepted: 2025/12/22 | Published: 2025/12/22