Identifying the Dimensions and Components of Symbolic Capital for Leaders in Iranian Cultural Organizations: A Thematic Network Mapping

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: In recent decades, postmodern intellectual movements and interpretive approaches in the social sciences—particularly in management studies—have led to a profound shift in the understanding of leadership, influence, and authority. Contemporary perspectives emphasize that leadership is not solely defined by formal hierarchical positions, but also by mental constructs, social symbols, and the meaning-making processes embedded in organizational culture. Within this framework, one of the most critical concepts is symbolic capital, introduced by Pierre Bourdieu, which explains how legitimacy, recognition, and influence are established and maintained in social relationships. Symbolic capital encompasses intangible resources, including social credibility, reputation, honors, and trust, enabling leaders to exert influence without relying on coercion or formal authority.
In the context of Iranian cultural organizations, a persistent challenge is low organizational productivity, often linked to leaders’ limited capacity to influence and inspire employees effectively. Even substantial investments in financial and infrastructural resources have not yielded optimal results, suggesting that symbolic capital among leaders remains underdeveloped or inadequately leveraged. Focusing on the Islamic Propagation Office of the Seminary in Qom, this study aims to identify and analyze the dimensions and components of symbolic capital for cultural leaders and to propose a localized model for its development and application. The primary research question is: How can cultural leaders enhance their influence and effectiveness without relying solely on formal authority or material resources? Addressing this question holds significance both for theoretical insights into leadership and for practical management strategies in cultural organizations.
This research is developmental in purpose and qualitative in nature. It employs thematic analysis to uncover hidden patterns, semantic relationships, and conceptual linkages from heterogeneous data. The analytical framework follows the three-tier thematic model of King and Horrocks, which involves identifying basic themes, clustering them into organizing themes, and deriving overarching or global themes.
The study population comprised experts from cultural organizations and academia with expertise in symbolic capital and leadership. Participants were selected through purposeful sampling, followed by snowball sampling to expand the range of knowledgeable informants. Selection criteria included managerial experience in cultural organizations, specialized research in leadership, and familiarity with sociological theories of capital. Ultimately, eight participants were interviewed, including five senior managers from the Islamic Propagation Office and three university faculty members. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews averaging 60 minutes were conducted, with open-ended questions encouraging the emergence of nuanced insights and lived experiences.
Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using multiple coding stages (open, axial, and selective coding). To ensure reliability, two independent coders analyzed portions of the data, achieving internal agreement rates of 86% and 88%, surpassing the 60% threshold recommended for qualitative research. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and findings were integrated into a final conceptual model.
The analysis identified 17 key themes contributing to the development and sustainability of symbolic capital for cultural leaders. These themes spanned individual, organizational, and network-related factors, including personal traits such as morality, humility, and self-confidence, as well as specialized competencies in management, communication, and network-building. For instance, team-building and networking emerged as a crucial factor for extending a leader’s influence, while personal branding was essential for sustaining a positive reputation among stakeholders.
These 17 themes were synthesized into nine organizing themes, which were further consolidated into five overarching global themes:

Social Communications – encompassing trust, mutual support, and networking;
Personal Branding – reflecting a leader’s ability to maintain credibility and positive recognition;
Competence – including specialized, behavioral, and cognitive skills;
Successful Performance – demonstrating tangible results and achievements;
Personal Characteristics – ethical and belief-based attributes that underpin moral authority.

Analysis revealed that competence serves as the foundational element for building symbolic capital. Leaders first achieve credibility and influence through their specialized expertise and behavioral proficiency, which generate visible successful performance. These accomplishments are then recognized by authorities and networks, becoming institutionalized as organizational honors within the collective memory of the organization.
Furthermore, maintaining a positive reputation and communicating organizational messages effectively through storytelling or targeted publicity reinforces other components of symbolic capital through personal branding. While economic resources do not directly produce symbolic capital, they function as enablers that facilitate the development and application of other intangible assets. The final model depicts the formation of symbolic capital as beginning with competence, followed by successful performance, organizational honors, personal branding, and ultimately, the expansion of social networks and influence.
By focusing on Iranian cultural leaders, this study provides insights into dimensions of leadership that are underexplored in domestic literature. The findings underscore that legitimacy and influence in cultural organizations rely heavily on symbolic and intangible factors, and that formal positions or financial resources alone do not guarantee effectiveness. In line with Bourdieu’s theory, the study highlights that economic, social, and cultural capital, when strategically managed, can be transformed into symbolic capital, which sustains long-term leadership and authority.
The proposed model offers practical implications for managerial development. Organizational strategies should prioritize enhancing multidimensional competencies, as these underpin successful performance, reputation-building, and the accumulation of honors. Cultural organizations are encouraged to design integrated training programs to develop leaders’ technical skills, ethical conduct, communication abilities, and networking strategies. By doing so, leaders can cultivate robust symbolic capital that enables effective influence and organizational success without relying on formal authority alone.