The Impact of Social Capital on Organizational Innovation: The Mediating Role of Social Intelligence and the Moderating Role of Moral Intelligence
Akhlāq-i zīstī i.e., Bioethics Journal,
Vol. 15 No. 40 (1404),
14 July 2025
,
Page 1-16
https://doi.org/10.22037/bioeth.v15i40.50701
Abstract
Background and Aim: Organizational innovation, as one of the main factors in the success and competitiveness of higher education institutions, requires the utilization of the social and ethical abilities of organizational members. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the effect of social capital on organizational innovation among faculty members of Payame Noor University, considering the mediating role of social intelligence and the moderating role of moral intelligence.
Methods: This study is applied in terms of purpose and correlational in nature, based on structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of all faculty members of Payame Noor University, and a sample of 389 participants was selected using the convenience sampling method. Data were collected through four standardized questionnaires: the Social Capital Questionnaire by Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998), the Social Intelligence Questionnaire by Cron et al. (2007), the Organizational Innovation Questionnaire by Zarei (2007), and the Moral Intelligence Questionnaire by Kadim et al. (2021). The questionnaires were distributed online via the Porsline platform, and the collected data were analyzed using SMARTPLS software to assess the structural relationships among variables and to evaluate the mediating and moderating effects.
Ethical Considerations: All stages of the research were conducted in accordance with ethical principles; including obtaining informed consent from participants and maintaining data confidentiality.
Results: The findings revealed that social capital has a positive and significant effect on organizational innovation (β = 0.59, t = 18.01, R² = 0.57), and social intelligence mediates this relationship (β = 0.36, Sobel = 11.41). The direct path of social intelligence also showed a positive and significant effect on innovation (β = 0.45, t = 14.63, R² = 0.31), and social capital had a considerable impact on social intelligence (β = 0.61, t = 19.04, R² = 0.52). Moral intelligence did not have a significant independent effect; however, in interaction with social capital, it played a reinforcing role (t = 19.39). The model fit indices (SRMR = 0.08, NFI = 1.67, GOF = 0.66) indicated acceptable validity and explanatory power of the model.
Conclusion: Social capital enhances organizational innovation, with social intelligence mediating and moral intelligence reinforcing this relationship.
- Social Capital
- Organizational Innovation
- Social Intelligence
- Moral Intelligence
How to Cite
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