From Social Capital to Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation in Agriculture Jihad Organization of Hamedan Province

The main purpose of this descriptive-correlative study was to investigate the relationships among social capital, entrepreneurial orientation and job performance. The mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation was also analyzed. The statistical population of this research consisted of 635 agricultural experts of the Jihade Agriculture organization in Hamedan Province (N=365). According to Krejcie and Morgan’s table, a sample of 242 experts was chosen through random stratified sampling method. Data was collected using standardized questionnaires. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was investigated using Cronbach’s alfa coefficient, with values of 0.83 for entrepreneurial orientation, 0.85 for social capital, and 0.79 for job performance. The results structural equation modeling indicated that social capital and entrepreneurial orientation were significantly related to job performance. In addition, the results of bootstrap procedure showed that entrepreneurial orientation mediated the social capital-job performance relationship. Based on the findings, it could be concluded that investing in social capital is worthwhile, since creating and preserving social capital will increase the employee's entrepreneurial orientation level and their performance.