An impact of power distance on social capitalis: A research in the textile sector

The social capital, which has been frequently discussed in recent years, basically examines the relationship with other people and the benefits driveal from it. The level of trust between society and individuals, the norms which consist of condified and uncondified social behaviors and rules and the feature of social communication channels determine the level of social capital.In this case, the relations with other people and the degree of these relations gain importance. In this context, the effects of power distance, which explains the level of expectation and acceptance of less-power members (superior-subordinate relationship) of organizations and instutions about unequal distribution of power, on social capital and social capital elements were examined in this study. The aim of this research is to show how the relationship between power distance and social capital and whether the power distance affects the social capital and its elements or not and what level of impact this influence has. The sample of the research is composed of 401 employees operating in textile companies located in Malatya province in 2016. The data obtained in the study were analyzed with Microsoft Excel and SPSS 21.0 program, frequency tables, Factor Analyisis, KMO and Bartlett's test, Cronbach Alpha test, Correlation Analyiss and Regression Analysis were used in the analysis studies. According to the data obtained from the analysis, it is seen that there is a strong positive relationship between power distance and social capital. There is also a positive relationship between power distance and social capital norm and social network elements. There was a moderately positive relationship between power distance and social capital trust. Keywords: Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions, Power Distance, Social Capital, Trust, Norm, Social Network