Investigating the Factors Affecting the Resilience of Startups in Iran During the COVID 19 Pandemic Using Thematic Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the lives of growing startups. Considering the important role of these businesses in developing countries, the present study aims to provide a model for increasing the resilience of startups in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic by using the thematic analysis method.

This is a descriptive survey study using qualitative and quantitative methods. In the first stage, by studying the literature, the factors shaping organizational resilience were identified. Then, by conducting unstructured interviews with experts in the field of startups and the university professors, the final factors affecting organizational resilience were summarized, and the initial study model was designed using the thematic analysis method. In the next stage, a researcher-made questionnaire of organizational resilience was designed and distributed among the employees of startups in Guilan Province, who were selected using a convenience sampling method. After collecting the questionnaires, the data from 238 complete questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling in SmartPLS3 software. 

The findings show that according to the intensity of the coefficients of the research model, the characteristics of the organization (0.526), ​​the characteristics of the leader (0.433), the characteristics of the team (0.298) and the characteristics of the employees (0.244), are the most important Factors affecting the resilience of startups. These results help stakeholders and researchers to gain a more appropriate understanding of the resilience of startups.

The results of this study can help stakeholders and researchers in Iran gain a more appropriate understanding of the resilience of startups.