Strategic Analysis of Innovation and Growth in Iranian Handicraft Workshops

Abstract :

Creative industries theory emphasizes creativity, social networks, and audience interaction as core drivers of economic development, and within this framework, the present study examines the performance of Iranian handicraft workshops by focusing on internal capabilities, external opportunities, and strategic positioning. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study is based on semi-structured interviews with owners and managers of handicraft workshops, and the data are analyzed using the SWOT method supported by internal and external factor evaluation matrices. The findings indicate that handicraft workshops possess strong internal capabilities, particularly in idea generation, the use of cultural capital, and engagement with audiences, while marketing, managerial, and financial knowledge are unevenly distributed across workshops. Digital technologies and social media constitute major external opportunities by enhancing visibility and market access, whereas export activities remain strongly constrained by political and economic conditions. Overall, the results point to a growth-oriented strategic position and suggest that policy interventions should move beyond product-based support toward fostering creative alignment within the handicraft ecosystem. Strengthening digital infrastructure, facilitating market access, and improving managerial and financial literacy can enable handicraft workshops to translate creative values into sustainable economic outcomes without undermining creative integrity, thereby supporting their effective integration into the creative economy through social networks, platform access, and export facilitation

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