Future of Work and Digital Management Journal

Effective Human Resource Management Strategies for Rebuilding Professional Identity Following Job Displacement: A Systematic Literature Review

Amal Jaber Fzaea iD , Seyed Hosein Kazemi ^* iD , Mehdi Mortazavi iD

This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize existing evidence on how Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies address professional identity tensions and facilitate identity reconstruction, career adaptability, psychological resilience, and sustainable career transition following involuntary job displacement. A systematic search was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented by backward citation searching, using keywords related to HRM strategies, professional identity reconstruction, job displacement, workforce mobility, career transition, and post-displacement adaptation. The search identified 861 records, which were subjected to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and multi-stage screening consistent with PRISMA principles. Following title, abstract, methodological, conceptual, relevance, and full-text assessments, 46 empirical and theoretical studies were retained. The review integrated qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, longitudinal, and conceptual evidence across HRM, organizational behavior, career studies, human resource development, and vocational psychology. The synthesis indicated that professional identity reconstruction following displacement is a nonlinear, iterative, relational, and structurally conditioned process rather than a simple restoration of a previous occupational identity. Retraining, reskilling, redeployment, outplacement, career coaching, mentoring, and developmental support facilitated reconstruction most effectively when embedded within inclusive and psychologically supportive HR architectures. Their effects operated through enhanced coping self-efficacy, social support, narrative coherence, career adaptability, self-directed learning, and professional agency. Structural barriers, including ageism, migration-related exclusion, skill mismatch, and restricted developmental opportunities, weakened these effects and demonstrated that individual adaptability alone is insufficient. Evidence further suggested that standardized interventions may constrain identity autonomy when they impose narrow employability expectations. Effective post-displacement HRM should integrate skills development, psychological support, career adaptability, identity work, and inclusive organizational practices within a coherent multi-level framework that recognizes both individual agency and structural constraints. Stronger longitudinal, quantitative, intervention-based, and intersectional research is required to establish the long-term effectiveness and generalizability of these approaches.

Designing a Performance Evaluation Model for Knowledge Workers in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran

Mehrdad Faraghat iD , Bahram Alishiri ^* iD , Seyed Ahmad Hosseini Golafshani iD

This study aimed to design and validate a comprehensive performance evaluation model for knowledge workers in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 academic and organizational experts selected purposively until theoretical saturation was reached. Interview data were analyzed through thematic analysis, thematic-network analysis, and the fuzzy Delphi technique using MAXQDA. In the quantitative phase, the statistical population consisted of 110 knowledge workers, managers, and supervisors, of whom 85 were selected through stratified simple random sampling based on Cochran’s formula. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire whose content validity was confirmed by 10 experts. A pilot study was conducted with 30 employees, and the questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS and partial least squares structural equation modeling. Qualitative coding generated 60 indicators classified into eight dimensions: perceived supervisory support, team empowerment, perceived support for innovation, psychological safety, social cohesion, information sharing, internal communication, and external communication. Inter-coder reliability was confirmed by a significant Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 0.758 (p < .001). All indicators were retained after two fuzzy Delphi rounds, with inter-round differences below 0.80. Exploratory factor analysis was supported by KMO = 0.914 and a significant Bartlett’s test, χ²(1770) = 11,876.408, p < .001. Eight factors with eigenvalues greater than one explained 57.585% of the variance. All first-order factor loadings exceeded 0.40 and were significant at p < .001. Second-order loadings ranged from 0.730 to 0.867. Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from 0.733 to 0.947, composite reliability ranged from 0.849 to 0.952, and all AVE values exceeded 0.50. Discriminant validity was confirmed through the Fornell–Larcker criterion, cross-loadings, and HTMT values below 0.90. Model fit was acceptable, with SRMR = 0.071 and NFI = 0.800. Expert validation also confirmed the model’s internal, external, and overall validity (p < .01). The validated model provides a reliable and multidimensional framework for evaluating knowledge-worker performance by integrating managerial, team-based, innovative, psychological, social, and communicational dimensions.

A Systematic Review of the Roles of Knowledge Management in the Public Sector: Synthesis and Future Directions

Shahram Begzadeh ^* iD , Raana Kazemi iD

The primary objective of this study was to examine and synthesize the role of knowledge management in the public sector. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, this study evaluated the role of knowledge management in public-sector organizations by analyzing 33 selected articles published in journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. The findings indicated that researchers employed diverse methodologies and applied a range of theoretical perspectives in this field. Furthermore, the publication trend during the period under review demonstrated a gradual and continuous increase in studies addressing knowledge management in the public sector, with researchers adopting a variety of research methodologies. This systematic review identified three principal themes in knowledge management research: first, knowledge management aimed at organizational improvement; second, knowledge management intended to enhance citizen satisfaction; and third, knowledge management directed toward the management of collaborative innovation. These three themes constitute the central focus of research conducted in this field.

Assessing the Role of Risk in Corporate Entrepreneurship: The Mediating Roles of Innovation and Research and Development

Farrokh Zargarian iD , Tahmoures Sohrabi ^* iD , Ahmadreza Kasraei iD

Corporate entrepreneurship is an important managerial approach that has attracted considerable attention from researchers and managers over the past several decades. Corporate entrepreneurship concerns the development of ideas and opportunities within existing organizations. This concept reflects organizations’ ability to transform threats into opportunities, improve processes, and create new value within existing organizational structures. Risk, innovation, and research and development are among the factors that may influence corporate entrepreneurship. This study aimed to assess the role of risk in corporate entrepreneurship, with innovation and research and development serving as mediating variables. Accordingly, a research framework was initially developed through a review of the theoretical literature. Based on this framework, the conceptual model was formulated, and the research hypotheses were developed. To test the hypotheses, the statistical population consisted of 60 managers and experts employed by a knowledge-based company operating in the oil and gas industry. Because the entire population was included through a census approach, the questionnaire was distributed among all personnel. The questionnaire items were adopted from valid and relevant sources, and their validity and reliability were confirmed. Convergent and discriminant validity were used to assess validity, while composite reliability was employed to evaluate reliability. Because the data were not normally distributed, partial least squares structural equation modeling was performed using SmartPLS 2. Based on the significance values obtained for the hypothesized relationships, all hypotheses were supported. The effect of risk on research and development was 0.851, the effect of risk on corporate entrepreneurship was 0.583, the effect of risk on innovation was 0.764, the effect of research and development on corporate entrepreneurship was 0.877, and the effect of innovation on corporate entrepreneurship was 0.845. Finally, recommendations were proposed for improving corporate entrepreneurship.

A Systematic Review of Human Resource Management Strategies for Enhancing Employees’ Psychological Flexibility: A Case Study of Wasit Governorate

Falah Sultan Malih AL-Duraye iD , Hassan DanaeeFard ^* iD , Mahdi Mortazavi

This study aimed to identify, classify, and integrate human resource management strategies and influential factors that enhance employees’ psychological flexibility in public organizations, with particular emphasis on Wasit Governorate, Iraq. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies addressing human resource management, psychological flexibility, employee resilience, and adaptive performance were retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented by searches in Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, MDPI, Springer Open Access, and Emerald Open Access. Eligibility criteria were developed using the PICo framework and focused on public-sector employees, managerial strategies and mechanisms, and governmental or local administrative settings. Following a multistage screening procedure, 40 eligible articles were included in the final synthesis. Methodological quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist, and the evidence was extracted and synthesized through systematic content analysis. The integrated evidence indicated that strategic and high-involvement human resource management, supportive and adaptive leadership, continuous learning and development opportunities, flexible work arrangements, and training interventions involving mindfulness, self-regulation, and values clarification enhanced employees’ psychological flexibility. These effects were primarily explained by improvements in psychological capital, self-efficacy, emotional regulation, psychological safety, social support, mutual trust, and perceived organizational justice. The final conceptual model connected four interrelated levels: organizational strategies, psychological mechanisms, social and team resources, and individual and organizational outcomes. Enhancing employees’ psychological flexibility requires the coordinated implementation of supportive human resource practices and the development of employees’ psychological and social resources. Psychological capital and perceived organizational support emerged as the central mechanisms linking human resource strategies to adaptive and productive employee outcomes. The proposed framework can guide human resource managers and policymakers in Wasit Governorate in designing context-sensitive interventions that strengthen employee well-being, adaptability, and organizational performance.

A Systematic Review of Socially Responsible Banking and the Identification of Its Human Resource Requirements in the Iraqi Banking Sector

Haider Yousif Ibrahim Al-Zuhairi iD , Seyed Hosein Kazemi ^* iD , Mahdi Mortazavi iD

The present study aimed to identify, classify, and integrate the antecedents, components, consequences, and requirements of socially responsible banking, with particular emphasis on the role of human resources in the Iraqi banking sector. The study adopted a systematic review approach and was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The study population comprised scholarly works related to socially responsible banking, sustainable banking, green banking, corporate social responsibility, environmental, social, and governance criteria, and the role of human resource management in the banking industry. A systematic search was conducted in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, supplemented by searches of open-access scholarly sources and the reference lists of relevant studies. After duplicate, irrelevant, and methodologically inadequate studies had been excluded, 23 articles—16 identified through the primary search pathway and seven through the supplementary pathway—were included in the final analysis. Study quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist, and the data were analyzed through systematic content analysis, conceptual categorization, narrative synthesis, and final model development. The results indicated that institutional pressures, stakeholder expectations, legal requirements, competitive pressures, and environmental crises were the most important antecedents of socially responsible banking. Green banking, corporate social responsibility, ESG criteria, human capital, transparency, accountability, and green finance were also identified as its principal components. The consequences were identified at the organizational, human, and societal levels and included risk reduction, improved sustainable performance, strengthened legitimacy and trust, increased employee commitment, and support for sustainable development. Furthermore, managerial commitment, systematic training, the development of green competencies, reform of performance appraisal systems, aligned incentive systems, organizational culture development, and employee empowerment were identified as the central human resource requirements. Human resources constitute the principal mechanism through which institutional pressures and sustainability policies are translated into responsible banking behaviors. Therefore, the institutionalization of socially responsible banking in Iraq requires the strategic alignment of human resource policies and practices with social, environmental, and governance objectives.

Designing an Organizational Agility Model Using the Quantum Management Paradigm in Quasi-Governmental Companies

Ayatollah Rashid Kershan iD , Mansoure Moradi Haghighi ^* iD , Farshad Hajalian iD , Mahmood Mahmoodzadeh iD

In today’s turbulent, complex, and unpredictable environment, quasi-governmental organizations, particularly the Civil Servants Pension Fund, need organizational agility capabilities to respond effectively to stakeholders’ needs, enhance productivity, and maintain organizational sustainability. Furthermore, the quantum management paradigm, through its emphasis on systems thinking, complexity management, flexibility, intuition, learning, and innovation, can provide an appropriate foundation for developing organizational agility. Accordingly, the present study aimed to design and explain a model of organizational agility based on the quantum management paradigm in the Civil Servants Pension Fund. In terms of purpose, this study was applied, and in terms of approach, it was qualitative and conducted using thematic analysis. The participants comprised academic experts and senior and middle managers familiar with management, organizational agility, and quantum management, who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using coding and thematic analysis procedures. The findings resulted in the identification of eight organizing themes and 16 basic themes. The organizing themes included quantum skills, quantum leadership, quantum-agile structure, quantum-agile culture, quantum-agile human resources, quantum-agile capabilities, quantum intelligent technology, and strategic agility. The basic themes consisted of quantum thinking and cognition; quantum feeling, trust, and action; interactive and participative leadership; quantum decision-making; agile and fluid structures; quantum communication; a culture of innovation and risk-taking; learning and knowledge management; human resource competency development; human empowerment and flexibility; agile processes; continuous improvement and dynamic quality; agile technological infrastructure; data-driven technologies; organizational innovation and transformation; and environmental interactions. Ultimately, 115 initial codes were classified under these themes, and the final research model was developed. The findings demonstrated that organizational agility in the Civil Servants Pension Fund is a multidimensional concept whose realization requires the simultaneous development of human, managerial, structural, cultural, technological, and strategic capabilities within the quantum management paradigm. Accordingly, quantum skills and quantum leadership, as the principal drivers of the model, provide the foundation for developing flexible structures, a learning-oriented culture, empowered human resources, intelligent technologies, and strategic capabilities. Implementing this model can enhance flexibility, responsiveness, innovation, service quality, and the sustainability of the Civil Servants Pension Fund in addressing environmental challenges.

Futures Studies of Artificial Intelligence–Based Banking Services in the Payment Industry: Iranian Private Banks

Mehdi Taleb iD , Mohammadreza Sanaei ^* iD , Alireza Aminkhaki iD

The present study aimed to conduct a futures study of artificial intelligence–based banking services in the payment industry of Iranian private banks. The study employed an exploratory mixed-methods approach (qualitative–quantitative). In the qualitative phase, data were collected through meta-synthesis and a systematic review of studies published in international scientific databases and were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Structural analysis was also conducted using MICMAC software to examine the relationships among the variables. The results showed that the variables of “strategic leadership and support,” “organizational digital maturity,” “technological innovation,” and “interorganizational synergy” were located in the linkage cluster and played key roles in the dynamics of the banking system. Subsequently, using Scenario Wizard software, four plausible future scenarios were developed: “Coordinated Smart Ecosystem,” “Technological Advancement amid Distrust,” “Structural Loss of Opportunities,” and “Digital Crisis.” The final findings indicated that achieving a desirable future for intelligence-driven banking in Iran requires effective digital leadership, adaptive policymaking, secure infrastructure, and targeted investment in digital trust and technological innovation. Otherwise, the likelihood of a digital crisis and the erosion of banks’ competitive advantage will increase. Finally, the development of a national digital trust standard, enhancement of strategic leadership, establishment of interbank and bank–fintech collaboration networks, and implementation of technology-monitoring systems were proposed as strategic measures.

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