Future of Work and Digital Management Journal

Designing a Causal Model of Value-Based Competitiveness in Pharmaceutical Companies Based on Production System Efficiency

Ali Eskandari iD , Houshang Taghizadeh ^* iD

In the pharmaceutical industry, competitiveness is no longer defined solely in terms of price and market share; rather, sustainable value creation for customers, quality improvement, supply responsiveness, and operational productivity are regarded as strategic competitive advantages. Nevertheless, many pharmaceutical companies face ambiguity regarding how production system efficiency contributes to the development of value-based competitiveness. Therefore, designing a causal model can clarify the relationships between the dimensions of production system efficiency and the components of value-based competitiveness and provide a basis for managerial decision-making and the enhancement of companies’ competitive performance. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to design a causal model of value-based competitiveness in pharmaceutical companies based on production system efficiency. An exploratory mixed-methods research design was employed. In the qualitative phase, thematic analysis was used to identify the components shaping value-based competitiveness based on production system efficiency. Interviews were used as the data collection instrument in this phase. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and 14 experts participated in the interviews. In the quantitative phase, confirmatory factor analysis and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) were employed to design the causal model of value-based competitiveness in pharmaceutical companies based on production system efficiency. Quantitative data were collected using two questionnaires, which were distributed among the members of the statistical sample after their validity and reliability had been examined and confirmed. The statistical population in the quantitative phase consisted of managers and experts at different organizational levels of pharmaceutical companies across the country, from whom a sample of 260 participants was selected. The qualitative findings revealed eight main themes and 36 subthemes. In the quantitative phase, the results of Interpretive Structural Modeling indicated that the causal model of value-based competitiveness in pharmaceutical companies based on production system efficiency comprised six hierarchical levels. In this model, human capital and productivity culture demonstrated the greatest driving influence, whereas sustainability and stakeholder value creation exhibited the greatest dependence.

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.

Developing a Talent Management Capability Model for Enhancing Organizational Agility: A Grounded Theory Study in a Municipal Organization

Ali Zarifzadeh iD , Nabiollah Mohammadi ^* iD , Alireza Rezghi Rostami iD

As a fundamental institution, the Iranian educational system requires fundamental transformations his study aimed to develop a model of talent management capabilities for enhancing organizational agility in a municipality. The study employed a qualitative approach based on grounded theory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 managers, deputy managers, and experts with experience and expertise in human resource management and municipal planning. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached. The data were analyzed manually through open, axial, and selective coding. Continuous review, research process auditing, test–retest coding, and expert evaluation were used to enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. The findings revealed that the proposed model of talent management capabilities for enhancing organizational agility in the municipality comprises causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and outcomes. The model’s principal components include a positive organizational structure, effective communication, participative management, a merit-based human resource management system, a positive organizational climate, collaborative learning, ineffective management, political pressure, the recruitment and deployment of competent personnel, employee training, and the localized adaptation of successful practices. The study concludes that transforming talent management into a strategic and dynamic capability can improve organizational performance, build trust, enhance responsiveness, and strengthen organizational agility within the municipality.

Future of Work and Digital Management Journal

About the Journal

Current Issue

Articles

Proposing a Framework to Strengthen Supply Chain Financing in Iran with a Focus on FinTech Capabilities

Design and Validation of a Self-Directed Learning Management Model in Organizational Training at Bank Sepah

Assessment of the Effectiveness of Iraq’s Futsal Development Model: A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Approach with Emphasis on Performance Indicators

The Relationship Between the Extent of Using Product and Service Images in Virtual Networks and the Dominant Atmosphere of Political Interactions with the Increase of Iran–Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Trade Exchanges

Providing the Consumer Behavior Model with a Green Marketing Approach

The Paradox of Early Retirement: Idealized Liberation or Real Constraint? An Analysis within the Dialectic of Agency and Structure

Designing a Conceptual Model of Place Branding for the Border Provinces of West Azerbaijan with a Communicative and Persuasive Approach

Designing a Model of Antecedents and Consequences of Employees’ Loneliness in Governmental Organizations: A Case Study of Ilam City

Developing a Grounded Theory-Based Model for Building Resilience Against Organizational Stroke

Make a Submission

Editorial Board

Keywords

Information Table

Language

Journal Archive

Average time from submission until

Indexing & Abstracting