Identifying the Components of Organizational Culture Supporting Organizational Transformation

Omid  Ghorbani; Akbar Etebarian Khorasgani

Authors

Omid Ghorbani Department of Management, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5270-4153
Akbar Etebarian Khorasgani Department of Management, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6489-7502

Keywords:

Organizational Culture, Organizational Transformation, Change Readiness, Organizational Learning, Transformational Leadership, Delphi Technique, Metasynthesis

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and validate the components of organizational culture that support organizational transformation. The study employed an exploratory mixed-methods design integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the qualitative phase, a metasynthesis was conducted according to the seven-stage framework of Sandelowski and Barroso to extract relevant organizational culture components from prior studies. The preliminary components were subsequently evaluated through a focus group consisting of four purposively selected experts holding doctoral degrees and expertise in organizational culture and organizational transformation. Two two-hour focus-group sessions were conducted, during which the identified components were scored, discussed, and refined. In the quantitative phase, the refined components were assessed using the classical Delphi technique. Ten experts with doctoral degrees in management and relevant teaching or professional experience participated in the Delphi panel. A researcher-developed questionnaire using a seven-point Likert scale was employed. Item consensus was evaluated using the interquartile range, overall expert agreement was assessed using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, and internal consistency was examined using Cronbach’s alpha. The final framework comprised 10 higher-order dimensions and 20 components of organizational culture supporting organizational transformation. Adaptability and change readiness received the highest priority, followed by leadership for transformation and learning and knowledge orientation. Other validated dimensions included participation and collaboration, communication and feedback, trust and psychological safety, strategic alignment, innovation orientation, reinforcement and organizational support, and accountability and transformation outcomes. All retained items had interquartile ranges below 2. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was 0.75, indicating strong agreement among Delphi experts. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.87, demonstrating satisfactory internal consistency of the final questionnaire. Organizational culture supporting transformation is a multidimensional construct in which adaptability, leadership, learning, participation, communication, trust, innovation, strategic alignment, organizational support, and accountability operate as mutually reinforcing cultural mechanisms. The proposed framework can be used as a basis for organizational diagnosis and the development of culture-oriented transformation interventions.

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