Designing a Model of Dead Organizations in Iran’s Public Sector
Keywords:
dead organizations, Iran’s public sector, thematic analysis, classical Delphi, organizational death, creativity and innovationAbstract
Dead organizations in the public sector are organizations that, despite possessing formal structures, financial resources, and continuity of administrative operations, have lost their intellectual dynamism, creativity, and capacity for innovation. The present study aimed to design a model of dead organizations in Iran’s public sector, with a focus on the death of creativity, innovation, and organizational dynamism. In terms of purpose, this study was applied, and in terms of methodology, it was descriptive–analytical. In the qualitative phase, thematic analysis and the classical Delphi technique were employed across three consecutive rounds. The study population consisted of experts and scholars in the fields of public administration, strategic management, organizational behavior, and the national administrative system. Using purposive sampling based on relevant expertise and experience criteria, 15 individuals were selected as members of the expert panel. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and were coded using thematic analysis and classified into basic, organizing, and global themes. Subsequently, the extracted themes were evaluated during three rounds of the classical Delphi process in terms of importance, clarity, comprehensiveness, and relevance to the public-sector context. Following revisions, integration, and elimination of themes, the final research model was developed. The findings led to the identification of five global themes: institutionalized corruption and the diversion of resources away from creativity and idea generation; path dependence and resistance to innovation; cultivation of mediocrity and suppression of motivation, curiosity, and creative talent; managerial superiority illusion and closed-mindedness toward initiative and innovation; and learning avoidance, imitation orientation, and obstruction of knowledge flow. The results indicate that dead organizations in Iran’s public sector can be explained through a set of institutional, managerial, behavioral, and learning-oriented mechanisms that weaken creativity, innovation, and organizational dynamism. The final research model can provide a conceptual framework for identifying and diagnosing dead organizations in Iran’s public sector.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mahboubeh Esmaeilpour , Reza Verij Kazemi , Mahnaz Rahmati Kazaz, Davood KiaKojouri (Author)
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