Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Department of Public Administration, Ra.C., Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran
10.22080/shrm.2026.29989.1805
Abstract
The present study aimed to design a succession planning model with a knowledge management approach in public universities, using a qualitative method based on grounded theory and semi-structured interviews with 16 experts from public universities in Iran. The data were analyzed in three stages of open, axial, and selective coding. The research findings represented 26 general categories that were designed in the form of a paradigmatic data-based model. Causal factors included talent pool (identifying talents, identifying needs, forming a talent pool), training and preparing employees, human resource management, motivation, and the mission of universities; axial category, succession planning with a knowledge management approach (sharing, recording and maintaining, creating and maintaining knowledge); contextual characteristics included psychological factors, employee knowledge and skills, organizational support, organizational structure, leadership style, resistance to change, specialization, and cultural factors (organizational culture and cultural influence); The intervening categories included political, legal, and environmental factors, which indicate that national and international consequences (internationalization of academic services and elite development of society), behavioral consequences, and performance consequences are achieved from strategies for optimizing performance evaluation indicators and standardizing managerial jobs based on knowledge management indicators, systems thinking, participatory management, use of emerging technologies (knowledge management information systems, artificial intelligence, creativity, and innovation), and futurism. The emphasis on a holistic approach to succession planning and the resulting elite development is a distinctive feature of this research.
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