Identifying the Factors and Components of Organizational Reputation in Islamic Azad Universities of Tehran Province: A Qualitative Study Using Grounded Theory
Keywords:
organizational reputation, free universities, factors, componentAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to identify the factors, components, and indicators of organizational reputation in Islamic Azad Universities of Tehran Province based on the perspectives of key informants and through a grounded theory approach.
Methods and Materials: This applied qualitative study was conducted using a systematic grounded theory design. The research population consisted of key informants, managers, experts, and specialists familiar with higher education management and organizational reputation in Islamic Azad Universities of Tehran Province. Participants were selected through snowball sampling, and interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Accordingly, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants. Data were collected through library studies, document review, and field interviews. The credibility of the research process was assessed using methodological triangulation, researcher triangulation, and participant triangulation. Data analysis was performed through open, axial, and selective coding based on the paradigmatic model of grounded theory.
Findings: The coding results indicated that organizational reputation in Islamic Azad Universities of Tehran Province could be explained through 6 main factors, 23 axial components, and 115 open codes. The central category consisted of authority, respect and trust, efficiency, and services. The causal conditions included leadership quality, social responsibility, quality of products and services, and attraction of top talents. The contextual conditions comprised infrastructure development, customer loyalty, and scientific outputs. The intervening conditions included employee commitment, competitive pressures, and stakeholder expectations. Moreover, the strategies were classified into five categories: communication, functional, organizational, financial, and cultural strategies. The consequences included sustainable success, improved decision-making, human resource improvement, and market share acquisition.
Conclusion: The findings revealed that organizational reputation in Islamic Azad Universities of Tehran Province is a multidimensional, dynamic, and strategic phenomenon influenced by leadership quality, social responsibility, infrastructure, stakeholder interactions, scientific and educational performance, and communication and organizational strategies. Therefore, improving organizational reputation requires integrated management of human resources, educational service quality, social engagement, media relations, financial transparency, and responsiveness to the needs of the higher education market.
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Copyright (c) 1404 Farahnaz Kargar Nojoudeh, Fariba Hanifi, Fereshteh Afkari (Author)
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