Designing an Organizational Agility Model Using the Quantum Management Paradigm in Quasi-Governmental Companies
Keywords:
organizational agility, quantum management, quasi, governmental organizations, Civil Servants Pension FundAbstract
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.
Downloads
References
[1] J. Asghar, D. K. Kanbach, and S. Kraus, "Toward a Multidimensional Concept of Organizational Agility: A Systematic Literature Review," (in English), Management Review Quarterly, pp. 1-27, 2025, doi: 10.1007/s11301-025-00497-6.
[2] R. Mohammadi Ali, R. Arzaghi, K. Asgarifar, and S. H. Mirghaderi, "Designing a Model of Organizational Agility and Resilience Enablers in Organizational Systems: A Systematic Review," (in English), Strategic Studies in the Oil and Energy Industry, vol. 17, no. 65, pp. 95-120, 2025.
[3] K. Ahlbäck, C. Fahrbach, M. Murarka, and O. Salo, "How to Create an Agile Organization," (in English), 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/how-to-create-an-agile-organization.
[4] S. A. Kirkpatrick, S. C. Miller, A. Terragnoli, and A. Sprenger, "Development of an Organizational Agility Assessment for Government and Nonprofit Organizations," (in English), Organization Development Journal, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 67-82, 2021.
[5] S. Nerskogen, "Organizational Agility in the Public Sector: A Case Study of the Office of the Auditor General of Norway," University of Agder, 2022.
[6] A. Nasri, M. Bagheri, and S. a.-D. Mohebbi, "Designing and Explaining an Appropriate Human Resource Agilization Model for Public Organizations in the Islamic Republic of Iran: The Ministry of Interior," (in English), Geography Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 51, pp. 171-185, 2023.
[7] M. Ebadi, H. Arasteh, A. Nove Ebrahim, and B. Abdollahi, "Designing an Organizational Agility Model for Public Universities in Tehran," (in English), Management and Planning in Educational Systems, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 13-40, 2019, doi: 10.29252/mpes.12.2.13.
[8] C. Islamic Consultative Assembly Research, "Examining the Status of the Civil Servants Pension Fund: Challenges and Solutions," 2024. [Online]. Available: https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/report/show/1829083
[9] A. A. Masoumi, "Structural Problems of Pension Funds in Iran's Social Security System," (in English), University of Tehran Public Law Studies Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 409-429, 2021.
[10] H. Sanatigar, M. Hadi Peikani, and D. Gholamzadeh, "Identifying Organizational Agility and Leadership Dimensions Using the Delphi Technique and Factor Analysis: An Investigation among Public Sector Pension Funds in Iran," (in English), International Journal of Public Leadership, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 276-294, 2017, doi: 10.1108/IJPL-01-2017-0005.
[11] M. T. Cuomo and P. Foroudi, "Bridging Quantum Level Paradigm and Business Management," in Quantum Level Business Model: A New Managerial Perspective. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025, pp. 1-24.
[12] D. Zohar and D. Zohar, "Thinking Principles for the Quantum Leader," in Zero Distance: Management in the Quantum Age, 2022, pp. 147-154.
[13] D. Da, "Quantum Thinking Promotes the Internet Era of Textiles," (in English), China Textile, no. 8, pp. 133-135, 2015.
[14] M. H. Salimi, S. Rajaeipour, S. A. Siadat, and H. Beidram, "The Relationship between Quantum Management Skills and Organizational Agility Capabilities through the Mediating Role of Organizational Intelligence in Selected Public Universities of Isfahan," (in English), Public Management Research, vol. 9, no. 33, pp. 113-138, 2016.
[15] S. Ghanbari, A. Khaleghkhah, and A. Moradi, "The Effect of Managers' Quantum Skills on Organizational Agility through the Mediation of Employees' Readiness for Organizational Change," (in English), Applied Educational Leadership, vol. 5, no. Special Issue on Leadership in Higher Education, pp. 59-76, 2024.
[16] S. Alisoufi and S. Salimi, "The Effect of Quantum Management Skills on University Employees' Readiness for Change: The Mediating Role of Organizational Agility," (in English), Management and Educational Perspective, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 125-143, 2023.
[17] V. Aghalzadeh, T. Soleimani, and A. Nokhostin Goldoust, "Presenting a Quantum Management Model for Educational Organizations," (in English), A New Approach in Educational Management, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 235-247, 2023.
[18] M. Hamzehpour, "Presenting an Indigenous Quantum Leadership Model for Iranian Knowledge-Based Companies," (in English), Strategic Management Thought, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 153-184, 2018.
[19] S. H. Mousavi, I. Soltani, and M. Hadi Peikani, "Presenting a Competency Model for Quantum Organization Leaders," (in English), Strategic Studies in the Oil and Energy Industry, vol. 11, no. 43, pp. 55-86, 2020.
[20] A. Bilgen and M. Elçi, "The Mediating Role of Organizational Intelligence in the Relationship between Quantum Leadership and Innovative Behavior," (in English), Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, p. 1051028, 2022, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1051028.
[21] H. Cai, L. Zhu, and X. Jin, "Validating the Causal Relationship between Quantum Leadership and Employee Innovation Performance from the Perspective of Organizational Sustainability," (in English), Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 18, p. 7884, 2024, doi: 10.3390/su16187884.
[22] A. de Souza Sant'Anna, "Applying Quantum Field Theory to Understand Emergent Leadership in Complex Adaptive Systems: A Case Study of Semco," (in English), 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382176736.
[23] S. Ali Khalif, F. Omidian, A. Abdolhassan Owid Falah, and N. Saeidian, "Presenting a Quantum Planning Model to Enhance Students' Self-Directed Learning," (in English), Sociology of Education, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 1-15, 2022.
[24] M. Zhang, H. Liu, M. Chen, and X. Tang, "Managerial Ties: How Much Do They Matter for Organizational Agility?," (in English), Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 103, pp. 215-226, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.03.017.
[25] W. Chen, C. Han, L. Wang, P. Ieromonachou, and X. Lu, "Recognition of Entrepreneurs' Social Ties and Firm Innovation in Emerging Markets: Explanation from the Industrial Institutional Environment and Survival Pressure," (in English), Asia Pacific Journal of Management, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 491-518, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s10490-019-09680-2.
[26] Y. Gao, C. Shu, X. Jiang, S. Gao, and A. L. Page, "Managerial Ties and Product Innovation: The Moderating Roles of Macro- and Micro-Institutional Environments," (in English), Long Range Planning, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 168-183, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.lrp.2016.11.005.
[27] V. Yeniaras, I. Kaya, and M. Dayan, "Mixed Effects of Business and Political Ties on Planning Flexibility: Insights from Turkey," (in English), Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 87, pp. 208-224, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.01.002.
[28] H. Zhang, H. Ding, and J. Xiao, "How Organizational Agility Promotes Digital Transformation: An Empirical Study," (in English), Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 14, p. 11304, 2023, doi: 10.3390/su151411304.
[29] M. L. How and S. M. Cheah, "Forging the Future: Strategic Approaches to Quantum AI Integration for Industry Transformation," (in English), AI, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 290-323, 2024, doi: 10.3390/ai5010015.
[30] E. Perrier, "The Quantum Governance Stack: Models of Governance for Quantum Information Technologies," (in English), Digital Society, vol. 1, no. 3, p. 22, 2022, doi: 10.1007/s44206-022-00019-x.
[31] M. Agheli, S. NikMenesh, H. Rashidi, and P. Jalali, Training on Thesis Writing and Scientific Article Writing, 1st ed. Tehran: Dibagaran Book Institute (in Persian), 2023.
[32] T. Jamebozorgi, M. Soleimani, and G. Shabani Bahar, "The Effect of Managers' Quantum Management Skills on the Organizational Agility of Ministry of Sport and Youth Employees: The Mediating Role of Organizational Intelligence," (in English), Knowledge Management in Sport, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 29-40, 2023.
Downloads
Publication Timeline
- Submitted
- Revised
- Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ayatollah Rashid Kershan, Mansoure Moradi Haghighi, Farshad Hajalian, Mahmood Mahmoodzadeh (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.