Designing and Explaining the Employability Model with Emphasis on Urban Management: A Qualitative Study in Public Organizations

Authors

    Hossein Argiv Department of Human Resources Management, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
    Alborz Gheitani * Department of Public Administration and Media, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran a.gheitani@khuisf.ac.ir
    Mehraban Hadi Peykani Department of Public Administration and Media, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
    Sahar Faeghi Department of Cultural Sociology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

Keywords:

Public Organizations, Urban Management, Employability, Human Capital

Abstract

Employability, as one of the key components of human capital, plays a significant role in enhancing the efficiency and accountability of public organizations, particularly in the field of urban management. Accordingly, the aim of the present study is to design an employability model in public organizations with an emphasis on urban management. This research, employing a multiple grounded theory approach and drawing on existing literature and theories as well as semi-structured interviews with experts and specialists in human resources, urban planning, and public management, has developed a coherent model of employability. A purposive sampling method was used, and interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data obtained through coding and analysis led to the extraction of 457 initial codes, 112 secondary codes, 38 concepts, and 6 categories. The employability model in public organizations is shaped by a set of individual, organizational, and environmental causal factors, contextual conditions (individual characteristics and structural–organizational features), intervening conditions (potential, facilitating, and weakening factors), and organizational strategies (such as training, empowerment, and human capital development). Finally, individual and psychological, organizational and operational, economic and developmental, as well as cultural and social outcomes were identified in the model. This model can serve as a basis for revising human resources policies in public organizations.

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Published

2025-03-30

Submitted

2025-02-01

Revised

2025-04-28

Accepted

2025-05-06

How to Cite

Argiv, H. ., Gheitani, A., Hadi Peykani, M. ., & Faeghi, S. . (2025). Designing and Explaining the Employability Model with Emphasis on Urban Management: A Qualitative Study in Public Organizations. Future of Work and Digital Management Journal, 3(1), 1-13. https://www.journalfwdmj.com/index.php/fwdmj/article/view/80

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