Sustainable city

Sustainable city

Proposing an Agile Model for Urban Organizations with a Public Participation Approach (A Case Study of the Iranian Awqaf and Charity Organization)

Document Type : Article extracted From phd dissertation

Authors
Mehdi Mansouri 1
ALi Mehdizadeh Ashrafi 2
Ahmad Vedadi 3
Majid Jahangirfard 4
Bahram Alishiri 5
1 Department of Public Administration, Islamic Azad University, Firouzkoh, Tehran Province
2 Department of Public Administration, Firouzkoh Islamic Azad University, Tehran Province
3 Department of Management, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch
4 Department of Public Administration, Islamic Azad University, Firozkouh Branch, Tehran Province
5 Department of Public Administration, Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch
10.22034/jsc.2024.450758.1771
Abstract
Extended Abstract

Introduction

The increasing importance of organizational agility in the past three decades has led to its increased application in this field. This research aims to present a model of organizational agility for the Iranian Charity Organization (ICO) with an emphasis on public participation in developing sustainable cities.



Methodology

The purpose of this research is a developmental-applied study that was conducted with a mixed exploratory (qualitative-quantitative) approach. Qualitative content analysis was used to design the organizational agility model for the development of public participation using Clark and Brown's 6-step coding method. Textual data related to the research topic were analyzed, and agile themes were identified. Then, an organizational agility model based on the development of public participation with an overarching theme, 6 organized themes, and 22 basic themes was developed and proposed. In the quantitative part of this research, a survey was conducted among the managers and heads of endowment departments and charity organizations in the whole country. Two hundred twenty questionnaires were distributed among the statistical population; with continuous follow-up and using Cochran's formula, 200 people were selected randomly. Data collection was done through a researcher-made questionnaire, and PLS-Smart software was used to evaluate the external and internal validity of the model. The goodness of fit index, or GOF, is used to measure the overall strength of the research model. This measure is a number between zero and one; the closer it is to one, the better the quality of the model will be. Obtaining a value of 0.798 for the goodness of fit index (GOF) in the research model indicates a very good overall fit of the model.



Results and discussion

Surveys show that waqf plays an essential role in the sustainability of cities in various dimensions, including economic, social, cultural and environmental. Waqf can be used as a sustainable source of financing urban development projects, especially in the fields of education, health, housing and social welfare. Endowments can play a role in improving the quality of life of city residents, especially in the fields of education, health and social services; and help preserve and restore the cultural and natural heritage of cities.

The findings showed that organizational agility in promoting public participation is a multi-dimensional structure that includes the following 22 dimensions and indicators:

Individual competencies (employees' competence, managers' competence, and the competence of dedicated people), customization and quality improvement (trust, understanding of needs, access to services, sense of responsibility, humility and respect), virtualization (outsourcing of services, supply of goods, provision of face-to-face services), institutionalization of education and learning (clarification, free access to information, flexibility, improvement of joint operation processes) and extra-organizational interaction (interaction with influential people, interaction with institutions, interaction with organizations).

Strengthening these dimensions can increase the ability of organizations to adapt to environmental changes, respond to the needs of stakeholders and leverage active public participation to guide cities towards sustainable development. In addition, the external model showed satisfactory composite reliability and convergent validity, and all factor loadings exceeded 0.4 in the first-order factor analysis. Second-order factor analysis showed that all path coefficients were significant and confirmed the causal relationships between dimensions and components.



Conclusion

The proposed model, in the form of a multi-dimensional construct, provides a useful framework for understanding the nature of organizational agility in developing public participation in ICO for officials, managers, and experts in this field. Based on the results of the research, it is suggested to the top managers of the Oghaf organization that they make the organization agile through the implementation of all six dimensions obtained and that people's participation in this organization should be increased while becoming agile. Individual competencies state that the agility of endowment and charity organizations in order to increase public participation requires emphasizing the competencies of key stakeholders, including managers, employees, and endowment members. Emphasis is placed on the use of a competence approach in training employees and developing managers. Interactions outside the organization state that the agility of the endowment organization in order to increase people's participation requires the development and expansion of extra-organizational interactions. It is suggested that the managers of the organization strengthen these interactions, including interactions with related organizations, NGOs, and influential people in society.



Funding

There is no funding support.

Authors’ Contribution

The authors of this manuscript wish to acknowledge their equal contributions to its conceptualization and writing. All authors have reviewed and approved the final content, and there are no competing interests to declare.

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the support of the scientific consultants who provided valuable feedback on this paper.
Keywords
Organizational Agility
Public Participation
Charity Organization
Sustainable City Development
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Sustainable city
Volume 6, Issue 4
Autumn 2023
Pages 87-103