Presenting a Competency Model for Managers in Public Organizations (Case Study: Plan and Budget Organization of Iran)

Managerial competency plays a crucial role in improving performance and enhancing productivity within public organizations. The Plan and Budget Organization of Iran, as one of the key institutions in policymaking and the implementation of developmental programs, requires managers equipped with a wide range of competencies tailored to today’s complex and dynamic environment. The aim of the present study was to develop a competency model for managers in public organizations, focusing specifically on the Plan and Budget Organization of Iran. This research adopted a qualitative methodology. The statistical population in the model development phase included faculty members in the field of public administration at higher education institutions and senior managers and human resource management experts from various public organizations. In the model validation phase, participants consisted of public administration faculty members from higher education institutions in Greater Tehran. In the qualitative section, 19 experts were selected through snowball sampling, while in the validation phase, 20 experts were chosen via purposive sampling. Data collection tools included semi-structured interviews in the qualitative section and an expert evaluation checklist in the validation phase. For data analysis, the qualitative section employed thematic analysis using initial, axial, and selective coding with Atlas software. The validation phase used the Delphi method across three rounds via SPSS software. To assess validity and reliability in the qualitative phase, necessary procedures such as credibility (expert review) and confirmability (expert audit) were employed. In the validation stage, the expert checklist content was approved by several academic and organizational experts in terms of clarity and comprehensibility, and its reliability was confirmed through a test-retest method, yielding a coefficient of 0.86. Based on the qualitative findings, the final model included five main themes: (1) personal and personality competencies, (2) leadership and managerial competencies, (3) communication and interpersonal competencies, (4) technical and knowledge-based competencies, and (5) environmental and adaptability competencies, encompassing 25 components and 100 indicators. The results of the validation phase confirmed the main and sub-themes identified in the qualitative section.