Designing a Model for Enhancing Employees' Social Responsibility in Public Organizations (Case Study: Tehran Municipality)

Today, corporate and organizational social responsibility has become a critical necessity and is increasingly gaining attention from companies and even countries at the international level. Among them, municipalities—due to their significant role in policymaking and urban management—must pay even greater attention to this issue than other organizations. The present study was conducted with the aim of designing a model for enhancing the social responsibility of employees in Tehran Municipality. This research was qualitative in nature and employed the Grounded Theory approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with experts, managers, and university professors and analyzed through a three-stage coding process (open, axial, and selective coding). The qualitative analysis resulted in the identification of 18 main categories and 76 key concepts, which were organized within a paradigmatic model under the axes of causal conditions, core phenomenon, strategies (actions and interactions), contextual conditions, intervening conditions, and consequences. These findings present the developed model as a comprehensive and localized framework for promoting social responsibility within public organizations. From a theoretical perspective, the study successfully developed a grounded model that clearly explains the factors influencing the enhancement of employee social responsibility in public organizations, particularly municipalities. Moreover, from a practical standpoint, this model can serve as a basis for formulating policies, training programs, and management strategies aimed at improving the social responsibility of employees in Tehran Municipality.