Leadership Competencies in Turbulent Environments (A Meta-synthesis Study)

Objective The present research was conducted with the aim of identifying the competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and characteristics) required of leaders in a turbulent environment. Methods This study employed a qualitative approach and a meta-synthesis method. The method provided by Sandelowski and Barroso (2007) was utilized for this purpose. The research community consisted of 483 scientific documents published between 2016 and 2023, which were sourced from 8 international and 4 domestic databases. The databases searched included ProQuest, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Sage, Emerald, ResearchGate, Springer, SID, IranDoc, Normex, and MagIran. After analyzing the titles and content, 27 scientific documents were selected and thoroughly analyzed. The findings were then analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Results A review of the existing literature on the competencies of leaders in turbulent environments reveals that, despite the substantial research conducted in this field, only certain aspects of these competencies have been addressed. The dimensions and categories of leadership in turbulent conditions have not been comprehensively examined together, nor has a comprehensive model been developed. Moreover, the obstacles to developing these competencies have not been adequately presented. Based on the findings of the present study, the competencies of leaders in a turbulent environment were organized into five dimensions: abilities, individual ethics, organizational and psychological ethics, attitudes, knowledge, and skills. The knowledge dimension includes 13 concepts under two components: organizational knowledge and peripheral knowledge. The abilities dimension consists of self-development, mental and analytical components, guidance, coherence, understanding of complexities, and cognitive (thinking) components, comprising a total of 40 items or concepts. The skills dimension encompasses team building, communication, empowerment, and decision-making (in unstable conditions), totaling 33 concepts. In the attitude dimension, 26 concepts were organized under the components of passion for improvement and strategic vision. The integrated components derived from these concepts include organizational and peripheral knowledge; self-development, mental and analytical abilities, guidance, coherence, understanding of complexities, and cognitive (thinking) abilities; team building skills, communication, empowerment, decision-making (in unstable conditions), and technological skills; individual ethics, organizational (professional) ethics, and psychological ethics; and an attitude of passion for improvement and strategic vision. Overall, from the 27 reviewed studies, one main theme, 5 primary themes (areas of competence), and 18 sub-components related to competence were identified. Conclusion To ensure the quality of the research, the analysis and interpretation of the documents were conducted with high accuracy and thorough documentation. Additionally, the opinions and feedback of experts were incorporated at various stages of the research. By providing an integrated model of leaders' competencies in a turbulent environment, this research enables leaders in today's volatile world to identify and develop the necessary competencies to achieve stable and effective organizational performance. Furthermore, they can assess these competencies in their peers and lay the foundation for their development.