Model of Factors Related to Job Plateauing in Employees of Ministry of Education: A Mixed Method Study

Objective: In contemporary organizational discourse, the phenomenon of career plateauing has garnered significant attention and is regarded as an indispensable concern for all institutions. This study has been undertaken with the objective of examining the analytical elements associated with the career plateauing of educational personnel and formulating an appropriate model in this context. Methods: The methodology employed in this inquiry is predicated on objective criteria within the applied research framework, wherein the classification of data collection temporal criteria aligns with descriptive-relational research, executed through a mixed-method approach to elucidate, describe, and model the phenomenon. The research population, comprising 20 experts, was selected for the model's presentation, while a cohort of 384 individuals was designated for the validation of the model. Factors pertinent to the model were discerned through semi-structured interviews and the grounded theory methodology. Subsequently, the proposed model underwent validation via structural equation modeling techniques. Furthermore, the interrelationships, weight, and prioritization of model factors were determined utilizing fuzzy DEMATEL and analytical network process methodologies. Results: The findings from this research indicate that the model possesses sufficient validity. In accordance with the factor weighting results, the "career plateau criterion" emerges as a principal factor, while the sub-factors "Burnout," "Beliefs and Islamic values," and "Lack of material and spiritual incentives" exhibit the highest weight and priority, sequentially ranked in terms of significance. Conclusions: The results of this research may be utilized by administrators and policymakers within the education to mitigate this occurrence and address associated challenges.