Designing and explaining the model of organizational culture in Iran's higher education system and its relationship with psychological empowerment of employees*

AbstractFrom the researchers’ standpoints, providing proper conditions and cultural context can be assumed as a platform for employee empowerment. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to design an organizational culture model and investigate its relationship with employee psychological empowerment at universities and higher education institutions of Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. This study was a developmental and applied research type conducted within two phases including identification of organizational culture dimensions via content analysis method and its examination through survey methodology. In the qualitative phase, a total number of 25 experts were selected using purposive sampling method. Then; following the fulfillment of semi-structured interviews and content analysis, the study model was designed. In the survey phase, the statistical population of the research was comprised of 5365 employees working at universities and higher education institutions in Razavi Khorasan Province; of which, a total number of 421 individuals were determined via stratified multistage random sampling method as the sample size and the data required were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Based on the results of this study, the organizational culture model in Iran’s higher education system could have four dimensions including “behavioral”, “managerial”, “structural”, and “value-based/ideological”. Moreover, a positive and significant relationship was observed between organizational culture and employee psychological empowerment.