Developing a Native Model to Select the Heads of Sport Federations in Iran: A Grounded Theory Approach

It has always been of great importance to select competent managers in organizations. The reason is that the competency of managers can play an important role in the development of societies. One of the arenas where requires following a scientific model to select competent managers is sport federations in Iran. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed at developing a native model to select heads of sport federations in Iran using grounded theory. 23 interviews were conducted with experts. The outcome of these interviews was a set of basic themes that were collected through the open coding process and some items were extracted from them; then, in the axial coding step, the connection among these items was determined under the following titles: causal conditions, phenomenology, strategies, contextual factors, interventions and the consequences of selecting the heads of sport federations. Then, in the selective coding stage, the story process was plotted. In this study, the causal conditions affecting the selection of the heads of sport federations were divided into two general categories: communication skills and required sport expertise in accordance with the federation. Intellectual capital management skill was determined for the intrusive factor and social popularity and acceptability were determined for the dominant platform. Personality traits, managerial features, planning skills, and negotiating and problem solving techniques were also considered as the core item. Moreover, managerial resume in the sport federations and financial management skills were identified as strategies and effective political behaviors, human resource skills and interaction with media were also included in the outcomes of this model.