Identification of Leadership Competency Dimensions Based on Educational and Research Quality at Islamic Azad University, Mazandaran Province

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the dimensions of leadership competencies based on educational and research quality at Islamic Azad University in Mazandaran Province and to explain their role in the continuous improvement of university educational and research performance. This study was conducted using a qualitative mixed-methods approach based on systematic grounded theory. The participants included 14 experts in university management, higher education, educational planning, and research who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using MAXQDA 2020 software. The analysis process was carried out in three stages, including open, axial, and selective coding. During open coding, 220 initial concepts were extracted and subsequently reduced to 68 meaningful concepts through abstraction and integration. These concepts were then organized into major and minor categories, leading to the development of the final conceptual model. To ensure the credibility of the findings, internal validity, expert confirmation, continuous comparative analysis, and construct validity were employed. The findings indicated that leadership competencies based on educational and research quality could be explained through five major dimensions, including individual competencies, organizational and managerial competencies, structural competencies, educational quality, and research quality. The dimension of individual competencies included professional ethics and commitment, strategic thinking, responsibility, and continuous learning. Organizational and managerial competencies involved strategic planning, change management, data-driven decision-making, human resource leadership, and organizational culture development. The findings also demonstrated that infrastructure development, alignment of organizational structures with university goals, and support for innovation were among the most significant structural competencies. In the educational quality dimension, active teaching methods, teacher–student interaction, continuous assessment, and the application of educational technologies were emphasized. In the research quality dimension, support for research activities, scientific networking, evaluation of research performance, and promotion of innovation and creativity were identified as key components. The core category extracted from the study was “Systematic Empowerment of University Leaders’ Competencies for the Continuous Improvement of Educational and Research Quality.” The findings demonstrated that improving educational and research quality at Islamic Azad University requires the simultaneous and integrated development of leaders’ individual, managerial, and structural competencies