Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 PhD Student in Public Administration (HRM), Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
reverse mentoring. Employing a qualitative grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin), 15 participants—including senior managers in the automotive industry and young Generation Z specialists—were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews until theoretical saturation was achieved. Findings indicate that three key factors—digital transformation pressures and competitive environment, gaps in strategic knowledge and skills, and structural and managerial misalignment—serve as causal conditions for mental model transformation. The process unfolds in three stages: cognitive conflict, unfreezing, and reconstruction. Contextual conditions, such as top management support, organizational culture, and performance systems, as well as intervening factors, including individual, interactive, and process-related facilitators and barriers, influence the transformation. Key strategies identified include resistance management, experiential learning, institutionalization of interactive platforms, and purposeful program design. The proposed model provides practical guidance for organizations to manage cognitive change, enhance intergenerational knowledge transfer, and foster adaptive, agile leadership in response to digital and organizational challenges.
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