Modeling the political competence of managers of state organizations using interpretive structural method

Achieving career advancement and organizational acceptance is possible only by adopting correct and ethical policies and strategies. The political competence of managers has paved the way for promotion and success in the organization and has created a new insight in the process of managing organizations. The purpose of this study was to modeling the political competence of state managers. This study is based on the applied purpose and in terms of method in the field of descriptive survey studies. Identification of indicators of political competence was done through semi-structured interviews based on theoretical saturation with 17 professors in the field of organizational behavior management, human resource management and political science. The validity and reliability of the interviews were confirmed by the method of relative content validity and Kappa Cohen index, respectively. In order to modeling political competence, the opinions of 24 former and current managers of state organizations in Khorramabad were used using purposive non-probability sampling method and a questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed using content validity and test-post-test method, respectively. Coding of interviews using Atlas.ti software identified 14 key indicators of political competence. Modeling the indicators identified by the interpretive structural methoding led to the formation of seven levels, of which political knowledge and skills, identification of key individuals and influence tactics were the most effective, and political networking was the most effective indicator of political competence.