Abstract
The aim of this research is to present a model of factors affecting the establishment of organizational strategies aimed at national sustainable development. The present research is applicable in terms of purpose, and mixed in terms of implementation (qualitative-quantitative) with a data-based approach, and descriptive-survey type in terms of nature. The statistical population of the research in the qualitative part includes 12 experts active in the field of non-governmental organizations as well as managers of these organizations, and sampling was carried out using the snowball method; and the statistical population in the quantitative part includes 20 people selected by the judgmental and purposeful sampling method. The research collection tool is semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. MAXQDA software was used to analyze data in the qualitative part of the data-based method, and Expert Choice software in the quantitative part. The results in the qualitative section showed that the identified components were categorized into six categories of causal conditions, strategies, actions, context, intervening conditions, and consequences; and the results in the quantitative section showed that community acceptance and support with a score of 0.117 had the greatest impact on the establishment of NGO policies. Also, setting specific goals for NGO organizations with a score of 0.116 and using skilled and experienced people with a score of 0.107 were the next priorities. Among the indicators examined, the least impact was related to human resource empowerment and community member participation with a score of 0.02. These results show that factors related to social acceptance and setting specific goals play a pivotal role in the success of NGO policies.
Introduction
Undoubtedly, the most important issue that countries, especially developing ones, are facing is achieving sustainable development. Achieving sustainable development has always been one of the important complexities in less developed societies. Many advances and developments in today's world lack sufficient credibility (Koch & Parellada, 2017). In fact, in today's world, a type of development that has credibility and a desirable position is one that is sustainable. Sustainable development means a process that envisions a desirable future for human societies in which living conditions and resource use meet human needs without harming the integrity, beauty, and stability of vital systems (Grant, 2019). According to the above definition, it can be seen that development is not sustainable in many cases. We achieve sustainable development when cultural beliefs, social, economic, and political institutions in society are fundamentally transformed to reflect the known vital capacities and, in this process, the level of welfare of the society is improved without harming or impairing the resources of future generations (Driscoll, 2014).
Given the global trend of shrinking governments and the transfer of many activities to the third sector of society, namely civil society organizations, and also considering that governments cannot perform completely well in all areas, especially in market-related mechanisms, civil society organizations can play a key role in this area (Tallberg et al, 2018). Civil society organizations can have a strong supervisory role over various organizations in society by increasing their influence on the thinking and powers of the general public, and in this regard, they can provide significant assistance to governments in achieving sustainable development in various areas (Grant, 2019). Civil society organizations, through their influence on societies, especially the general public, can exert various pressures, especially on the economic, political, and social sectors of the country, to comply with desirable standards, thereby creating a basis for achieving sustainable development (Hsu et al, 2017). In policy-making, attention should be paid to ensuring that the institutions are also accountable for their activities in order to increase transparency in the institutions' actions. This issue can play a prominent role in improving trust in the institutions in society. On the other hand, the lack of experts, especially those with management approaches, has caused the activities of the institutions to not only be ineffective in some cases, but also have negative consequences, considering the resources that have been collected. Therefore, the main question of the research is: What is the pattern of factors affecting the establishment of organizational strategies with the aim of national sustainable development?
Theoretical framework
Organizational strategies
Organizational strategy is located at the intersection of goals and the structure of the organization. The organizational structure of any business shows the relationships between the resources of that complex. Accordingly, it can be said that organizational strategy means the correct arrangement of resources in order to achieve the organization's long-term goals (Salmanpour Sohi et al, 2021).
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a process that envisions a desirable future for human societies in which living conditions and resource use meet human needs without harming the integrity, beauty, and stability of vital systems (Grant, 2019).
Vandersmissen & Georgen (2023) reviewed Strategic Planning in Public Organizations: A Review of 35 Years of Research. Drawing from a systematic review of 75 studies through the lens of strategy as action, this article contributes to public management theory, research, and practice in three important ways. First, it provides a structured synthesis and integration of a growing and heterogeneous body of literature, providing a roadmap for future research on strategic planning in public organizations. Second, it proposes a mid-range theoretical framework that captures the complex and dynamic nature of strategic planning in public organizations, and provides insight into how strategic planning is implemented and why it may or may not work in specific contexts. Finally, it provides practical relevance for public managers and other public professionals by providing an overview of the different strategic planning options available and how they can be optimized given unique contexts and desired outcomes.
Jamshidi et al, (2021) in a study explained the model of public policy implementation in state-owned companies. The findings of the study show that the successful implementation of public policy is measurable in light of criteria such as efficiency, effectiveness, meeting expectations, adequacy in problem solving, distributive justice, and adaptation to the conditions of the oil industry. The framework obtained indicates that the successful implementation of public policies leads to increased public trust and satisfaction, as well as the promotion of corporate legitimacy among stakeholders.
Research Methodology
The present study is applicable in terms of purpose, and mixed in terms of implementation (qualitative-quantitative) with a data-based approach, and descriptive-survey type in terms of nature. The statistical population of the research in the qualitative part includes 12 experts active in the field of NGOs as well as managers of these organizations, and sampling was carried out using the snowball method; and the statistical population in the quantitative part includes 20 people selected by the judgmental and purposeful sampling method. The research collection tool is semi-structured interviews and questionnaires.
Research findings
MAXQDA software was used to analyze data in the qualitative part of the data-based method, and Expert Choice software was used in the quantitative part. The results in the qualitative part showed that the identified components were categorized into six categories: causal conditions, strategies, actions, context, intervening conditions, and consequences, and the results in the quantitative part showed that community acceptance and support, with a score of 0.117, has the greatest impact on the establishment of NGO policies. Also, setting specific goals for NGOs with a score of 0.116 and using skilled and experienced people with a score of 0.107 were the next priorities. Among the indicators studied, the least impact was related to human resource empowerment and community member participation with a score of 0.02. These results indicate that factors related to social acceptance and setting specific goals play a pivotal role in the success of NGO policies.
Conclusion
The present study was conducted with the aim of providing a model of factors affecting the establishment of organizational strategies with the aim of national sustainable development. The results of this study are consistent with the results of Pourkarimi & Azizi (2024), Wu et al, (2023), Vandersmissen & Georgen (2023), Jamshidi et al, (2021), Salmanpour Sohi et al, (2021), Ahadzadeh et al, (2021), Henry et al, (2019), Grant (2019), Harangozó & Zilahy (2015); who pointed out the importance of the persuasive role of NGOs and their interactions with governments. Grant (2019) shows that the level of government distrust is shown to determine what conditions exist for an NGO to be effective in implementing effective and sustainable development policies over a government institution. This research states that if NGOs can carry out their activities at the lower levels of society in a persuasive manner, it can be expected that governments will be able to perform better in implementing their policies in the field of sustainable development.
According to the results obtained, the following practical suggestion was made:
It is suggested that common digital platforms be designed for interactions between NGOs and the government to achieve greater coordination and transparency in the implementation of policies.