Abstract
The overall objective of this research was to discover and present a framework for organizational capability in the context of strategic changes with an emphasis on the territory of the technical and vocational organization of the country. This research was a development with a qualitative approach and a case study research method in terms of its purpose. The research participants were 15 experts in leadership and change in educational systems, especially the technical and vocational education system, selected using a purposive sampling method of the criterion type, taking into account the theoretical saturation issue. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out using the content analysis method and using MAXQDA 2020 software. The results of the research showed that the organizational capability framework consisted of four dimensions (coherence, effectiveness, responsiveness, and desirable external image), each of which includes related components. In order to validate the data, the opinions of some participants as well as experts in the field of educational management and higher education were used, and for the transferability of the findings, the test-retest method was used. Accordingly, the reliability coefficient was obtained as 0.87, which indicates that the research had high reliability. The results of the research can be used as a guide for the actions of educational system managers in the theoretical and operational fields.
Introduction
Complicated and rapid environmental changes force organizations to continuously redefine their internal capacities for survival, growth, and competition, or, in other words, to empower their pillars and structure in the face of strategic changes. Therefore, organizational capability is considered one of the key factors for success in complex and changing conditions of the strategic environment. These capabilities include a set of competencies, abilities, and resources that enable organizations to exploit opportunities arising from environmental changes, manage threats, and achieve sustainable competitive advantage (Martínez-Peláez et al., 2023). Organizational capabilities, based on a set of skills, resources, and processes, are considered to be the basis for developing strategic tools to adapt to environmental changes and exploit emerging opportunities (Rengkung, 2022). These capabilities help the organization not only manage changes, but also use them as a driver for innovation and an opportunity for growth (Barney et al., 2024). In fact, organizational capability, as one of the most important factors for the success of organizations in facing environmental challenges, refers to the ability of the organization to identify, maintain and exploit its resources and capabilities to achieve strategic goals (Teece et al., 2016). Therefore, organizations with high capability can quickly adapt to changes, produce high-quality products and create competitive advantages (Pratono, 2024). Research shows that organizational capabilities are becoming more important in the face of strategic changes. Organizations that have the ability to create coordination between human resources, new technologies and organizational strategies can better adapt to changing conditions and show higher performance (Zhang & Chen, 2024). Strategic changes within and outside the organization, as a necessity in today's business environment, require a deep understanding of the dimensions and components of organizational capability. These changes can include changes in organizational structure, culture, technology, or macro strategies (Henry, 2021). In this regard, identifying and strengthening the dimensions of organizational capability can help organizations successfully implement these changes. Organizational capability is a multidimensional and fruitful area that can be examined from various aspects, especially in educational and skill-based organizations. Paying attention to the topic of organizational capability in educational organizations is significant because, according to Badami, Jahanian & Mohammadi Nezhad Gangi (2025), paying attention to the quality of performance, excellence, and organizational capability in educational organizations is of particular importance due to their mission in training specialized human resources for society. Accordingly, the present study aims to identify the dimensions and components of organizational capability in the context of strategic changes and seeks to answer the question: what dimensions and components explain the organizational capability of the country's technical and vocational organization in the face of strategic changes?
Theoretical Framework
Organizational Capability
Organizational capability, as one of the key concepts in strategic management, has attracted the attention of many researchers and managers in recent decades. This concept refers to a set of capabilities, knowledge, skills, processes, and resources that enable organizations to sustainably achieve competitive advantage and adapt in the face of environmental changes (Rengkung, 2022). These capabilities include technical, human, and structural aspects and directly affect the performance of the organization (Abdurrahman et al., 2024). According to Barney et al. (1991), organizational capabilities include areas such as innovation, organizational learning, human resources, and leadership that can help organizations respond appropriately to environmental changes and enhance their strategic successes (Ferreira et al., 2021).
Various dimensions of organizational capability have been considered, such as the ability to learn, the ability to create and apply new knowledge in order to develop innovation in processes and products, flexibility, strategic agility based on the speed of response to changes, knowledge management, and the power of external cooperation (Gomes et al., 2022). In a general view, organizational capability can be assessed in the quantity and quality of three major assets in the organization; human capital, including the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees, which are vital for increasing performance and advancing innovation in the organization (Liu et al., 2020). 
Research Methodology
This research was a development with a qualitative approach and a case study in terms of purpose. The research participants (key informants) were 15 experts in leadership and change in educational systems, especially the technical and vocational education system, selected using a purposive sampling method of the criterion type, taking into account the theoretical saturation issue. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out using thematic analysis method and MAXQDA 2020 software.
Research findings
In order to discover the framework of organizational capability in the context of strategic changes with an emphasis on the country's technical and vocational organization, interviews were conducted with experts and experienced in management, leadership and change in educational systems, especially skill organizations and people who, in addition to scientific abilities, had direct and indirect management experiences at the middle and senior levels of the country's technical and vocational education organization in the organization of the research area. While analyzing the interview text in detail, 20 related basic themes were identified and by categorizing similar basic themes in one category, 4 organizing themes were drawn, and finally a network of themes was drawn. The results of the study showed that the organizational capability framework in the context of strategic changes consisted of four dimensions: effectiveness, responsiveness, coherence, and desirable external image, each of which included related components. The effectiveness dimension included the components of internal effectiveness, external effectiveness, institutional effectiveness, effective activities, and correct performance of tasks. The responsiveness dimension included the components of responsiveness to the environment, responsiveness to internal conditions and needs, social responsibility, and attention to environmental conditions and needs. The coherence dimension included the components of conceptual coherence, operational coherence, social coherence, structural coherence, spiritual coherence, and emotional coherence. The desirable external image dimension included the components of environmental desirability, positive environmental evaluation, external acceptability, internal acceptability, and positive performance evaluation.
Conclusion
The results of the present study show that organizational capability in the field of technical and vocational education organization as a skill-oriented institution that trains specialized human resources and technology for society includes multiple dimensions of coherence, effectiveness, responsiveness, and a desirable external image. The dimensions affecting organizational capability are, in a way, the fulcrum of the technical and vocational organization as an open system so that it can achieve competitive advantage in dynamic and challenging environments in addition to maintaining meaningful survival. These dimensions jointly increase the organization's capacity to deal with strategic changes and achieve long-term goals. Various aspects of effectiveness, both internal in the sense of the quality of task performance and external in the sense of effective responsiveness to the environment, and then institutional effectiveness in the sense of realizing the organization's mission and desirability in the environment, are vital components of organizational capability. The findings of this study are in line with the results of studies by Brinia (2022); Zacharias (2021) confirms that organizational effectiveness is one of the key indicators of success in strategic change. Environmental responsiveness, which includes social responsibility and providing services that meet the needs of the environment, is another key theme identified in this study. This theme is consistent with El Idrissi et al.'s (2023) theories about latent capabilities, which show that an organization's responsiveness to the environment often results from latent capabilities that are activated in times of crisis. The various components of organizational cohesion resulting from the findings of the present study in the field of technical and vocational education show that desirable and optimal cohesion is achieved when the various elements of the organization, including human resources, physical resources, structure and processes, are compatible and coordinated with each other, and cohesion is objectively manifested both in conceptual and cognitive aspects and in operational aspects and professional relationships throughout the organization's structure. The final component of organizational capability, which is both a result of capability and an important factor in creating organizational capability, is the desired external image of the organization. Existing systems in the environment refer only to an organization that trusts it and has a suitable image of it. Therefore, the image that organizations leave in the environment with their health and output is very important and leads to organizational capability. However, the important point is that the coordination and alignment of the four main dimensions of organizational capability, namely coherence, effectiveness, responsiveness, and external image, requires attention to a key and important element called organizational leadership. Leadership, by creating a link between the system and its current and future environment and considering systemic requirements, can provide the correct arrangement of components together in a way that leads to improved coherence, effectiveness, and responsiveness of the system to the environment, and as a result, improved the external image of the organization in the environment, and taking advantage of the feedback effects of this important factor in strengthening and improving the level of the aforementioned three variables. Accordingly, it can be stated that effective leadership, by helping to improve the accountability, effectiveness, and coherence of the organization, along with the desired image they portray of the organization, provides the organization's capabilities inside and outside the organization.
The findings of the present study confirm that the country's technical and vocational education organization can achieve capabilities when it is able to develop indicators based on coherence, effectiveness, accountability, and external image, and gain the power to interact effectively with the strategic and changing environment more than other competitors. The organization's capabilities lead to an intelligent understanding of the needs and requirements of the present and future environment, and this awareness leads to the design of efficient strategies to respond appropriately and timely to these requirements.