Redefining Managerial Competencies for the Next Generation of Organizations: A Delphi-Based Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a future-oriented model of managerial competencies required for next-generation organizations operating under conditions of digital transformation, environmental volatility, human–technology collaboration, and continuous organizational redesign. This qualitative Delphi-based study was conducted in Tehran using purposive and snowball sampling. Twenty-six experts participated, including senior managers, organizational consultants, human resource development specialists, digital transformation leaders, and university faculty members in management and organizational studies. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in three iterative Delphi rounds. The first round explored participants’ open-ended perceptions of essential future managerial competencies; the second round refined and validated the emerging categories; and the third round was used to confirm conceptual saturation and expert consensus. Theoretical saturation was achieved after the twenty-second interview, and four additional interviews were conducted to ensure stability of the findings. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo software. Credibility was strengthened through member checking, peer review, constant comparison, and expert validation. The analysis produced five main categories of next-generation managerial competencies: strategic foresight and systems thinking, digital and data-enabled decision competence, adaptive leadership and learning agility, human-centered relational competence, and ethical governance in technology-mediated organizations. Participants emphasized that future managers should not merely supervise tasks but should interpret weak signals, integrate human and technological capabilities, manage ambiguity, cultivate learning ecosystems, and protect trust, dignity, and fairness in increasingly automated organizations. The findings suggest that managerial competency frameworks must move beyond traditional technical, interpersonal, and administrative skill models toward a dynamic, anticipatory, ethically grounded, and digitally fluent competency architecture. Next-generation managers require an integrated capability set that enables them to lead organizational evolution rather than simply maintain operational control.