Developing a Systemic Model of Organizational Adaptability Through Evolutionary Leadership Practices
Keywords:
Organizational adaptability, evolutionary leadership, systemic model, qualitative research, dynamic capabilities, adaptive leadership, adaptive leadership;Abstract
This study aimed to develop a systemic model explaining how evolutionary leadership practices shape organizational adaptability in contemporary organizations facing complex, uncertain, and rapidly changing environments. This qualitative study was conducted using an inductive exploratory design. Participants included 22 senior managers, middle managers, human resource specialists, organizational development consultants, and strategic planning experts working in knowledge-intensive and service-oriented organizations in Tehran, Iran. Participants were selected through purposive sampling based on direct experience with organizational change, adaptation, restructuring, innovation, or leadership development. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews lasting between 45 and 75 minutes. Theoretical saturation was achieved after the nineteenth interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to confirm the stability of the emerging categories. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic coding supported by NVivo software. To enhance trustworthiness, the study used member checking, peer review, constant comparison, prolonged engagement with the data, and audit-trail documentation. The analysis produced five main categories: evolutionary sensemaking and environmental scanning, adaptive learning and experimentation, distributed leadership and participatory decision-making, resource reconfiguration and ambidextrous coordination, and feedback-based institutionalization of adaptability. The core category was identified as “evolutionary leadership as a systemic adaptation mechanism.” The findings indicated that organizational adaptability does not emerge merely from flexible structures or isolated innovation initiatives; rather, it develops when leaders continuously interpret environmental signals, mobilize collective learning, redistribute decision authority, reconfigure resources, and stabilize adaptive routines through feedback loops. The proposed model suggests that evolutionary leadership practices convert environmental uncertainty into organizational learning, strategic renewal, and adaptive capability. The study contributes to leadership and organizational change literature by explaining adaptability as a systemic, iterative, and socially embedded process rather than a single managerial outcome.
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