Designing and Evaluating a Conceptual Model of Trained Incapacity in Public Organizations

Background & Purpose: Although many years have passed since the phenomenon of Trained Incapacity was introduced in the field of human resource studies, its visible and hidden indicators has remained undiscovered. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to explore the concept of Trained Incapacity in Iranian government organizations to achieve a deep understanding of the content of this phenomenon among experts in the administrative system. Methodology: The research strategy was interpretive mapping of grounded theory and its participants were employees of government organizations in Ilam, Iran. Twenty people were interviewed through theoretical sampling method considering the theoretical saturation rule. The main data collection tool in the qualitative section was a semi-structured interview to enumerate the manifestations of the central phenomenon. And in the quantitative section, a researcher-made questionnaire was used to validate the emerging conceptual model. The validity of the interviews was assessed using two strategies of triangulation and peer review, and the reliability method between the two coders was considered to ensure the quality of the data. Findings: The results showed that the trained incapacity is conceived and plotted in the form of a three-layer model. In the deepest conceptual layer, the five factors of Administrative panic formation, Inferiority Feeling, Institutionalization of job habits, Job in adequacy form the central phenomenon. The most obvious layer of trained incapacity is manifested in the form of behaviors such as Job Routineness, Job Regressionism, and Job immunization. Furthermore, the results of model validation through a sample test by considering the six indicators of comprehensiveness, brevity, uniqueness, coherence, fit with organizations and fit with the current needs of organizations indicated that the conceptual model has theoretical validity from the point of view of experts and informants. Conclusion: Awareness of the indicators of the trained incapacity phenomenon in the environment of government organizations is an important step in increasing the knowledge of managers about lesser known phenomena in the context of the dark edge of organizational behavior discourse. Strategies proposed in this field can also provide the necessary platform to reduce its effects on the body of organizations.