Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Habib Roodsaz ¹
• Alireza Koushki Jahromi ²
• Niloufar Mozafari ³

¹ Professor, Department of Public Administration University of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration University of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

³ Ph.D Student the Field Human Resource Management University of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

In contemporary administrative and governance systems, the phenomenon of "Managerial entrenchment" is known as one of the hidden but effective challenges to the inefficiency of public organizations. This phenomenon occurs when managers, especially at senior levels, use organizational influence, political relations, and exclusive expertise to achieve a position where their dismissal or improvement of performance becomes difficult. The aim of the present study is to identify, classify, and analyze the phenomenon of managerial entrenchment in the public sector using the meta-synthesis method. In this study, by systematically reviewing and analyzing 30 articles in the fields of public management, policymaking, and organizational psychology, 46 conceptual codes were extracted and categorized into three main axes: influential factors, consequences, and solutions. The findings of the study showed that the factors of managerial entrenchment can be explained in three categories: cognitive, structural, and behavioral-political; The consequences were identified in four categories: reduced organizational efficiency, damage to public governance, resistance to reforms, and political-structural effects; and the strategies to reduce the effects of manager consolidation were also categorized into three categories: reforming governance structures, behavioral-technological interventions, and developing innovative strategies. In light of these findings, the present study points to the need to adopt preventive and corrective approaches to deal with the phenomenon of manager consolidation in public organizations in order to improve performance, strengthen public governance, and facilitate structural reforms.