Validation of the Cultural Convergence Model within the Sustainable Human Resource Management Ecosystem of Iran’s Healthcare System: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Approach
Keywords:
Healthcare System, Structural Equation Modeling , Sustainable HRM , Human Resource Ecosystem , Cultural Convergence , Grounded TheoryAbstract
This study aimed to develop and validate a cultural convergence model within the sustainable human resource management ecosystem of Iran’s healthcare system. An exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, grounded theory following Strauss and Corbin’s approach was applied through semi-structured interviews with 12 academic experts and HR managers from public hospitals in Tehran, analyzed via open, axial, and selective coding. Based on qualitative findings, a researcher-made questionnaire was developed and its content validity was confirmed using CVR and CVI indices. In the quantitative phase, data from 350 hospital employees and managers were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Structural model results indicated a significant effect of causal conditions on the sustainable HR ecosystem (β=0.754, t=5.028). Intercultural management strategies demonstrated a significant mediating role in linking causal factors to outcomes (β=0.635, t=9.322). The moderating effects of contextual and intervening conditions on structural relationships were also statistically supported (p<0.05). The findings confirm cultural convergence as a core phenomenon and a strategic pillar for achieving sustainable human resource management in healthcare organizations, providing an empirical foundation for redesigning HR policies in multicultural clinical environments.
Downloads
References
Azizi, B., Fazel Bakhsheshi, M., & Khalifeh Soltani, M. (2024). Relationship between Green Human Resource Management and Organizational Sustainability of Employees of Sports and Youth Departments in Sistan and Baluchestan Province with the Mediating Role of Green Organizational Culture. Human Resource Management in Sports, 11(2), 231-251. https://doi.org/10.22044/shm.2024.14132.2618
Bahari, B., & Taheri Rouzbahani, M. (2023). Designing an electronic human resources management model based on knowledge creation in knowledge-based companies. Journal of value creating in Business Management, 3(1), 106-121. https://doi.org/10.22034/jvcbm.2023.392785.1082
Chandra, Y. (2021). Social Capital as a Tool for Managing Human Resources in Agile Entrepreneurial Organisations. In Managing Human Resources in SMEs and Start-ups (Vol. Volume 5, pp. 207-222). WORLD SCIENTIFIC. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811239212_0010
Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and assessment of intercultural competence as a student outcome of internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10(3), 241-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315306287002
Dickmann, M. (2023). HR ecosystems in global organizations: Cultural cohesion and strategic sustainability. Global Business Review, 24(1), 117-139. https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/building-a-sustainable-ecosystem-of-human-resource-management-res
Garavan, T. N. (2019). HRD in multicultural health systems: A strategic framework. Human Resource Development International, 22(2), 101-120. https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/623807/1/Garavan_et_al-2019-Human_Resource_Development_Quarterly-1.pdf
Georgescu, I., Bocean, C. G., Vărzaru, A. A., Rotea, C. C., Mangra, M. G., & Mangra, G. I. (2024). Enhancing Organizational Resilience: The Transformative Influence of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices and Organizational Culture. Sustainability, 16(10), 4315. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16104315
Ghale Aqababaei, M. (2023). Designing a Model for the Antecedents and Consequences of Sustainable Human Resource Management in the Public Sector. PhD Dissertation. https://jomc.ut.ac.ir/article_93246.html
Hammer, M. R. (2015). The intercultural development inventory: A new frontier in intercultural competence. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 48, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.03.004
Hofstede, G. (2000). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage Publications. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/unf_research/53/
Kumar, S. K. R. (2025). Influence of Sustainable Human Resource Practices on ITES Organizational Culture. Journal of Information Systems Engineering & Management, 10(13s), 522-530. https://doi.org/10.52783/jisem.v10i13s.2107
Nishitha, K., & Kavitha, R. (2024). Exploring the Integration of Human Resource Management and Organizational Culture in Achieving Environmental Sustainability In Intersecting Human Resource Management and Organizational Culture for Environmental Sustainability. In (pp. 1-23). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2699-2.ch001
Oliaie, M. (2021). Investigating the Effects and Role of Non-formal Education Courses in Sustainable Rural Development (Case study: Ahmadabad Village, Takht-e Soleiman Eection of Takab City). Iranian Social Development Studies, 13(1), 7-20. https://www.magiran.com/paper/2246691
Peretz, H. (2024). Sustainable Human Resource Management and Employees' Performance: The Impact of National Culture. Sustainability, 16, 7281. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177281
Qolipour, A. (2024). Sustainable human capital in Iranian public sector organizations: A diagnostic review. Journal of Public Management, 21(1), 45-70. https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/creator/99058/%D8%A2%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86_%D9%82%D9%84%DB%8C_%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1
Rahman, M. A., & Saba, N. A. (2025). Driving Sustainable Business Performance through Green HRM: Examining the Mediating Roles of Green Technology Innovation and Green Organizational Culture. Golden Ratio of Human Resource Management, 5(2), 501-516. https://doi.org/10.52970/grhrm.v5i2.1326
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership. Jossey-Bass. https://ia800805.us.archive.org/9/items/EdgarHScheinOrganizationalCultureAndLeadership/Edgar_H_Schein_Organizational_culture_and_leadership.pdf
Shaker, A. (2022). Elucidating a Model of Sustainable Human Resource Productivity in the Housing Bank Based on Administrative System Transformation Policies Allameh Tabatabai University]. https://www.jmsp.ir/article_165986_en.html
Shiri, N., Mehdizadeh, H., Khoshmaram, M., & Azadi, H. (2022). Determinants of entrepreneurial alertness: towards sustainable agribusiness development. British Food Journal, 124(7), 2279-2298. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-07-2021-0825
Snell, S. A., & Morris, S. S. (2021). Human resource ecosystems and cultural alignment in complex organizations. Academy of Management Perspectives, 35(2), 123-139. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2018.0069
Usunier, J. C., & Lee, J. A. (2005). Marketing across cultures. Pearson Education. https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780273757764_A24657961/preview-9780273757764_A24657961.pdf
Westerman, J. W., Rao, M. B., Vanka, S., & Gupta, M. (2020). Sustainable human resource management and the triple bottom line: A review of the literature and research agenda. Human Resource Development Review, 19(2), 135-157. https://www.econbiz.de/Record/sustainable-human-resource-management-and-the-triple-bottom-line-multi-stakeholder-strategies-concepts-and-engagement-westerman-james/10012286015
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohsen Mohammadbeidaghi (Author); Vahid Chenari; Yousef Amini, Ezatollah Kiani, Arash Jamalmanesh (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.