Presenting an Impartial Punitive Decision-Making Model for Managers Using Grounded Theory (Case Study: Agricultural Bank)
Keywords:
organizational disciplinary system, institutional governance, organizational justice, impartial punitive decision-makingAbstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a model for impartial punitive decision-making among managers in the Agricultural Bank using grounded theory. This study employed a qualitative methodology based on the grounded theory approach. The statistical population consisted of 15 theoretical and practical experts in the fields of management, economics, accounting, and banking, selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding in MAXQDA software. Ultimately, 77 concepts and 20 major categories were identified and organized within Strauss and Corbin’s paradigm model. The findings indicated that institutional–legal governance, contextual complexities underlying violations, cultural–value conflicts, and the technological architecture of disciplinary systems constituted the main causal conditions of impartial punitive decision-making. Core dimensions included structural–institutional governance, social factors, and organizational factors. Human and learning limitations, personalization of disciplinary decisions, and institutional pressures were identified as major intervening conditions. The dominant managerial strategies involved reducing intervention, avoiding conflict, legal defensiveness, documentation, and risk transfer. The consequences of the model included redefining organizational justice, restructuring disciplinary responsibilities, and strengthening ethical and learning-oriented organizational capacities. The study demonstrated that achieving impartial punitive decision-making in the Agricultural Bank requires a transition from traditional punishment-oriented systems toward justice-based, learning-oriented, and trust-building approaches. Establishing transparent mechanisms, strengthening procedural justice, enhancing professional ethics training, and reducing the influence of informal relationships can improve organizational health, employee trust, and the effectiveness of disciplinary systems.
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