Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Master's Degree in Higher Education Management and Planning, Educational Sciences and Psychology faculty, Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
2
Educational Management Department, Educational Sciences and Psychology faculty, Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
3
Educational Management Department, Educational Sciences and Psychology Faculty, Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
Abstract
This study aimed to develop a model for transforming Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan into a fourth-generation, entrepreneurial university. A qualitative research design based on grounded theory was adopted to identify the key factors influencing this transformation and to develop a conceptual model. The study population comprised university managers, staff, and faculty members. Participants were selected through criterion-based purposive sampling according to academic rank, organizational position, disciplinary affiliation, experience in entrepreneurship education, involvement in knowledge-based companies, and university–industry collaboration. Data were collected and analyzed using the grounded theory approach. The findings were organized within a paradigmatic model comprising causal, contextual, intervening, strategic, and consequential components. The causal conditions included recognizing the need for an entrepreneurial university, identifying barriers to transformation, institutional autonomy, developing and committing to an entrepreneurial mission, and implementing structural, managerial, and regulatory reforms. The central phenomenon was the process of transforming ideas into products. The strategies were developed based on the university’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Contextual conditions encompassed innovation and diversity in teaching and research, development of entrepreneurial competencies, institutionalization of entrepreneurship, establishing a clear entrepreneurial pathway, and securing financial resources. Intervening conditions included collaboration with the external environment and the internationalization of faculty, students, and educational and research activities. The consequences involved changes in the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of faculty and students, organizational transformation, and entrepreneurial outcomes. The model was validated through expert review and inter-coder agreement analysis. The agreement coefficient was 75%, exceeding the 60% acceptable threshold, thereby confirming the reliability of the coding and the credibility of the proposed model.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)