Journal of Human Resource Management

Journal of Human Resource Management

Identifying and Prioritizing Human Resource Strategies in Organizational Agility in the Digital Age (Studied Case: Mellat Bank)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Abbasali Rastgar 1
Davood Feiz 1
Azim Zarei 1
Maedeh Aghvami Panah 2
1 Prof., Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan,
2 Prof., Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
10.22034/jhrs.2025.523717.2419
Abstract
Background & Purpose:In the digital age, organizational agility refers to the ability to rapidly adapt to technological changes, market demands, and environmental shifts. Human resources play a pivotal role in this process by fostering digital skills development, promoting a culture of continuous learning, and enhancing teamwork, thereby enabling agile transformation. This study aimed to identify and prioritize human resource strategies that contribute to organizational agility in the digital era.
Methodology: The research participants included university professors, managers, and experts from Bank Mellat in Tehran who possessed sufficient knowledge, experience, and expertise in human resource management, digital transformation, and organizational agility. A purposive sampling method was employed, and each interview was followed by coding and analysis. A total of 11 interviews were conducted with academic experts and managers from Bank Mellat. In the qualitative phase, thematic analysis was performed using MaxQDA 20 to extract key themes. In the quantitative phase, the fuzzy SWARA method was applied using MATLAB software to prioritize the identified themes. Data collection tools included semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire.
Findings: The qualitative analysis revealed 9 main themes and 47 sub-themes. The main themes include organizational culture, digital skills and empowerment, agile performance management and motivation, flexible organizational and work structures, application of emerging technologies in HR, agile leadership and employee engagement, improving productivity and innovation in bank HR, increasing employee satisfaction and commitment, and reducing costs while enhancing banking efficiency. ccording to the quantitative results, the top five priorities were: development of digital and technology-oriented skills, creating an open environment for expressing creativity and new suggestions, establishing digital collaboration platforms and virtual teamwork, empowering employees and fostering a sense of ownership, and implementing performance- and growth-based incentive systems.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that achieving organizational agility in the digital era requires a fundamental rethinking of human resource policies and strategies. Theoretically, this study offers an integrated model combining concepts of organizational agility and digital transformation to enhance HR capabilities in turbulent environments. Practically, it underscores the importance of investing in digital skill development, designing innovative mechanisms for employee engagement, strengthening digital collaboration infrastructures, implementing empowerment systems, and cultivating a culture of accountability and organizational belonging. Furthermore, it recommends the design of smart, performance- and growth-driven incentive systems as a critical pillar in supporting agility. These findings provide a practical roadmap for HR managers to tackle the challenges of the digital age and position human resources as a driver of organizational transformation.
Keywords
Human resource strategies
Organizational agility
Digital transformation
Mellat bank
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  • Receive Date 30 December 2024
  • Revise Date 05 February 2025
  • Accept Date 03 March 2025