Journal of Human Resource Management

Journal of Human Resource Management

Developing a Model of Human Capital Erosion: The Hidden Face of Symbolic Management in Public Organizations

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Abdullah Saedi
Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Management and Economics, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.
10.22034/jhrs.2026.585171.2589
Abstract
Background & Purpose: Symbolic management, as an approach centered on organizational image-building and the emphasis on appearances, may inadvertently foster the hidden erosion of human capital beneath seemingly desirable organizational practices. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a model of human capital erosion in the context of symbolic management.
Methodology: This applied study adopted a qualitative research approach. The participants comprised management experts, including public sector managers and university faculty members. Using purposive sampling and the principle of theoretical saturation, 17 experts were selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory approach. Interview data, together with concepts extracted from the relevant literature, were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. Initially, primary concepts were identified from the data, then grouped into subcategories and main categories, and finally integrated into a paradigm model consisting of causal conditions, the central phenomenon, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences. To ensure the validity of the data collection instrument, the interview guide was reviewed by several experts and faculty members, and the necessary revisions were made based on their feedback. Reliability was established through both intra-coder and inter-coder reliability assessments.
Findings: The findings led to the development of a paradigmatic model of human capital erosion in the context of symbolic management. The model identified the causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences associated with human capital erosion in public sector organizations.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that human capital erosion is the result of the interaction of institutional, structural, and managerial factors that are reproduced through symbolic organizational practices. Furthermore, when the pursuit of organizational legitimacy and image preservation outweighs attention to employees' genuine needs, conditions emerge that foster emotional, professional, and identity-related erosion
Keywords
Symbolic management
Human capital erosion
Cognitive erosion
Emotional erosion
Behavioral erosion
Identity erosion.
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Journal of Human Resource Management
Volume 16, Issue 2
Summer 2026
Pages 161-185

  • Receive Date 05 June 2026
  • Revise Date 12 July 2026
  • Accept Date 26 July 2026