The present study was conducted with the aim of developing a model of human capital erosion in the context of symbolic management. The present study is applied in terms of its purpose and qualitative in terms of its approach. The research participants are experts in the field of management, including managers of government organizations and university professors, who were selected using a purposive sampling method based on criteria such as specialized knowledge, professional experience, and familiarity with the subject, as well as relying on the principle of theoretical saturation. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview, the questions of which were developed based on the theoretical foundations and objectives of the study and provided to the experts. Strauss and Corbin's data-based theoryapproach was used to analyze the data.Data analysis was conducted through open, axial, and selective coding; in a way that first, primary concepts were extracted from the data, then similar concepts were organized into sub-categories and main categories. On the other hand, content validity was used to assess the validity of the data collection tool, and two methods of intra-coder and inter-coder reliability were used to assess reliability.
Findings: The research findings led to the development of a paradigmatic model of human capital erosion in the context of symbolic management. Based on this model, causal conditions, background conditions, intervening factors, strategies, and consequences of human capital erosion in the context of symbolic management in government organizations were identified.