System Engineering and Productivity

System Engineering and Productivity

Identifying and Prioritizing Enablers and Effective Capabilities in the Agility of the Fourth Generation of Universities

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 Corresponding author: Associate Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Humanities, University of Gonabad, Gonabad, Iran
2 M.Sc. Student, Department of Management, Faculty of Administrative and Economic Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
This research aims to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the fourth generation agility of universities, and has been conducted as a case study at Gonabad University. University agility refers to a flexible structure for efficient and effective response to environmental requirements and adaptation to multiple changes. These changes lead to the fourth generation university in terms of content and to agile universities in terms of structure. Achieving agility requires enablers and capabilities that can guide the university on the path of transformation towards the fourth generation. This research has been conducted using a combined meta-synthesis method (systematic literature review) and fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making techniques. The data collection tool was a review of existing documents in the research field, and in this regard, 59 articles were identified, of which 24 articles were selected as the basis for analysis after filtering and quality control. In order to coordinate these factors with the university under study, the opinions of Gonabad University experts were collected in the form of a seven-member decision team of senior and middle managers. In this study, 10 main factors were identified, including information technology, financial resources, culture, continuous monitoring of agility, resource management, learning organization, etc. After evaluating the current situation and determining the importance of each factor, their weight was calculated using the fuzzy AHP method. Questionnaires for assessing the current situation and the executive capability of each factor were also completed by the decision team. Finally, the data were analyzed in a two-dimensional balanced capability-gap matrix and the factors were prioritized. The results showed that the factors of organizational financial resources, culture, continuous monitoring of agility, resource management, and learning organization are in higher priority. These findings indicate that in order to realize fourth-generation universities, in addition to developing technology, emphasis should be placed on improving resource management, creating a culture of change, and performance evaluation systems. This study provides a coherent framework that can help university administrators and policymakers optimize their management and educational models and guide universities on the path of transformation towards the fourth generation.

Highlights

  • Prioritization of financial resources and culture in agility
  • Use of fuzzy AHP for weighting factors
  • Mixed-method approach: Meta-synthesis and multi-criteria decision-making

Keywords
Subjects

Copyright © Amirhossein Okhravi, Zahra Rafizadeh

 

License

This article is released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone is free to copy, share, translate, and adapt this article for any purpose, whether commercial or non-commercial, as long as proper citation is given to the authors and original publication.

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Volume 5, Issue 3 - Serial Number 16
Serial No. 16, Autumn Quarterly
Autumn 2025
Pages 23-44

  • Receive Date 18 February 2025
  • Revise Date 13 March 2025
  • Accept Date 25 March 2025
  • First Publish Date 25 March 2025
  • Publish Date 22 November 2025