Ebrahim Rajabpour

Purpose: This study explores the implementation of meritocracy as a fundamental principle of management within organizations. Meritocracy, which centers on selecting and promoting individuals based on their competencies and capabilities, plays a vital role in enhancing organizational performance, increasing productivity, and reducing administrative corruption. However, implementing meritocracy faces various obstacles, and overcoming these challenges is a key concern. This research aims to provide practical strategies for the effective implementation of meritocracy by addressing two central questions: 1) Does the starting stage of the meritocracy cycle influence its success? 2) Does the organizational level at which the meritocracy process begins matter? Addressing these questions can help organizations design and execute meritocracy programs, ultimately improving their effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach: This research employs a qualitative grounded theory (Glaserian) approach to investigate the phenomenon of meritocracy in organizations. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 16 senior managers from public and semi-public organizations in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Participants were selected using snowball sampling, and the data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis involved three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. Open coding was used to extract initial concepts from the data, axial coding to identify and categorize the relationships between these concepts, and selective coding to form the core research categories and develop the theoretical model. Research Findings: This research reveals that meritocracy in organizations is a dynamic seven-stage cycle comprising merit perception, merit identification, merit selection, merit acquisition, merit assignment, merit development, and merit retention. Each stage plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of meritocracy. Whil