Scientific Journal of Islamic Management

Scientific Journal of Islamic Management

The Planning Pattern in Iran's Revolutionary Institutions; The Art of "Planning Beyond Limitations"

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Meysam Gharabaghi
Assistant Professor, Jihadi Management Department, Faculty of Management, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The revolutionary institutions of Iran, which were formed after the victory of the Islamic Revolution by the decree of Imam Khomeini (RA), achieved significant achievements in the social, development, security, and defense fields, relying on an innovative approach in organizational planning and with an approach distinct from common Western management models, despite resource limitations, environmental instability, and diversity of missions. Their planning mechanisms have been explained less in a process-based manner and based on the lived experience of the activists. The present study was conducted with a qualitative approach and data-based theorizing method. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with fourteen activists with direct experience in revolutionary institutions (Jihad-e-Sazandegi, IRGC, Islamic Revolutionary Committee). Sampling was initially purposive and then theoretical, and continued until the theoretical saturation of the categories. Data analysis was conducted using open, selective, and theoretical coding, along with continuous comparison and theoretical note-taking. The main problem of the participants was the realization of urgent missions in conditions of lack of resources, information and ready-made solutions. The central theme of the research is “planning beyond constraints”, which is based on five interconnected components: (1) mission-oriented policing, which involves receiving and interpreting strategic direction and translating it into practical commitment; (2) synergistic capacity building, which involves identifying, combining and activating dispersed intra-organizational and supra-organizational resources; (3) evolutionary planning, which involves starting with minimal resources and gradually completing the plan through action feedback; (4) persuasion-oriented accompaniment, which involves creating a common understanding through dialogue, practical modeling by managers and council decision-making; and (5) opening up the field for the people, which involves delegating authority to volunteers and reducing administrative barriers. All of this process operates within a worldview that, while considering material realities, also considers spiritual calculations and divine promises to be involved in decision-making. Accordingly, “Planning Beyond Limits” is a mission-oriented, emergent, capacity-building, and people-based model that, rather than waiting for resources to be completed and a priori comprehensive design, cultivates the program in a continuous interaction between value orientation, existing capacities, and practical experience.
Keywords
Planning
revolutionary institution
jihadi organization
emergent planning
Islamic Revolution experience
Subjects

Smiley face

Referenc
Avini, Seyyed Morteza. (1997). Huzoor-ul-Hazar. Saqi Publishing. [In Persian]
Baker, T., & Nelson, R. E. (2005). Creating something from nothing: Resource construction through entrepreneurial bricolage. Administrative Science Quarterly, 50(3), 329–366.
Bello-Gomez, R. A., & Avellaneda, C. N. (2023). Goal achievement in municipal strategic planning: The role of executives’ background and political context. Public Administration Review, 83(5), 1088–1107. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13630
Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Bryson, J. M., & George, B. (2020). Strategic management in public administration. In B. G. Peters & I. Thynne (Eds.), The Oxford encyclopedia of public administration. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1396
Capano, G., & Howlett, M. (2020). The knowns and unknowns of policy instrument analysis: Policy tools and the current research agenda on policy mixes. SAGE Open, 10(1), 1–13.
Danaei Fard, Hassan, Bagheri Keni, Misbah Al-Hadi, Hijazi Far, Saeed (2014). Identifying the components of virtue-oriented and jihadist organizations (research case: Islamic Revolution and Jihad-Making Committee). Islamic Management, 23(4), 45-72. https://im.ihu.ac.ir/article_201836.html [In Persian]
Elbanna, S., Andrews, R., & Pollanen, R. (2016). Strategic planning and implementation success in public service organizations: Evidence from Canada. Public Management Review, 18(7), 1017–1042. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2015.1051576
Foruzandeh, Lotfollah, Rezaei, Siavash, Shams, Seyed Mahmoud Reza, Iravani, Mohammad Javad (2019). Presenting a model of institution building in the Islamic Revolution based on the discourse of the Imam and the leadership. Strategic Defense Studies, 18(79), 153-177. [In Persian]
George, B. (2021). Successful strategic plan implementation in public organizations: Connecting people, process, and plan. Public Administration Review, 81(4), 793–798.
Glaser, B. G. (1992). Basics of grounded theory analysis: Emergence vs. forcing. Sociology Press.
Goeminne, S., & George, B. (2019). New development: Determinants of financial performance in public organizations. Public Money & Management, 39(1), 70–73.
Hansen, J. R., Pop, M., Skov, M. B., & George, B. (2024). A review of open strategy: Bridging strategy and public management research. Public Management Review, 26(3), 678–700.
Imam Khamenei, Seyyed Ali. Information Database of the Office for Preservation and Publication of the Works of His Eminence Ayatollah Khamenei. [In Persian]
Imam Khomeini (RA), Seyyed Ruhollah (1999). Imam's Page. Tehran, Publishing Center for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works.[In Persian]
Irvani, Mohammad Javad (2012). Conceptual Design of a Model for Extracting Institutional Characteristics of an Institution of the Islamic Revolution. Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Leadership Center. [In Persian]
Jihad Magazine (1981). Jihad must remain and continue Jihad. Jihad Magazine, (27). Tehran: Jihad Sazandegi Publication. [In Persian]
Lévi-Strauss, C. (1966). The savage mind. University of Chicago Press.
Mintzberg, H., & Waters, J. A. (1985). Of strategies, deliberate and emergent. Strategic Management Journal, 6(3), 257–272.
Mirhosseini, Mehdi (1998). Introduction to the Organization of the Iranian Government. Tehran: Center for Public Administration Education. [In Persian]
Moradkhani, Fardin, Saadati, Behrouz (2019). The Legal Status of Revolutionary Institutions in Iranian Administrative Law. Perspectives on Judicial Law. 24 (88), 103-123. [In Persian]
Qaedali, Hamid Reza, Salimi, Gholam Reza (2019). The Evolution of Jihadist Management in the Institutions of the Islamic Revolution: A Case Study of Jihad-Building, Management and Defense Research, No. 90, 137-152.
 DOR: 20.1001.1.20086121.1399.19.90.6.7 [In Persian]
Qarabaghi, Meysam (1401). A study of revolutionary institutions as a tool for implementing public policy in the experience of the Islamic Revolution. Islamic Management, 30(4), 53-88. DOR: 20.1001.1.22516980.1401.30.4.2.7 [In Persian]
Rauf Mousavi, Seyyed Ibrahim. (1400). The Lifestyle of an Employee. Tehran: Sooreh Mehr. [In Persian]
Read, S., Song, M., & Smit, W. (2009). A meta-analytic review of effectuation and venture performance. Journal of Business Venturing, 24(6), 573–587.
Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2018). Management (14th ed.). Pearson.
Rostami, Vali; Mohammadi, Hossein; Ghotbi, Milad (2010). An Analysis of the Concept of “Revolutionary Institutions” in the Legal System of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Journal of Islamic Law. 21(2), 395-414. [In Persian]
Rouhollahi, Mehdi; Tabatabaeiian, Habibollah; Motegi, Manouchehr; Bamdad Sofi, Jahaniar (2018). The Pattern of Social Innovation Formation in Jihad-e-Sazandagi. Islamic Management Quarterly, 26(2), 91-131. DOR:  20.1001.1.22516980.1397.26.2.6.9 [In Persian]
Sarasvathy, S. D. (2001). Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 243.
Whittington, R. (2006). Completing the practice turn in strategy research. Organization Studies, 27(5), 613–634.
Williams, M. J. (2021). Beyond state capacity: Bureaucratic performance, policy implementation and reform. Journal of Institutional Economics, 17(2), 339–357.
Scientific Journal of Islamic Management
Volume 33, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
Winter 2026
Winter 2026
Pages 41-88

  • Receive Date 12 February 2025
  • Revise Date 23 July 2026
  • Accept Date 15 August 2026
  • Publish Date 23 July 2026