عنوان مجله 2 Serial Number 3 2025 01 01 Evolutionary Pathways of Management Systems: A Qualitative Comparative Study of Traditional and Agile Organizations Evolutionary Pathways of Management Systems: A Qualitative Comparative Study of Traditional and Agile Organizations 1 10 EN Journal Article <p>This study aimed to explore how management systems evolve differently in traditional and agile organizations by comparing their structural logics, decision-making routines, learning mechanisms, leadership practices, and adaptation pathways. This qualitative comparative study was conducted among managers and organizational experts working in traditional and agile-oriented organizations in Tehran. Using purposive and maximum-variation sampling, 28 participants were recruited, including 14 participants from traditional organizations and 14 from organizations with agile management structures. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews lasting between 45 and 75 minutes. Theoretical saturation was achieved after the twenty-fourth interview, and four additional interviews were conducted to confirm conceptual adequacy. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo software. Coding proceeded through open coding, axial categorization, constant comparison, and iterative theme refinement. Trustworthiness was enhanced through member checking, peer debriefing, audit trail documentation, and maximum variation in participant selection. The analysis produced five main categories: structural reconfiguration from hierarchy to networked coordination, transformation of decision-making from authorization-based control to distributed responsiveness, evolution of learning routines from periodic correction to continuous experimentation, leadership role transition from command supervision to enabling facilitation, and emergence of hybrid management pathways that combine procedural stability with adaptive flexibility. Traditional organizations were characterized by formal authority, sequential planning, documentation-heavy control, and risk avoidance, whereas agile organizations emphasized cross-functional collaboration, iterative planning, customer proximity, rapid feedback, and team-level autonomy. However, the findings also showed that agile evolution was not a simple replacement of hierarchy; rather, successful organizations developed hybrid systems that preserved necessary governance while increasing adaptability. Management system evolution is best understood as a gradual reconfiguration of coordination, control, learning, and leadership routines rather than as a linear shift from bureaucracy to agility. Agile organizations do not eliminate structure; they redesign structure around speed, learning, and distributed accountability. The study contributes a qualitative model of evolutionary management pathways and offers practical implications for organizations seeking to balance operational discipline with adaptive capacity.</p> https://www.msels.com/index.php/msels/article/download/16/14