عنوان مجله 3 Serial Number 9 2026 01 01 From Human Leadership to Hybrid Intelligence Leadership: A Theory-Building Qualitative Study From Human Leadership to Hybrid Intelligence Leadership: A Theory-Building Qualitative Study 51 60 EN Journal Article <p>This study aimed to develop a theory-building qualitative model explaining how leadership is transformed when human judgment, artificial intelligence systems, and organizational decision processes become interdependent. This qualitative study used a theory-building design based on semi-structured interviews with 24 participants selected through purposive and theoretical sampling from technology-intensive, financial, consulting, healthcare, and digital service organizations in Tehran. Participants included senior managers, digital transformation leaders, data and AI specialists, human resource managers, and strategy executives with direct experience in AI-enabled organizational decision-making. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved at the twenty-first interview, followed by three confirmatory interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. NVivo software was used to organize transcripts, coding nodes, analytical memos, and category relationships. The analysis generated five main categories: algorithmic decision augmentation, relational reconfiguration of leadership authority, ethical and explainable governance, human–AI capability integration, and adaptive orchestration of hybrid intelligence. The findings showed that hybrid intelligence leadership does not simply replace human leadership with AI-based automation; rather, it reconstructs leadership as a distributed, interpretive, and ethically mediated practice in which leaders translate algorithmic outputs into organizationally legitimate decisions. Participants emphasized that AI strengthened analytical speed and pattern recognition but increased the need for human sensemaking, accountability, contextual judgment, and trust-building. The proposed model conceptualizes hybrid intelligence leadership as a dynamic leadership form in which human leaders act as orchestrators of human expertise, algorithmic insight, ethical safeguards, and adaptive organizational learning. The study contributes to leadership theory by explaining the transition from leader-centered decision authority to a hybrid configuration of judgment, data, technology, and collective intelligence.</p> https://www.msels.com/index.php/msels/article/download/66/57