Designing and Validating the Service-Oriented University Model from the Standpoint of Higher Education Experts

Service orientation is a pivotal factor and a strategic direction for the university to keep with changes and perceptions of social needs. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study is to develop a model for the service-oriented university within the framework of service provision to the community. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach based on the grounded theory method. The sampling was carried out using purposeful (snowball) sampling. The participants consisted of 15 higher education experts. Data collection was conducted using semi-structured interviews and document analysis based on Strauss and Corbin chr('39')s systematic approach (open, axial, and selective coding). Triangulation and observation of participants and higher education experts were used for validation. The findings suggested that paradigmatic model dimensions contained causal conditions (human resources service provision methods, university culture, the establishment of service quality guarantee system, quality of services, university structure, leadership and management, independent financial resources, demanding attitude of beneficiaries), axial phenomena (service-oriented university), contextual conditions (adherence to ethical values, infrastructure building, and facility provision, and mission of the university, agility, sovereignty of collective trust and collective self-efficacy), intervening conditions (public culture, intra and trans-university factors), strategies (culture-building, interaction and communication development, protection of academic independence and academic freedom, empowerment, collaborative management), consequences (service quality improvement, knowledge and awareness-raising, technology and customer-orientation development). The university-based service model was designed and validated based on the above factors.