شناسایی و رتبه‌بندی چالش‌های مدیریتی فرماندهان و مدیران در ارتقاء آمادگی عملیاتی کارکنان وظیفه، مطالعه موردی: هنگ مرزی پاوه استان کرمانشاه

زمینه و هدف: امنیت مرزهای کشور از اهمیت بالایی برخوردار است و مدیران و فرماندهان عملیاتی کارکنان وظیفه نقشی کلیدی در تحقق اهداف عملیاتی و حفاظت از مرزها ایفا می‌کنند. پژوهش حاضر باهدف شناسایی و رتبه‌بندی چالش‌های مدیریتی فرماندهان و مدیران در ارتقاء آمادگی عملیاتی کارکنان وظیفه در هنگ مرزی پاوه استان کرمانشاه انجام‌شده است.روش: این پژوهش از نوع توصیفی و با رویکرد آمیخته بوده و ازنظر هدف تحقیق کاربردی است. در بخش کیفی با انجام مصاحبه‌های نیمه ساختاریافته با 12 نفر از فرماندهان و مدیران، چالش‌های اصلی شناسایی‌شده و در بخش کمی با استفاده از پرسشنامه محقق ساخته که بر اساس مصاحبه‌های کیفی طراحی‌شده، داده‌های آماری جمع‌آوری و تحلیل گردیده‌اند. جامعه آماری پژوهش شامل 48 نفر از فرماندهان و مدیران هنگ مرزی پاوه بوده که با استفاده از جدول مورگان، نمونه آماری 44 نفر تعیین‌شده است.یافته‌ها: نتایج پژوهش نشان می‌دهد که برخوردها، تعارضات و تنش‌های بین فرماندهان، عدم توجه به‌سلامت خانواده‌ها و کارکنان و واگذاری کارهای طاقت‌فرسا و چند ماموریت هم‌زمان به کارکنان از مهم‌ترین چالش‌های مدیریتی در ارتقاء آمادگی عملیاتی کارکنان وظیفه هستند.نتایج: این نتایج می‌توانند به سیاست‌گذاران و مدیران نظامی کمک کنند تا با شناسایی و کاهش این چالش‌ها به بهبود وضعیت آمادگی عملیاتی نیروهای وظیفه و درنتیجه افزایش امنیت مرزی کشور کمک کنند. این پژوهش ازنظر علمی و عملی دارای اهمیت بالایی است و می‌تواند به بهبود وضعیت امنیت مرزی کشور کمک کند.

identifying and prioritizing managerial challenges faced by commanders and managers in enhancing the operational readiness of conscripted personnel: a case study of paveh border regiment, kermanshah province

introductionin today’s complex and dynamic world, the security of national borders holds more significance than ever before. border guards and conscripted personnel, who stand on the front lines, play a vital role in ensuring territorial integrity and national sovereignty. consequently, effective leadership and management of these forces are of paramount importance. given the current climate—where border security represents the front line in defending national sovereignty—the optimal performance of border personnel, particularly conscripts who constitute a substantial portion of the force, necessitates efficient and effective management.the paveh border regiment, located in kermanshah province, is especially vulnerable to diverse security threats due to its strategic geographical position and proximity to unstable regions. this reality further underscores the critical need for high-quality leadership and command in this area.field observations and official reports indicate that commanders and managers in this region face numerous challenges in enhancing the operational readiness of conscripted personnel. these include deficiencies in the training system, lack of modern equipment, weak motivational structures, organizational conflicts, and the psychological pressures associated with strenuous missions. these issues not only hinder individual performance but may also jeopardize the overall level of border security.given the scarcity of comprehensive research in this area, this study seeks to answer the fundamental question: what are the key managerial challenges faced by commanders in improving the operational readiness of conscripted personnel in the paveh border regiment, and how can these challenges be prioritized? methodologythis study adopts a mixed-methods approach, integrating both qualitative and quantitative research methods. the qualitative phase focuses on identifying the key challenges faced by commanders in enhancing the operational capabilities of conscripted personnel and subsequently developing a questionnaire for the quantitative phase.initially, relevant documents and historical records are analyzed to identify these challenges. this is followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with purposefully selected personnel from the paveh border regiment. the qualitative data collected are then analyzed through coding processes based on the strauss and corbin grounded theory approach and content analysis methods, to extract both core and subsidiary factors.the quantitative phase involves the construction and administration of a descriptive-analytical questionnaire. the statistical population consisted of 48 individuals, with 44 respondents selected using morgan’s table and surveyed through a census method. results and discussioncorrelation analysis among various challenges reveals that many of them are interrelated in a chain-like fashion. for example, conflicts among commanders may lead to neglect of personnel well-being, which in turn negatively impacts team performance. these interdependencies reflect the inherent complexity of management issues in military environments and highlight the need for systematic and integrated solutions. overall, the study emphasizes that improving the operational readiness of conscripted personnel requires deliberate attention to the identified managerial challenges. these include enhancing communication, strengthening team and group management, increasing support and focus on personnel welfare, and reducing internal conflicts. moreover, developing effective strategies to improve coordination and cohesion among forces and promoting a culture of self-regulation can significantly improve the overall situation and operational readiness. conclusionbased on the findings of this study and the analysis of managerial challenges faced by commanders and managers in enhancing the operational readiness of conscripted personnel in the paveh border regiment, five main areas of concern emerge: lack of effective communication, team and group management issues, insufficient support, conflicts and disagreements, and prioritization of managerial challenges.within the communication domain, inappropriate and untimely use of organizational authority and disregard for the livelihood and welfare of personnel were identified as key challenges, leading to reduced morale and efficiency. additionally, insufficient attention to appropriate reward and punishment systems and non-compliance with designated service hours were found to be lesser yet relevant issues in this area. fundingthere is no funding support. authors’ contributionall of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work. conflict of interestthe authors declared no conflict of interest acknowledgmentsthe authors consider it necessary to express their gratitude to all those who have cooperated in compiling and writing this research work.a b s t r a c tbackground and aim: the security of the country's borders is very important, and operational managers and commanders of duty personnel play a key role in achieving operational goals and protecting the borders. the present study was conducted to identify and rank the managerial challenges of commanders and managers in improving the operational readiness of duty personnel in the paveh border regiment of kermanshah province.methodology: this study is descriptive, has a mixed approach, and is applied in terms of research purpose. in the qualitative part, the main challenges were identified by conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 commanders and managers. in the quantitative part, statistical data were collected and analyzed using a researcher-made questionnaire designed based on qualitative interviews. the statistical population of the study included 48 commanders and managers of the paveh border regiment, and a statistical sample of 44 people was determined using the morgan table.results: these results can help policymakers and military managers to identify and reduce these challenges, improve the operational readiness of duty forces, and consequently increase the country's border security. this study is of great scientific and practical importance and can help improve the country's border.conclusion: securitythe study results show that clashes, conflicts, and tensions between commanders, a lack of attention to the health of families and employees, and assigning burdensome tasks and multiple missions simultaneously to employees are among the most important management challenges in improving the operational readiness of duty personnel.extended abstractintroductionin today’s complex and dynamic world, the security of national borders holds more significance than ever before. border guards and conscripted personnel, who stand on the front lines, play a vital role in ensuring territorial integrity and national sovereignty. consequently, effective leadership and management of these forces are of paramount importance. given the current climate—where border security represents the front line in defending national sovereignty—the optimal performance of border personnel, particularly conscripts who constitute a substantial portion of the force, necessitates efficient and effective management.the paveh border regiment, located in kermanshah province, is especially vulnerable to diverse security threats due to its strategic geographical position and proximity to unstable regions. this reality further underscores the critical need for high-quality leadership and command in this area.field observations and official reports indicate that commanders and managers in this region face numerous challenges in enhancing the operational readiness of conscripted personnel. these include deficiencies in the training system, lack of modern equipment, weak motivational structures, organizational conflicts, and the psychological pressures associated with strenuous missions. these issues not only hinder individual performance but may also jeopardize the overall level of border security.given the scarcity of comprehensive research in this area, this study seeks to answer the fundamental question: what are the key managerial challenges faced by commanders in improving the operational readiness of conscripted personnel in the paveh border regiment, and how can these challenges be prioritized? methodologythis study adopts a mixed-methods approach, integrating both qualitative and quantitative research methods. the qualitative phase focuses on identifying the key challenges faced by commanders in enhancing the operational capabilities of conscripted personnel and subsequently developing a questionnaire for the quantitative phase.initially, relevant documents and historical records are analyzed to identify these challenges. this is followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with purposefully selected personnel from the paveh border regiment. the qualitative data collected are then analyzed through coding processes based on the strauss and corbin grounded theory approach and content analysis methods, to extract both core and subsidiary factors.the quantitative phase involves the construction and administration of a descriptive-analytical questionnaire. the statistical population consisted of 48 individuals, with 44 respondents selected using morgan’s table and surveyed through a census method. results and discussioncorrelation analysis among various challenges reveals that many of them are interrelated in a chain-like fashion. for example, conflicts among commanders may lead to neglect of personnel well-being, which in turn negatively impacts team performance. these interdependencies reflect the inherent complexity of management issues in military environments and highlight the need for systematic and integrated solutions. overall, the study emphasizes that improving the operational readiness of conscripted personnel requires deliberate attention to the identified managerial challenges. these include enhancing communication, strengthening team and group management, increasing support and focus on personnel welfare, and reducing internal conflicts. moreover, developing effective strategies to improve coordination and cohesion among forces and promoting a culture of self-regulation can significantly improve the overall situation and operational readiness. conclusionbased on the findings of this study and the analysis of managerial challenges faced by commanders and managers in enhancing the operational readiness of conscripted personnel in the paveh border regiment, five main areas of concern emerge: lack of effective communication, team and group management issues, insufficient support, conflicts and disagreements, and prioritization of managerial challenges.within the communication domain, inappropriate and untimely use of organizational authority and disregard for the livelihood and welfare of personnel were identified as key challenges, leading to reduced morale and efficiency. additionally, insufficient attention to appropriate reward and punishment systems and non-compliance with designated service hours were found to be lesser yet relevant issues in this area. fundingthere is no funding support. authors’ contributionall of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work. conflict of interestthe authors declared no conflict of interest acknowledgmentsthe authors consider it necessary to express their gratitude to all those who have cooperated in compiling and writing this research work.