Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Faculty of Governance, College of Management, University of Tehran
2
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Farabi Colleges, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.30471/rsm.2026.12348.1623
Abstract
Psychosocial resilience among scientific elites—a central concern in science governance—has recently faced challenges such as declining motivation, elite migration, and weakened institutional trust. Despite its growing relevance to science and cultural policymaking, existing literature lacks a systematic account of this phenomenon's strategic dimensions within indigenous discourse. This study identifies and analyzes strategic themes of elite psychosocial resilience in the statements of Ayatollah Khamenei (2001–2024) and proposes an operational framework for strategic management of elite human capital and science policy. Using a hybrid, theory-driven thematic analysis, 37 speeches were examined, with sentences or paragraphs containing resilience-related concepts as the unit of analysis. Initial inductive coding by two coders yielded a Cohen's kappa of 0.78. Analysis produced 73 basic codes, 18 organizing themes, and 6 global themes: threats to resilience (soft war, media-induced fear), consequences of weakened resilience (eroded psychological capital, brain drain), psychological-human foundations (self-belief, strategic hope), social-institutional foundations (justice, trust-building, governance effectiveness), cultural-civilizational resources (faith, models of self-sacrifice, national identity), and elites' active role in shaping the future (scientific jihad, vision-building). A periodized analysis showed the discourse evolving from "reactive resilience" (2001–2011) to "security-oriented resilience" (2012–2021), and then "civilizational-strategic resilience" (2022–2024). Findings suggest elite resilience is a multilevel phenomenon aligned with contemporary organizational resilience literature, distinguished by a spiritual dimension (faith and reliance on God) that shapes all other levels. Strategic management of this resilience requires synergy among academia, media, and governance, offering a basis for a national elite resilience charter and coordinated scientific, cultural, and executive policy.
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