An Analysis of Employees’ Perceptions of Administrative Apartheid in Public Organizations: A Zaltman Technique Approach
Keywords:
Institutionalized Discrimination, Organizational Metaphors, Zaltman Metaphor Extraction Technique (ZMET), Administrative ApartheidAbstract
The present study aims to explore and deeply understand employees’ perceptions of the phenomenon of administrative apartheid—as an institutionalized system of systemic discrimination—using the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET). The statistical population comprised employees of public sector organizations in Tehran. Through purposive sampling, 20 employees with direct experience of institutionalized discrimination were selected. Data analysis led to the identification of eight core metaphors: “golden cage,” “glass walls,” “invisible labyrinth,” “velvet curtains,” “hidden chains,” “chess game,” “puppet theater,” and “shifting swamp.” These metaphors were classified into three layers: restrictive structures, hidden mechanisms, and psychological consequences. Additionally, three collective patterns—organizational silence, involuntary complicity, and covert resistance—were identified in the experience of administrative apartheid, illustrating how this systemic discrimination persists. The findings of this study may contribute to a deeper understanding of the roots of institutionalized discrimination in public organizations and inform the design of more effective strategies for addressing it.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Reza Balaghie Inaloo (Author); Shams Asadat Zahedi; Mohammad Montazeri (Author)
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