Understanding the phenomenon of quit quieting among employees in the higher education system

Quiet quitting constitutes a complex, multifaceted challenge within organizational systems, producing enduring consequences for productivity, employee well-being, and institutional resilience; this study aimed to investigate and conceptually delineate quiet quitting among staff in the higher education sector using a qualitative content-analytic design based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 38 experts and key informants from universities and higher education institutions in Ilam Province, whose experience-based perspectives provided rich contextual data for analysis. Data were systematically examined through open, axial, and selective coding to extract and refine a coherent conceptual framework, and findings indicate that quiet quitting manifests across five interrelated domains: first, covert withdrawal behaviors—encompassing concealment of professional actions, progressive social and professional isolation, avoidance of responsibility, and gradual informal disengagement from the organizational environment—which over time become normalized and consolidate patterns of individual withdrawal; second, compromised organizational communication—characterized by weakened communication channels, ineffective team collaboration, deep-seated trust ruptures, and inadequate capacity to manage emotion and stress—highlighting how relational quality and communication structures critically influence the emergence and persistence of disengagement; third, impaired psychological and emotional states at the organizational level—observable as low job satisfaction, diminished motivation and perceived inability to pursue career trajectories, emotional exhaustion and despair, and reduced self-efficacy—which collectively erode organizational commitment and active participation; fourth, autonomous, isolation-seeking reactions that reflect individual coping strategies in response to organizational dysfunction—such as negative self-regulation and retaliatory or individually initiated behaviors that may be misaligned with institutional goals and contribute to functional instability; and fifth, deliberate, strategic underperformance manifested in curtailed task effort, withdrawal from extra-role and voluntary activities, passive and constraining workplace behaviors, reluctance to assume new or developmental responsibilities, and attenuated collaboration with colleagues, all of which translate into measurable declines in team functioning and institutional effectiveness. The conceptual analysis further underscores causal and reinforcing linkages among these domains—for example, deficient communication and lack of managerial support can precipitate emotional exhaustion that in turn fosters strategic underperformance, while entrenched withdrawal behaviors can weaken professional and social networks, exacerbating structural gaps and diminishing organizational capacity. Based on these insights, the study proposes a suite of preventive and remedial interventions for higher education policymakers and managers, including redesigning incentive and reward systems to better align extrinsic and intrinsic motivators, cultivating a participatory and psychologically safe organizational culture, strengthening internal communication infrastructures and trust-building practices across hierarchical levels, and delivering targeted managerial and psychosocial training to enhance emotion regulation, conflict resolution, and supportive supervision. Additionally, implementing early-detection mechanisms to identify behavioral and affective indicators of quiet quitting and deploying tailored re-engagement programs to restore motivation are recommended to mitigate escalation and long-term adverse effects. In conclusion, this research advances a robust conceptualization of quiet quitting within the Iranian higher education context, provides actionable managerial and policy implications, and lays groundwork for subsequent quantitative and intervention studies aimed at promoting organizational health, improving job satisfaction, and optimizing institutional performance.