Introduction
Management is the most key factor in the life, growth, and flourishing or destruction of organizations. Also, organizations are one of the essential social foundations in today’s society. The manager guides the process of transitioning from the current state to the desired state and is constantly striving to create a better future (Rashid Farokhi, 2008, p. 58). The negative effects of appointing non-local managers over the past decade in South Khorasan have been seen as one of the factors affecting the region’s underdevelopment. Although local and non-local managers have engaged in many successful and unsuccessful experiences, local managers have performed better under comparable conditions. South Khorasan has been the birthplace, growth, and flourishing ground for various scientific, literary, and executive individuals and has always been ahead in providing human resources for neighboring provinces. The successful experiences of local managers, the increasing number of non-local managers in the province, the slow pace of development, and the potential role of non-local managers are logical reasons for conducting this research. The current reality in various private and public organizations indicates that managing these organizations has become increasingly challenging (Babaie, 2008). In management, the term competence means “personal and organizational characteristics based on skills, knowledge, and the abilities that empower a person to perform the tasks assigned to them.” When competency criteria are established, the selection of managers is carried out based on these criteria (Ghasemi et al., 2014, p. 25). The present article answers this question:

How does the appointment of non-local managers in South Khorasan affect local social development?

 
Methodology
The research method employed in this study is qualitative, utilizing thematic analysis. To ensure the validity of the research, all interviewees were observed and given opportunities to provide feedback throughout the process, in line with the principles outlined by Krusel and Miller (2000). Participants shared their opinions on any changes or modifications made to the coding. The study also employed techniques such as constant data comparison, note-taking, and ongoing analysis during data collection. Once the codes were extracted, a member check was conducted by randomly selecting six individuals from the research population to evaluate whether the codes aligned with their perspectives. After the interviews, the extracted codes were sent to the interviewees via email or delivered in person, as agreed upon beforehand, allowing them to review and reinterpret the data. To further enhance the validity of these codes, they were randomly sent to other interviewees over 20 to 30 days to gather additional feedback. For the analysis, interviews that were recorded or handwritten were transcribed into Word files, and the coding was carried out using MAXQDA software. Coding plays a crucial role in helping the researcher address key research questions, and it is performed in three stages: open, axial, and selective coding, with open coding being the most fundamental. According to Mansourian (2014), at this stage, codes should be generated without any constraints.
 
Findings
The findings suggest that local managers are well-equipped to address development challenges due to their deep understanding of the province's issues, a more profound connection to the community and geography, genuine concern for the well-being of local residents, and their ability to foster regional synergy and collaboration. Their decision-making tends to be more compassionate and forward-thinking, driven by their expertise, skills, and experience. However, some argue that the distinction between local and non-local managers is less important than their qualifications. Factors such as education, knowledge, creativity, expertise, empathy, commitment, and decision-making abilities are considered more crucial for effective management. According to the interviews, the reasons for appointing non-local managers can be summarized as follows: the lack of succession planning, shortages in expertise and skills among local individuals, a security and politically driven perspective among decision-makers and appointing authorities, the desire to prevent the expansion of networks and favoritism within administrations, the absence of unity among existing forces, groups, and individuals in the province, a bias towards outsiders among the people, meritocracy, governmental policies, indifference and lack of social sensitivity, non-local managers being at the top of power hierarchies under the influence of higher-ranking provincial managers, recommendations from certain oversight and security agencies, the persistence of political and social currents, the significant role of non-local economic cartels and investors, public silence, the lack of personal charisma, and the ineptitude of some provincial representatives.
Discussion and Conclusion
In this study, the statements of experts regarding the appointment of managers were examined. One of the reasons for supporting the appointment of local managers in the province is the consideration of their personal, managerial, and executive competencies, as well as their effectiveness. According to qualitative interviews, local managers are capable of addressing development challenges because they have a better understanding of the province’s issues, society, and geography. They also have genuine concern for the people of the province and possess the ability to create local and regional synergy. Local managers are perceived to have more expertise, skills, experience, and a more compassionate and forward-thinking approach to decision-making. However, some believe that the distinction between local and non-local managers is irrelevant; what matters is the manager's expertise, with important factors such as sufficient knowledge, creativity, specialization, commitment, and decision-making power being prioritized. The analysis of the interviews suggests that public reactions and demands regarding the appointment of non-local managers are very weak. The reasons for this decline include superficial opposition, short-term and weak demands, lack of strong advocacy for non-local managers (strategically), absence of a culture of demanding accountability, lack of strong and unified political lobbying, and the tendency of the local population to favor outsiders. Social accountability is one of the prominent features of rights-based societies. Unlike duty-based societies, rights-based societies demand accountability, responsiveness, and the fulfillment of their needs from the government, thus obligating the government to respond.
According to the findings, the challenges in appointing local managers can be summarized as follows: most people seek the appointment of qualified and experienced local managers, but there is resistance from various groups, political factions, ethnic viewpoints, and a lack of unity among political and non-political forces. Additionally, there is a lack of self-confidence, weak lobbying power at higher levels, narrow-mindedness, and internal conflicts among prominent individuals. Other challenges include high expectations from people of the same ethnicity, group favoritism, division and disunity, lack of managerial self-confidence among local experts and middle managers, lack of boldness, the inability of provincial parliamentary representatives to support local managers, lack of media support, potential obstacles in approval processes, and regional demands for power-sharing from political groups.
Acknowledgment
We express our sincere gratitude to all those who collaborated with us in conducting the interviews.