Developing an Organizational whistleblowing Model in Public Organizations

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Shahram Pourmohammad ¹
• Mohammadreza Jaber Ansari ²
• Yousef Mohammadi Moghadam ³
• Mohammad Hakkak ⁴
• Adel Salvati ⁵

¹ PhD Student, Department of Management, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Borujerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Borujerd, Iran

³ Professor, Department of Judicial Management, University of Judicial Sciences and Administrative Services, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

⁵ Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/tmj.2024.84001.1473

Abstract

 
 
1- INTRODUCTION
Organizational whistleblowing is a critical tool for identifying and addressing unethical or illegal activities within organizations. In the context of Iranian governmental organizations, which play a vital role in the country's development, there is a pressing need for mechanisms to report misconduct and prevent harm to organizational performance and productivity. Organizational whistleblowing can improve the organization's health, increase efficiency, and reduce administrative corruption. However, the absence of a comprehensive and localized model for whistleblowing in Iran’s governmental organizations has motivated this study, which aims to design a scientific and practical whistleblowing model.
 
2- METHODOLOGY
This research is a practical study in terms of purpose, utilizing a survey-developmental approach. The statistical population consists of experts, including university professors, senior managers of governmental organizations, and experienced human resources and public management consultants in Kermanshah Province. A purposive sampling method was employed to select 10 participants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. To enhance the validity and reliability of the study, structured and convergent interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed through a recursive, precise approach.
 
3- RESULTS & DISCUSSION
The study resulted in a model comprising three categories of factors: causal, intermediary, and consequential. Causal factors include employees’ moral courage, acceptance of senior managers, a justice-oriented organizational culture, perceived organizational support, psychological motives for revenge, and employee conscientiousness. These factors strengthen the whistleblowing intent and encourage whistleblowing behavior, ultimately improving organizational health and productivity. Findings suggest that moral courage and managerial acceptance are the most influential factors in promoting organizational whistleblowing. A justice-oriented organizational culture plays a crucial role in facilitating the environment for whistleblowing. Additionally, perceived organizational support is a key factor to enabling employees to engage in whistleblowing behavior. While psychological motives for revenge may also drive whistleblowing, these motives carry negative implications and require careful management.
 
4- CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS
The proposed model indicated six primary factors as antecedents of whistleblowing in Iran’s governmental organizations. These factors first enhance the intent to whistleblow and then encourage actual whistleblowing behavior, leading to increased organizational health and productivity. It is recommended that managers in governmental organizations focus on fostering employees’ moral courage and enhancing their acceptability among staff while promoting a justice-oriented organizational culture. Establishing robust support systems for whistleblowers is also crucial. Finally, further research is suggested to develop more comprehensive and localized whistleblowing models for Iran.

Keywords

• Whistleblowing
• Government Agencies
• Theme Analysis

©2024 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

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