Developing a Qualitative Model of Responsibility Culture with a Blame-Free Management Approach in Iranian Governmental Organizations
Keywords:
Responsibility Culture, Leadership and Management, Education and Development, Blame-Free ManagementAbstract
This study aimed to develop a qualitative model of responsibility culture with a blame-free management approach in Iranian governmental organizations. The research method was qualitative, based on grounded theory. The statistical population included experts familiar with the subject, such as government managers, human resource specialists, academic researchers, and policymakers in the labor and civil service sectors, who were selected purposefully and through snowball sampling. Entry criteria included having executive or research experience relevant to the topic and familiarity with Iran’s bureaucratic challenges. In total, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted, each averaging 60 minutes in duration, and continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were recorded and documented with participants' consent. Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA 2020 software in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. In the first stage, 455 conceptual statements were extracted, which were reduced to 132 initial codes, then to 35 axial codes, and finally to 8 core categories. These categories included: culture and trust, structure and technology, leadership and management, legal and regulatory, economic and resources, assessment and evaluation, environmental and contextual, and education and capacity building. The validity of the findings was assessed through the criteria of credibility, transferability, confirmability, and dependability. The average coding reliability was 84.57%. By explaining the key dimensions of responsibility culture and identifying its barriers and facilitators within governmental structures, this research can significantly contribute to the redesign of human resource policies, enhancement of accountability, and the development of blame-free management approaches in Iran’s public sector.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Seyed Esmail Golrokh (Author); Reza Verijkazemi (Corresponding author); Davood Kia Kojouri (Author)
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