Developing a Model for Institutionalization of the Transparency Culture in Lorestan University of Medical Sciences

Transparency has long been a basic principle for the management of public organizations and is usually considered a powerful tool to achieve desirable social goals, including strengthening accountability and reducing corruption.

The current research aims to develop a model for institutionalization of transparency culture in Lorestan University of Medical Sciences (LUMS) and assess the relationships between its components.

This is a mixed-method (exploratory sequential) study. In the qualitative phase using the content analysis method, the participants included university faculty members and senior managers of LUMS. A researcher-made questionnaire tool was used to collect information, and the interpretive structural modelling method was used to analyze and rank the components.

Based on the results, 18 factors were identified as the main factors of the model for institutionalization of transparency culture in LUMS, which were organizational agility, change management, the rule of law, trust and confidence, clear accountability, cultural infrastructure, knowledge management, effectiveness and efficiency of processes, regulatory quality, participatory management, justice orientation, cognitive skills, adaptation and tolerance, reduced administrative corruption, improved community satisfaction, transformation and improvement of the administrative system, meritocracy, and employee satisfaction. Among these factors, the reduced administrative corruption and employee satisfaction had the greatest effect on institutionalizing the culture of transparency in LUMS.

The most important factors for institutionalizing the culture of transparency in LUMS are the reduction of administrative corruption and the satisfaction of human resources. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to these factors in institutionalizing the culture of transparency.