Designing a Whistleblowing Model to Grow and Improve the Level of Organizational Trust: The Case Study of the Social Security Organization of Iran

The purpose of this study was to design and validate a whistleblowing model in order to help grow the Social Security Organization of Iran. It was a descriptive-survey study that relied upon mixed-methods approach for data collection and analysis. The statistical population of the study was comprised of all employees of the Social Security Organization in the insurance and medical sectors (N= 67,188), with an optimal sample size of 380 participants (as indicated by Morgan’s table). The purposive sampling method adopted in the qualitative phase led to the selection of 15 experts in the field of management. In this phase, the fuzzy Delphi method was used to explain the dimensions, components, and items of the research. In the quantitative phase, the components explained in the qualitative phase were used to design a questionnaire, which was then distributed in the target community. After receiving the filled-in questionnaires, the obtained data were analyzed by SPSS and SmartPLS software. Inferential tests such as structural equation modeling and path analysis were used to test research questions and undertake modeling. The qualitative phase and Delphi analysis results showed that the dimensions of whistleblowing included moral considerations, personal characteristics, external whistleblowing, and formal whistleblowing. Moreover, the dimensions of organizational growth in the Social Security Organization included health and wellbeing, organizational structure, assurance of progress, partnership with others, openness and transparency, nurture and volition, feedback, readiness for change, and organizational trust. The results of quantitative phase and structural equation modeling revealed that organizational whistleblowing had a significant effect on organizational growth.