Identifying and Prioritizing Factors Affecting Organizational Whistle-Blowing by Employees of the Broadcasting Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran

One of the major challenges of modern organizations and societies is determining the boundaries of confidentiality. Confidentiality is a key factor in organizational success. Whistleblowing, the act of revealing illegal and unethical activities within an organization to responsible individuals outside or within the organization, guides the organization towards its ideals and missions.
The main objective of the present study was to identify and prioritize the factors affecting employee whistleblowing.
This research is fundamental in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of method. Interview tools and content analysis method were used. Participants included all senior managers of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization who have at least a master's degree and more than 10 years of experience, who were interviewed until theoretical saturation was reached.
A total of 21 basic themes were identified and factors affecting organizational whistleblowing by employees of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization, included organizational structure, organizational culture, conflicting organizational goals, leadership style and leadership characteristics, organizational learning, learning transfer and knowledge management, organizational communications, employee participation, trust building, incentive and appointment system, adaptability capacity, organizational ethics, level of transparency and access to information, organizational climate, employee training and empowerment, organizational resource management, improvement and synergy of organizational processes and organizational politicization, political influence of government officials, political appointments of managers and the head of the organization, and the political structure of the country. The results indicated that the key factors influencing organizational whistleblowing among IRIB employees were ranked as follows: Organizational politicization was the top priority, followed by the reward system and appointments. Transparency and access to information ranked third, while organizational ethics and employee participation were placed in the subsequent priorities.
Studying the factors that influence employee whistleblowing is important not just for organizations but for society as a whole. Gaining a deeper understanding of these factors can help foster a work environment where misconduct is reduced, transparency and accountability are promoted, and fairness and equality are upheld. Additionally, this research offers valuable insights for scholars and policymakers seeking to develop more effective theories and policies in this area.