Exploring Lived Experiences and Identifying the Dimensions of Organizational Whistleblowing in Iranian Public Organizations: An Integrated Meta-Synthesis and Phenomenological Study

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and explain the dimensions and components of employees’ lived experiences of organizational whistleblowing in public organizations in Kermanshah Province and to develop a comprehensive, context-sensitive framework for understanding the phenomenon. This applied qualitative study integrated meta-synthesis with a phenomenological inquiry. In the first phase, relevant national and international studies on organizational whistleblowing, reporting misconduct, organizational transparency, and corruption were systematically examined, and the resulting codes and themes were extracted and synthesized. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 experts and employees possessing relevant knowledge and experience in public organizations in Kermanshah Province to complement, validate, and contextualize the synthesized findings. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The interview data were analyzed at the levels of initial codes, basic themes, organizing themes, and overarching themes. The integrated analysis demonstrated that organizational whistleblowing is a multidimensional and context-dependent phenomenon shaped by the interaction of individual and psychological factors, ethical and value-based considerations, organizational and managerial conditions, legal and protective mechanisms, characteristics and circumstances of wrongdoing, and the processes and consequences associated with disclosure. Organizational support, trust in managers and reporting mechanisms, perceived justice, reporting security and confidentiality, the severity and nature of misconduct, the organizational power of the wrongdoer, and employees’ assessments of the anticipated costs, benefits, and consequences of disclosure emerged as pivotal determinants of the decision to report wrongdoing rather than remain silent. The findings therefore indicate that whistleblowing cannot be adequately explained solely by individual characteristics; instead, it emerges from the simultaneous interaction of individual, ethical, organizational, managerial, and institutional conditions. Promoting responsible whistleblowing in public organizations requires secure and trustworthy reporting environments, effective protection of whistleblowers, stronger ethical cultures and organizational transparency, confidential and impartial reporting channels, and systematic efforts to reduce the perceived risks and costs associated with reporting misconduct.