Understanding the Role of Administrators' Personal and Social Values on Implementation of Approved Policies in Iranian Public Organizations

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this research is to understand the personal and social values of public administrators affecting on the implementation process of approved policies. How the administrators and public servants affect the policies and decisions of policy-makers is a critical issue in public administration; the issue that has attracted the attention of many researchers in the field of Public Administration. Methods: In this research, we conducted semi-structured interviews with twenty middle managers in five state organizations. The managers were selected through a purposive sampling method. The interview questions, which were extracted from reviewing the related literature, were divided into two groups of personal and social values. Finally, theme analysis was used to analyze the interviews. Results: The research findings on the social values dimension are: Benevolence, Compassion, Commitment to the Public Interest, Sacrifice, Awakening, and Serving, and on the personal values dimension are: Need for Achievement, Deontology, Citizens' Dignity, Flexibility, Organizational Citizenship, Fair and Just Delivery of Public Service, Religious and training issues, Profitability, Lawfulness, and Professionalism. Conclusion: This research did not aim at proposing ethical and behavioral values or codes in the governmental section, yet its purpose was to study the reality of what the administrators and public servants actually do, and the ways they influence the policy makers policies and decisions. Finally, some recommendations

Keywords

• Bureaucracy
• Political control
• Administrators' values
• Iranian state organizations