Analysis of Factors Affecting Managers’ Political Intelligence Using the Meta-Synthesis Technique in Public Sector Organizations
Keywords:
intelligence, political, influencing factors, meta-synthesis, public sectorAbstract
In recent decades, political intelligence has attracted considerable attention from researchers and practitioners. The purpose of the present study is to analyze the factors affecting managers’ political intelligence using the meta-synthesis technique within public sector organizations. By employing the meta-synthesis approach, the findings of domestic and international studies related to this topic were systematically reviewed based on the seven-step model proposed by Sandelowski and Barroso. Out of 189 studies identified in this field, 46 articles were selected, from which 11 influencing factors were identified and extracted. Using three-stage coding in MAXQDA software, these factors were analyzed and categorized into one main category, six axial codes, and eleven open codes. To assess reliability and ensure the quality control of the present study, the Kappa coefficient method was applied. The Kappa coefficient calculated using SPSS software was 0.885, indicating an excellent level of agreement. The factors identified as influencing managers’ political intelligence in this study include social games, power dynamics, individual influence, networking ability, and information capture. It is expected that applying the results of this study will enhance managerial competencies and improve both internal and external organizational relations.
Downloads
References
[1] M. Doustdar and Y. Meymini, "Components and Functions of Political Intelligence," 2014.
[2] G. M. B. Quetzaltenango, "The art of the possible : A call for political intelligence ( PQ ) in missiological reflection," Missiology : An International Review, vol. 46, no. 4, 2018, doi: 10.1177/0091829618785615.
[3] M. Izadi, A. H. Nazaripour, R. Sepahvand, H. Vahdati, and M. Hakkak, "Designing and Explaining a Model of Managers' Political Behavior in Governmental Organizations," Quarterly Journal of Management and Education Outlook, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 241-258, 2024.
[4] M. Sadeghi Nasab and D. Lotfi, "Investigating the Impact of Leaders' Political Intelligence on Effective Change Management in Tehran Municipality," 2018.
[5] L. Keshavarz, A. Farahani, and M. Shahr Sabz, "Regression Analysis of Political Intelligence and Political Behavior of Managers of the General Department of Sports and Youth and Sports Boards of Fars Province," 2016.
[6] K. Khodaei, H. Reza Zainabadi, and R. Moradi, "Investigating the Role of Political Intelligence in Choosing Conflict Management Styles among Khurramabad High School Principals in the 2017-2018 Academic Year," 2018.
[7] Y. Mombini and M. Doustar, "Organizational Change Management Based on Managers' Political Intelligence," 2014.
[8] F. Khalili Shourini and M. Javadi Hastiyan, "The Impact of Dimensions and Components of Political Intelligence," 2017.
[9] Z. Kochakzadeh and N. Jalal, "Investigating the Impact of Political Intelligence on Organizational Commitment with Emphasis on the Mediating Role of Organizational Culture," 2017.
[10] V. Deep, S. Kaur, B. Pritpal, and S. Bhullar, "Organizational political behavior and job satisfaction: an empirical evidence from Indian universities," Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, 2025, doi: 10.1108/JEAS-02-2024-0060.
[11] S. Ghanbari and S. Nourollahi, "Structural Equation Model of Political Behaviors on Organizational Citizenship Behavior Mediated by Job Engagement and Job Satisfaction in Companies Affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)," Public Management Researches, vol. 16, no. 61, pp. 241-266, 2023.
[12] E. Salehi Kordabadi and M. Rezaei Dizgah, "Political Skill of Employees and Organizational Citizenship Behavior," 2017.
[13] Y. Mombini and F. Mombini, "A Theoretical Model of Transformational Leadership Based on Political Intelligence," 2013.
[14] M. H. Taheri, J. Moharabi, and N. Jazani, "Analyzing the model of political behavior in governmental organizations with a mixed approach," Scientific Quarterly Journal of Islamic-Iranian Progress Studies, 2024.
[15] M. Sanaie, H. Jafariani, and M. Samanian, "Political behavior of government managers and its causes in the organization," Political Sociology of Iran, vol. 5, no. 11, pp. 2894-2911, 2023, doi: 10.30510/psi.2022.312064.2535.
[16] B. Moghadamat, "The Performance of the General Inspection Organization in Combating Administrative Corruption," in 3rd International Conference on Law and Political Sciences, 2023.
[17] Y. Giesing, "Household behaviour in times of political change Evidence from Egypt," vol. 113, pp. 259-276, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.09.001.
[18] Y. Ganzach, "Intelligence and the rationality of political preferences," vol. 69, pp. 59-70, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2018.05.002.
[19] W. Shao, "The Role of Digital Transformation in Enhancing Organizational Agility and Competitive Advantages: A Strategic Perspective," Advances in Economics Management and Political Sciences, vol. 154, no. 1, pp. 115-120, 2025, doi: 10.54254/2754-1169/2024.19552.
[20] H. R. NamjooFard, M. J. Kamali, M. Sabokroo, Z. Anjum Shah, and H. Babaei, "Designing a model for managing political behavior based on organizational citizenship behavior," vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 256-281, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.jmep.ir/article_213426.html.
[21] R. Moradi, H. Reza Zainabadi, and K. Khodaei, "Investigating the Role of Political Intelligence in Choosing Conflict Management Styles among Khurramabad High School Principals in the 2017-2018 Academic Year," 2018.
[22] K. Saberi, F. Sarraf, B. Banimahd, and M. Hamidian, "The role of political ideology and auditors' professionalism on organizational professional conflict," Journal of Management Accounting and Auditing Knowledge, vol. 14, no. 53, pp. 305-322, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.jmaak.ir/article_23506.html.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Somaieh Taghipourvajargah, Mehran Mokhtari Baye Kalaei, Ghorbanali Aghaahmadi, Aliosat Khanjani (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
