Identifying and Prioritizing the Components of Operational Governance in the Social Security Organization

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and prioritize the components of operational governance appropriate to the structure, missions, and organizational requirements of the Social Security Organization. This applied study employed a mixed-methods exploratory sequential design within an inductive–deductive paradigm. In the qualitative phase, the study population comprised academic and organizational experts in management and governance, of whom 18 were selected through purposive and snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through coding procedures using MAXQDA 2020. In the quantitative phase, the components extracted from the qualitative analysis were incorporated into a fuzzy Delphi questionnaire and evaluated by experts in two successive rounds. The validity and reliability of the instrument were assessed using the Content Validity Ratio, Cohen’s kappa coefficient, and test–retest procedures. Sampling adequacy was also examined using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin index and Bartlett’s test of sphericity. The qualitative analysis and fuzzy Delphi procedure resulted in the identification and confirmation of 15 operational governance components. In the second Delphi round, the highest defuzzified values were obtained for organizational structure design (0.969), governance values (0.965), macro-level policymaking and strategic orientation (0.952), senior management leadership and commitment (0.941), risk management and internal control (0.937), data governance (0.933), and information technology development (0.932). All remaining components obtained values above 0.895. Furthermore, the differences between the defuzzified mean values of the first and second Delphi rounds were below 0.1 for all components, demonstrating expert consensus and stability of judgments regarding the identified dimensions. Operational governance in the Social Security Organization is a multidimensional construct whose effective implementation requires simultaneous attention to organizational structure, governance values, strategic orientation, risk management, managerial capacities, information technology, and data governance. Organizational structure design and the institutionalization of governance values appear particularly central to establishing a coherent and effective operational governance system.