Identifying and Prioritizing the Antecedents and Consequences of Empowering Behaviors of Guardian Council Election Observers with an Emphasis on Positive Organizational Behavior

Abstract

This study aims to identify and prioritize the antecedents and consequences of empowering behaviors among Guardian Council election observers based on the positive organizational behavior framework. This applied study adopted a mixed-methods design with an inductive–deductive approach. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 experts, including public administration scholars and senior managers of the Guardian Council, selected through purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Qualitative data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding in MaxQDA 2020, resulting in the extraction of 24 antecedent and consequence components. In the quantitative phase, the Fuzzy Delphi method was applied in two rounds to validate and prioritize the identified factors and to assess expert consensus. The results indicated that training and development, supportive leadership, and access to resources obtained the highest defuzzified mean scores among antecedents. Among the consequences, strengthening democratic processes, improving public perception, and exerting a positive impact on election management were ranked as the most significant outcomes. The differences between defuzzified means across Delphi rounds were below 0.1, indicating strong expert agreement and model stability. The findings suggest that integrating positive organizational behavior with structured empowerment mechanisms can substantially enhance observer effectiveness, strengthen public trust, and improve electoral governance, providing a robust empirical basis for policymaking and capacity-building initiatives within the Guardian Council.