Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Amirhoshang Nazarpouri ¹
• Zahra Eyni nargeseh ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Management faculty, Faculty of Management, Lorestan university, Khorramabad, Iran.

² PhD student in public Administraion, Management faculty, Faculty of Management, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose: Today, in the organizations of the country, one of the most important complications that severely affects the employees and people of the organization mentally and psychologically is a phenomenon known as ‘the impostor at work‘. Considering that the phenomenon of impostor at work is a serious obstacle in the career path of employees and has negative consequences at the individual and organizational level, Therefore, the present study was conducted in government organizations to identify and analyze the causes and consequences of workplace deception.

Design/ methodology/ approach: In terms of the type of data, the present research is mixed and based on qualitative-quantitative research, which in terms of research philosophy is included in the comparative research of Isqra'i. Therefore, the current research is practical in terms of its purpose, and in terms of gathering information, it is included in exploratory research. The statistical population of the present study of experts consists of university professors and specialists in the field of human resources, and 25 of them were selected as sample members using the purposeful sampling method and based on the principle of theoretical saturation. Regarding the selection criteria of experts, it should be mentioned that, considering that the subject of the research is to identify and analyze the causes and consequences of the phenomenon of cheating at work in government organizations, therefore, people who are theoretically and practically familiar with this phenomenon should be used. have the necessary information to answer the questions of the interview and the questionnaire. Also, have a high work experience in the organization and education related to the research topic. Based on this, 25 university professors and human resources specialists participated in the data collection process until reaching theoretical adequacy. The tool for collecting information is a semi-structured interview in the qualitative part and a questionnaire in the quantitative part, the validity and reliability of which were conducted using content validity and theoretical validity, intra-coder and extra-coder reliability methods for the interview, and content validity and reliability. The retest for distributed questionnaires was checked and confirmed. It is important to note that, because the present study is a mixed-methods study with an exploratory approach, a qualitative study must be conducted first, followed by a quantitative study. Therefore, the qualitative data were analyzed using the opinions of 25 experts until the saturation of information and reaching theoretical adequacy. Qualitative data were analyzed with "Atlas ti 9" software and content analysis method, and quantitative data were analyzed with fuzzy cartographic method.

Research Findings: The findings of this research indicate that the most important reasons for the phenomenon of cheating at work are being caught up in concentration deception syndrome, comparing oneself with peers, having low self-esteem and self-confidence. Also, the problem of stagnancy and job stagnation, the phenomenon of procrastination and procrastination in people, increased stress and mental distress were identified as the most important consequences of the phenomenon of cheating at work in government organizations.

Limitations & Consequences: Considering the purpose and type of research that should be used from the interview process and experts' opinions, this included the limitation in the number of samples and the difficulty of accessing experts, as well as the possibility of bias in answering the questions and presenting and recording the findings. Another limitation is that the results of the research may not be generalizable to other government organizations across the country due to sampling and geographical limitations, as the number of women interviewed was significantly lower compared to men due to limited access. Another limitation of the research was that, this research was done in a specific time frame, thus it shows the opinion of the respondents in a limited time frame.

Practical Consequences: The results of the present research can be a useful guide to identify and solve problems that affect employees psychologically and create serious challenges and obstacles in their positive and appropriate performance, depending on the organization. It can also be a way to prevent this phenomenon by identifying and revealing this phenomenon in the field of management that has negative effects on employees, while making managers and employees aware of this phenomenon and its consequences.

Innovation or value of the Article: By identifying a phenomenon called Impostor at work, the present research helps government organizations to try to identify this basic problem that affects the job performance of employees and ultimately the performance of the organization, and overcome this phenomenon. And the harmful consequences that were mentioned in the present

Keywords

• Impostor at work
• Human resources
• Government organization
• Mixed research