Career and Organizational Counseling

Career and Organizational Counseling

Exploring the Phenomenon of Toxic Leadership in Iraq's Ministry of Finance: Causes, Manifestations, and Consequences

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Hamdi 1
Hadi Teimouri 2
Ali shaemi Barzoki 3
1 PhD student of Business Administration, Department of Management, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, University of Isfahan, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Management, Unversity of Isfahan
3 Associate professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, University of Isfahan, Iran.
10.48308/jcoc.2026.244807.1605
Abstract
Leadership in public sector organizations plays a vital role in promoting governance, transparency, accountability, and organizational effectiveness. However, toxic leadership can undermine organizational performance, employee well-being, public trust, and decision-making quality. This study aimed to develop and validate a model of toxic leadership in the Iraqi Ministry of Finance. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. In the qualitative phase, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory. The analysis identified 57 concepts, 18 subcategories, and six main categories: causal conditions, the core phenomenon, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences. In the quantitative phase, the proposed model was validated using a researcher-developed questionnaire and structural equation modeling. Results confirmed satisfactory model fit and significant relationships among dimensions. The final model highlights monitoring systems, meritocracy, accountability, and control of informal power networks as key strategies for reducing toxic leadership within Iraqi public sector organizations.
Keywords
Leadership
Toxic leadership
Grounded theory
Iraqi Ministry of Finance
Subjects
Career and Organizational Counseling

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 11 August 2026