Presenting a Model for Evaluating the Mediating function of Intrinsic Motivation in the Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Creative Employees’ Behavior in the Management of Social Security Treatment in Mazandaran Province

Introduction: Leaders can use ethical leadership to affect the organizational performance of employees. Returning to ethical leadership models is required due to the distinct intellectual perspective of Iranian society which can affect the effectiveness of employees in the organization considering their intrinsic motivation. Therefore, this research aimed to provide a model for evaluating the mediating function of intrinsic motivation in the relationship between ethical leadership and creative employee behavior in social security treatment management in Mazandaran Province.Methods: The required data were collected through a qualitative review and evaluation of studies on ethical leadership, in-depth interviews with senior managers of social security treatment management in Mazandaran Province, using the analysis method Grounded Theory with Glazer’s approach, as well as dealing with coding, categorization, and presenting a conceptual model.Results: Three selective codes, 15 core codes, and 94 open codes were included in the generated model. Ethical leadership variables included organizational, human, political, cultural, and moral factors. The creative behavior variable included individual, group, and organizational factors. The intrinsic motivation variable comprised components such as working conditions, rules and regulations, management and leadership style, interactions with colleagues, personality traits, empowerment, and job nature.Conclusion: Since Iranian employees are raised in an Islamic-Iranian culture, ethical leadership could have a positive effect on strengthening their performance and behavior.