The Distortions of Machiavellianism, Containment Solutions and Effect on the Quality of Audit Judgments

The present research, using the qualitative method of background, has tried to identify the effective background and interfering factors in the creation of Machiavellian tendencies of auditors and to calculate the strategies and consequences of limiting the Machiavellian characteristics of auditors. The statistical population of the current research is composed of expert and experienced university professors in the field of auditing, partners of auditing institutions, managers of auditing organizations, and other members of the community of certified accountants. The period of the study implementation is between 2021 and 2022. Using the purposeful mixed sampling method, 14 in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was reached. Also, the structural equation modeling approach was used to measure the model's validity, and PLS software was used to fit the model. The findings show that the effective and intervening factors in creating Machiavellian tensions include preventive and supervisory factors, cultural, environmental, and social factors, structural and technical factors, financial and economic factors, and perceptual, human, and knowledge factors. Also, providing cultural and social platforms, structural and technical reforms, economic improvement and political communication, strengthening the knowledge and skill of the workforce, and providing a legal and regulatory platform are among the strategies to contain Machiavellian distortions. In addition, cultural and social influences on the auditing profession and laying the foundation for increasing audit quality are essential consequences of enclosing Machiavellian distortions.