The Role of Organizational Culture in Cybersecurity Readiness: An Empirical Study of the Jordanian Ministry of Justice

This paper investigates the impact of organizational culture on cybersecurity in the Jordanian e-government, using the Ministry of Justice as a model. A questionnaire was distributed to 118 employees to evaluate perceptions of cultural dimensions like values, norms, and empowerment as well as cybersecurity factors like confidentiality, privacy, and enforcement. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS26) software was used for data analysis. Results from 97 valid responses showed a significant positive effect of organizational culture on cybersecurity. All cultural dimensions positively influenced cybersecurity, supporting a relationship between shared values/behaviors and cybersecurity policies and procedures. The findings provide insights for practitioners on leveraging organizational culture to improve cyber readiness in government contexts. This contributes new empirical evidence on connections between culture and cybersecurity in public sector organizations. It also suggests enhancing transparency, accountability, respect, and credibility among employees of Jordanian government departments. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of leadership in encouraging and supporting an organizational culture that focuses on cybersecurity, through prioritizing roles, providing resources, and promoting awareness and training.