Discipline

Business And Education Industry

Abstract

This study examines the structural relationships among internal audit governance, risk management, and organizational productivity to develop an integrative governance framework that enhances institutional performance within the Social Security System (SSS). The research is anchored on the COSO Enterprise Risk Management Framework (2021), ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management Guidelines, and Public Value Theory (Moore, 2021), positioning governance as a driver of accountability, efficiency, and public trust in the public sector. A quantitative-descriptive correlational design was utilized, involving 44 respondents from the Internal Audit Service, Risk Management Office, Compliance and Governance Office, and Operations Division of SSS. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, regression analysis, ANOVA, and mediation analysis to determine the significance and predictive relationships among variables. Respondents were primarily internal auditors and administrative or technical personnel (36.4%), with 5–14 years of service and foundational to intermediate training in audit and risk management. Internal Audit Governance demonstrated highly significant levels (p < .001) across audit independence, resource adequacy, and policy compliance, reflecting a robust oversight system. Risk Management practices were likewise highly significant (p < .001), indicating strong performance in risk identification, mitigation, and monitoring. Organizational Productivity yielded very high mean scores (p < .001), particularly in accountability and transparency (α = 0.972) and continuous improvement (α = 0.970). Regression analysis confirmed that Internal Audit Governance significantly influences Organizational Productivity (β = 0.728, p < .001). ANOVA results showed that Risk Management significantly affects both Audit Governance (F = 5.321, p < .001) and Organizational Productivity (F = 1024.036, p < .001). Mediation analysis further established that Risk Management significantly mediates the relationship between Audit Governance and Productivity. An Internal Audit Governance Productivity Framework was developed, demonstrating that audit integrity, risk responsiveness, and continuous improvement collectively enhance organizational productivity. The findings affirm that productivity within SSS is strengthened through the synergy of governance and risk-based decision-making. The study recommends institutionalizing the framework through competency development, reinforcement of audit independence, digital transformation initiatives, and enterprise-wide risk integration to advance governance maturity and public sector performance.

Keywords

risk management, internal audit governance, organizational productivity, coso erm, iso 31000, public sector governance, audit independence, public value theory