Background and Objective: Management is a key component of educational organizations, and promoting the mental health and innovation of school principals requires a comprehensive program tailored to their specific needs. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of gamification in experience management and psychological empowerment on organizational commitment and innovative work behavior among secondary school principals in Zahedan.
research methodology: The present study employed a quantitative quasi-experimental design. The statistical population consisted of secondary school principals in Zahedan, totaling 115 individuals in the academic year 2024-2025. Using purposive sampling, a minimum sample size of 60 participants was estimated. These participants were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Data collection instruments included standardized questionnaires on Innovative Work Behavior and Organizational Commitment. The research data were analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) with SPSS version 26.
Findings: The results indicated that there were significant differences between the gamification of experience management intervention, psychological empowerment, and the control group in the post-test for the variable of organizational commitment (F = 297.6, p = 0.0001) and innovative work behavior (F = 65.7, p = 0.001). Comparison of the mean differences showed that the gamification of experience management intervention had a greater impact on organizational commitment (46.4) and innovative work behavior (100.1) of school principals in the education organization compared to psychological empowerment.
Conclusion: Psychological empowerment of managers leads to improved self-awareness skills, which in turn enhances their decision-making power and ability to establish effective communication. Additionally, strengthening internal power through psychological empowerment serves as a means to increase organizational commitment and retention within the organization. By overcoming mental barriers, managers reduce risky behaviors, which consequently fosters innovative work behavior.