Purpose: This study aims to develop and validate a comprehensive framework for change management in the Iraqi public sector, emphasizing organizational culture and grounded in Lewin’s three-stage change model (unfreezing, change, and refreezing).

Methodology: This research employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. In the first phase, a systematic literature review was conducted focusing on studies related to change management, organizational culture, and the public sector. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, resulting in the development of a framework structured around Lewin’s three stages of change. In the second phase, the extracted framework was validated through an expert-based questionnaire administered to specialists from the Iraqi Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. A one-sample t-test was used to evaluate the conceptual validity and practical applicability of the proposed framework. The target population consisted of managers, experts, and specialists within the Ministry, of whom 36 participants were purposively selected.

Findings: In the unfreezing (diagnosis) stage, approaches such as fostering psychological and cultural readiness for change, promoting cultural awareness, and identifying cultural resistance emerged as the most influential. During the change intervention stage, learning-oriented, leadership-oriented, and participatory approaches received the highest priority. In the refreezing stage, sustained leadership, institutionalizing cultural change through formal systems, and aligning human resource management systems with the new cultural values were identified as the most critical factors for ensuring the sustainability of change. S