Management
Shahram Khalil Nezhad; Nader Mazloomi; Hoseyn Rahmanseresht; Akbar Moghaddar
Abstract
The formation of strategic thinking in today’s organizations is a complex concept, and the ever-increasing uncertainties of the business environment have made addressing it inevitable. A systematic literature review shows some cognitive concepts in forming strategic thinking, which crystallizes ...
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The formation of strategic thinking in today’s organizations is a complex concept, and the ever-increasing uncertainties of the business environment have made addressing it inevitable. A systematic literature review shows some cognitive concepts in forming strategic thinking, which crystallizes in the higher-order theme of “mental abilities.” This paper specifies these mental abilities in two levels, “theme” and “sub theme.” This research employs the thematic synthesis method to analyze 84 selected sources published between 1980 and 2021. The analysis generated 1110 supporting codes, which identified 37 themes (including five themes and 32 sub-themes) related to the mental abilities required for strategic thinking in organizations and formulated as a thematic map (research model). In order to enhance the reliability and quality of the themes, this research underwent an external audit by seven domain experts.It is worth noting that this article is the result of the first research using the thematic synthesis method on the research topic, and 70.3% of the themes included in the research model have created new concepts and constructs.IntroductionTurbulence and uncertainty are the most important factors in today’s business. These environmental factors render the classical strategic planning approaches ineffective and emphasize the critical need to form strategic thinking. A systematic review of the literature reveals that the formation of strategic thinking in an organization comprises two higher-order themes: “mental abilities” and “administrational capabilities.” Mental abilities have been discussed as “cognitive elements,” “mental process,” “mental power,” and “thinking abilities” by prior researchers, which resulted in ambiguity in terminology in the literature. On the other hand, mental abilities are a vague and complex concept in forming strategic thinking that requires clarification.This research provides a model of mental abilities themes in the formation of strategic thinking as a “thematic map“ in two levels of “theme“ and “sub theme, “using a systematic review of the literature by the “thematic synthetic“ method.Materials and MethodsThis research is “quantitative” in its approach, “exploratory” in its results, and “developmental + applied” in its goals. This research uses the thematic synthetic method to discover themes of mental abilities in forming strategic thinking in organizations at two levels of themes and sub-themes and provides them in a thematic map. The main sources of this research include 84 selected references, 69 in English (spanning 1980 to 2021) and 15 in Persian (spanning 2003 to 2021) with the following typology:- English references: papers (56), thesis (5), books (8).- Persian references: papers (12), thesis (1), books (1).It should be noted that these sources provide 89 models/ classifications regarding the mental abilities in forming strategic thinking in organizations, as follows:- Models (54): English (41), Persian (13).- Classifications (35): English (31), Persian (4).This research is based on 1110 extracted codes from the literature. These codes are as follows:- Type I codes (elements of models/ classifications in the literature): 257.- Type II codes (statements and quotes from the literature): 853. Discussion and ResultsThe research model (thematic map) includes 37 mental abilities in forming strategic thinking at the organizational level, including five themes and 32 sub-themes. A study of the models/ classifications of the sources of this paper resulted in a minimum of 1, an average of 2.88, and a maximum of 11. Comparing the 37 elements in the research model of this paper with the previous studies shows a 37-fold advantage compared to the minimum, 12.84-fold against the average, and 3.36-fold increase compared to the maximum number of elements in those studies, which indicates the superiority of the research model over the previous body of work.In 70.3% of the identified themes, some form of construct creation has happened (54.1% of themes with "concept conformation + concept creation" and 16.2% "concept similarity + concept creation"). Only in 29.7% of the themes in the research model complete "conformity" with the previous works is evident. It indicates the research's innovation level in creating new concepts and constructs and the conceptual development of the work.ConclusionsProviding a precise formation of the identified themes as a thematic map (research model) reduces the complexity, clarifies the research subject, and enhances its understanding. In addition, two levels of themes and sub-themes and laying out the themes in a thematic map play a critical role in this end.Moreover, “trustworthiness” in the thematic synthesis method is crucial. This research studied the views of credible and related methodologists and identified common points in their views to clarify the definition of trustworthiness in thematic synthesis and utilized these views to increase the trustworthiness of the work. In this regard, expanding the number and period of the sources used in the research to increase “credibility,” properly extracting the basic research codes to increase “confirmability,” using a team of expert external auditors to increase “dependability,” and clarifying the method of selecting primary research resources in increase “transferability” of the research are some aspects of this attempt.
fateme taheri; Mahdi Fazeli
Abstract
Workplace ostracism means keeping employees deliberately isolated. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting workplace ostracism based on the three-pronged model. This study was fundamental in terms of purpose and based on the data collection method, qualitative and descriptive methods. The ...
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Workplace ostracism means keeping employees deliberately isolated. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting workplace ostracism based on the three-pronged model. This study was fundamental in terms of purpose and based on the data collection method, qualitative and descriptive methods. The statistical population of justice staff in Qom province and the research sample were purposefully selected. Research tools were interviews, and theme analysis was used to analyze the data. Data analysis led to the formation of 29 sub-themes: 3 main themes in the form of behavioral factors, two main themes in the form of structural factors, and two main themes in the form of contextual factors. To solve the problem of ostracism, improving employees' competencies, relationships between individuals, colleagues, and managers, processes and operations of the organization, human resource management functions, managers' view of human capital, and strengthening social capital should be considered.IntroductionWorkplace ostracism refers to the deliberate isolation of employees. This study aimed to identify the factors that affect workplace ostracism based on a three-pronged model. The research questions are:What are the structural factors of employee ostracism?What are the behavioral factors of employee ostracism?What are the underlying factors of employee ostracism?Literature Review Ostracism (Greek: Ostracismos) was a democratic practice in Athens where the government could expel any citizen from the city for ten years. Although some behaviors aimed to provoke public anger against citizens, ostracism was often used preemptively and non-aggressively. This procedure was considered a tactic to neutralize the activities of an individual thought to be threatening to the government. However, in general, the term "rejection" is used for situations involving pushing back or social exclusion and is defined by terms such as misplacement, non-delivery, and being treated coldly (Robinson et al., 2013). Ostracism in organizational psychology is defined as "When a person or group is excluded from actions that other members of the organization engage in, and is a socially desirable action." (Gürlek, 2021). Ostracism has been described as "social death" because when a person is ignored and excluded by another person or group, it is as if they are dead or do not exist for others (Bauman, 1992).Reviewing the research background within and outside the country reveals that there has not been a study on workplace ostracism using a three-pronged model with a qualitative method.MethodologyThis study was fundamental in its purpose and based on qualitative and descriptive data collection methods. The statistical population consisted of justice staff in Qom province, and the research sample was purposefully selected. The research tools were interviews, and theme analysis was employed to analyze the data.The ostracism questionnaire was distributed among employees in various operational departments using a five-point Likert scale. A total of 18 employees were selected as the sample, with an average score higher than 2/5. These individuals had a higher perceived ostracism than those who obtained a lower average score. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 13 participants, theoretical saturation was achieved. In order to enhance the credibility of research findings, instead of using the concepts of validity and reliability suitable for quantitative studies, a concept called "trustworthiness" was employed, which includes four elements: Dependability, Transformability, Credibility, and confirmability. For research dependability, interviews were conducted with individuals who had experienced the phenomenon of social ostracism, and this requirement was met by achieving a high average score on the Rejection Questionnaire. Before each interview, individuals were explained the research purpose, and their verbal consent to participate in the interviews was obtained. By providing a summary of the concepts, objectives, and research questions both orally and in writing, confidence in the interviewees' initial readiness for conducting the interviews was obtained, and then the interview questions were presented.The interview topic had been previously introduced to the participants, and its theoretical background was briefly provided to them, allowing them to gain theoretical familiarity with the subject matter. The next step involved involving the participants in the analysis and interpretation of the data to ensure that they agreed or disagreed with the researchers' findings.For the transformability of the research, complete findings were presented and compared with the study's theoretical framework, and the researchers attempted to provide a detailed picture of the context in which the research was conducted.For credibility and the trustworthiness of the research, all interviews were transcribed, and the coding process and data analysis stages were documented. Data documentation not only facilitated repeated review of the data by the researchers but also enabled three professors and one doctoral student in public management to review the findings of this study and provide their opinions regarding the quality of the data analysis.Finally, to increase confirmability, the transcripts were cross-checked by the interviewees. This process involved reviewing the coding and obtaining their opinions, which were subsequently incorporated into the coding and final report. ResultsThe data analysis resulted in the formation of 29 sub-themes:Three main themes in the form of behavioral factors (Absence of functional skills in the ostracized person, misbehavior by managers, the role of colleagues)two main themes in the form of structural factors (Organizational processes and operations, Weakness in the implementation of human resources management)two main themes in the form of contextual factors (Weakness in using social capital, Predominance of machines, and inhumane culture) Discussion In order to address the problem of ostracism, it is important to consider improving the competencies of employees, the relationships between individuals, colleagues, and managers, the processes and operations of the organization, the functions of human resource management, managers' attitudes towards human capital, and the strengthening of social capital. The results of this research show that workplace ostracism does not depend only on the employees themselves but also on the behavior of their colleagues and managers. Structural factors with the main themes of the organization's processes and operations and weaknesses in the implementation of human resources management indicate the existence of incorrect procedures in the organization.Also, the weakness in using social capital, the lack of trust in society, and the culture of non-participation of people in activities require the attention of the relevant policymakers in connection with strengthening this capital in society. The machine-like and unfriendly attitude of employees as one of the issues of the internal organizational environment is the basis for undermining the value of employees and not considering the importance of this crucial organizational capital.
Management of Organizational Development
Sadegh Hasani moghadam; Mohammad Mahdi Mohtadi; Hosein Bazargani; Ali Taheri
Abstract
This study aims to present a comprehensive model of agility in business process management by using the concept of "edge of chaos, " which is attempted through interviews with 18 experts. The effective components in the framework of agile organizational process management were identified so that in a ...
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This study aims to present a comprehensive model of agility in business process management by using the concept of "edge of chaos, " which is attempted through interviews with 18 experts. The effective components in the framework of agile organizational process management were identified so that in a complex and dynamic environment, in order to achieve agility in process management, the balance between the internal order of process management and the disorder caused by environmental dynamics can be maintained. After analyzing the findings and extracting primary codes (273 open codes), central codes (17 codes), and five selective codes with a reliability coefficient of 77.77, a conceptual model modeled on Strauss and Corbin's paradigm was drawn.Introduction Today, concepts related to the science of complexity and the edge of chaos have become essential to modern management's vocabulary of theory and practice. The edge of chaos is a space where freedom of action and dynamism are combined with order and stability, the output of which will be accompanied by creativity and innovation. Therefore, the management of agile processes based on chaos theory can be considered a framework for managing organizational processes, which, in addition to maintaining the benefits of formalization and standardization of processes, also enables the adaptability of processes and their agility in general. This research seeks to model this new look and attitude in process-oriented organizations looking for agility in complex work environments.Materials and Methods This study is a type of developmental research that follows interpretative philosophical foundations and an analytical, inductive approach and seeks to model data through qualitative strategies and interviews with 18 experts, who were selected using a non-random method and a snowball technique and considering that the nature of the proposed model will be used to solve a problem in process organizations, its orientation is practical.Discussion and Results The Results showed that the causal conditions of the model include appropriate culture, process governance, competent human resources, technological infrastructure, and environmental understanding and recognition. Intervening factors include continuous control and monitoring of processes, leadership characteristics, and platforms, including Strategizing based on improvisation, structure and organization, creative stability on the border of chaos, dynamic adaptation, organizational learning and strategies required in the model, quality management of processes, integration of knowledge management with organization processes and efficiency of life cycle components include, their use will aim for the improvement of quantitative and qualitative performance indicators.ConclusionsAccording to the existing research gap, to deal with the concept of managing agile business processes in complex environments, there is a need for a comprehensive and systematic look at managing agile organizational processes to help organizations deal with complex issues in chaotic border environments. For this purpose, a framework can be designed: First, in order to achieve agility in the management of organizational processes (a central category), the existence of primary conditions, including suitable culture, process governance, competent human resources, technological infrastructure, and environmental understanding and Intervening factors include: continuous control and monitoring of processes and leadership, in contexts and conditions including strategy-making based on improvisation, structure and organization, creative stability on the border of chaos, dynamic adaptation, organizational learning and through management strategies The quality of the processes is the integration of knowledge management with the organization processes and the optimization of the life cycle components, which will ultimately lead to attention to these issues, the promotion and improvement of quantitative and qualitative performance indicators
Human Resource Management
Aakbar Hassanpoor; Sareh Ebrahimi
Abstract
As the most important capital of the organization, managers spend most of their time in the workplace. The characteristics of the quality of work life have an effective role in managers' performance and can encourage them to use their maximum abilities. This research aimed to design and explain a hierarchical ...
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As the most important capital of the organization, managers spend most of their time in the workplace. The characteristics of the quality of work life have an effective role in managers' performance and can encourage them to use their maximum abilities. This research aimed to design and explain a hierarchical model of public sector managers' quality of work life in Tehran using a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative). In the qualitative section, 18 model components were obtained from interviews with 18 experts and analyzed using the content analysis method. The quantitative section determined the relationship between the components using the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method. Analyzing the qualitative and quantitative data of the research, a 9-level model was obtained. The most affecting component of this model at the ninth level is uncertainty. At the same time, decision phobia and fear of mistakes, false participation in decision-making, loneliness in the workplace, stress, and nervous pressure are the components that were affected more than other components of this model. The results of this research help employees and managers to have a more realistic image of managerial positions by presenting the pros and cons of it.Introduction Early qualitative research suggests that becoming a manager can be a double-edged sword. It means this important career change is a narrative of gains and losses: On the one hand, new managers often boast of their new influence and authority while lamenting that they are doing too much in too little time. Therefore, considering the important position of managers in the public sector and their multiple roles, the analysis of managers' quality of life is of great importance as an important issue. In addition, knowing the components of managers' quality of work life helps employees make a more informed decision about career advancement and better guide their career path. In addition to being exposed to environmental, socio-economic, cultural, and family stressors, the public sector also faces occupational stress. Therefore, by identifying the hierarchical model of managers' quality of work life, it is possible to increase the motivation of employees for promotion by benefiting from the factors that strengthen the quality of managers' work life and providing a solution to improve the factors that lead to endangering the quality of managers' work life. Moreover, portraying a more realistic vision of the managerial position prepared them for career advancement. For this purpose, this research seeks to find the hierarchical model of public sector managers' quality of work life in Tehran.Materials and methods This research was conducted using a mixed research method (qualitative-quantitative) and seeks to provide a hierarchical model of the quality of working life of public sector managers in Tehran. This research is a descriptive survey in terms of nature and method and practical in terms of purpose. In the qualitative part, the thematic analysis method has been used through semi-structured interviews to understand, recognize, and extract the variables. The statistical population of this research in the qualitative part includes a collection of academic experts and specialists familiar with the quality of work life of managers and with the scientific rank of associate professor and above, managers of seven government organizations in Tehran with a master's degree and above and management experience of at least ten years, as well as consultants Managers of government organizations with at least ten years of consulting experience and a doctorate in management. The criterion of sample adequacy is theoretical saturation. A total of 18 people were interviewed using the purposeful selective sampling method, and theoretical saturation was achieved. The following variables were modeled using the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method. In the quantitative part of the research, 14 experts from the qualitative part who were familiar with how to respond to the self-interaction matrix were selected purposefully.Results and DiscussionBy Analyzing data in the research, a nine-level model was obtained; the most affecting component of this model at the ninth level is uncertainty, while decision phobia and fear of mistakes, false participation in decision-making, loneliness in the workplace, stress, and nervous pressure are the components which were affected more than other components of this model.ConclusionAs the research model shows, uncertainty can affect salaries and rewards, legal responsibility, and managers' sense of power. Therefore, it is suggested that managers first define and understand uncertainties. Then, try to have an efficient and effective pre-determined scenario for each of these uncertainties in the government organizations of Tehran. Managers of government organizations in Tehran should know that to maintain a balance between their lives and work; they should pay attention to their personal life issues, take these issues seriously, and always try not to diminish their role in the family. Managers are suggested to respect old friends and colleagues more than before and to lay the foundation of friendship in performing organizational tasks. This will make the manager's colleagues and friends consider work fun and commitment. As public sector managers get promoted, they somehow lose their informal connections and friends and end up alone in the workplace. Weakening of informal relationships, formal behaviors, feelings of power, etc., finally leaves managers alone in the workplace, which reduces the quality of their work life and makes managers suffer from this problem. In order to deal with loneliness, Tehran's public sector managers should try to reduce their distance from employees as much as possible and apply reasonable formality. Managers should adopt a collaborative approach to organizational decision-making. Maximizing participation and valuing employee input can reduce false participation. Using an efficient suggestion system can also help the manager in this direction. The fact is that stress and nervous pressure challenge the working life of managers in the public sector. It seems that maintaining calmness in stressful working conditions, accurate and regular prioritization of tasks, using organizational justice in the real sense, organizational transparency, and establishing a balance between personal and professional life can effectively reduce stress and nervous pressure. The results of this research help employees and managers to have a more realistic image of managerial positions by presenting the pros and cons of it.
Reza Sephahvand; Mahdieh Vishlaghi; Fatemeh Alaviematin
Abstract
Perceived Overqualification is a common experience in the workplace; However, it has received less attention from domestic researchers. Identifying the variables associated with this structure is essential to our understanding of how it affects job outcomes. Based on the theory of person-job fit, the ...
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Perceived Overqualification is a common experience in the workplace; However, it has received less attention from domestic researchers. Identifying the variables associated with this structure is essential to our understanding of how it affects job outcomes. Based on the theory of person-job fit, the purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of Perceived Overqualification on Counterproductive Work Behaviors by considering the mediating role of Job Boredom, Job Alienation and Emotional Exhaustion. This research is an applied one in terms of purpose and the method of data is descriptive-survey. The statistical population of this study was the employees of the Gas Company of West Azerbaijan Province. Based on simple random sampling method, 225 people were selected for the sample. The main tool for data collection was a questionnaire. Data analysis and testing of research hypotheses were performed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that employees’ perception of their Perceived Overqualification leads to their counterproductive work behaviors; In addition, the mediating role of Job Boredom, Job Alienation and Emotional Exhaustion in this relationship was confirmed.
Seyed Najmedin Mousavi
Abstract
This study investigates the effect of green structural capital on organizational reputation in the food industry concerning the mediating role of green innovation. This research is a descriptive survey regarding the applied purpose and data collection method. In order to measure the research variables, ...
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This study investigates the effect of green structural capital on organizational reputation in the food industry concerning the mediating role of green innovation. This research is a descriptive survey regarding the applied purpose and data collection method. In order to measure the research variables, the Huang and Kang Green Structural Capital Questionnaire (2011), Green Innovation Zhi et al.(2019), and Luma-Ahoo (2008) Organizational Reputation Questionnaire were used. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling and Smart PLS software. The statistical population includes large Iranian food companies with various products that are leaders in offering new products. The results showed positive and significant relationships between structural capital, green innovation, and organizational reputation. Green innovation also plays a mediating role between green structural capital and organizational reputation. Therefore, the present study confirms the significant effect of green structural capital on increasing green innovation and the organizational reputation of companies in the food industry.IntroductionThe issue of green structural capital has attracted the attention of many researchers and policymakers after the move of advanced countries towards the development of green industries. In other words, issues such as structural capital have become very important after the change of the basis of competition of countries and companies from tangible resources to intangible resources. Many companies have turned to providing green products and services to overtake their competitors and gain superiority and reputation in the business world. Organizational reputation is intangible and results from effectively using the organization's intangible assets, such as capital. It is structural. Although the main focus of researchers is on human capital as the most important intangible capital for providing green products and services and achieving organizational reputation, structural capital has received less attention. In support of this opinion, many authors believe that green structural capital and its components significantly improve the organization's reputation. Green structural capital designed to improve the organization's reputation increases green innovation. This research expands on the effect of structural capital on value creation and considers organizational reputation to be the result of green structural capital and green innovation. In other words, in this research, we examine how structural capital and institutionalized knowledge about capabilities, structure, technologies, policies, and organizational culture related to green food products help to increase the organization's reputation and green innovation. Also, this research may interest policymakers and investors in the food industry because it suggests that achieving profitability and reputational competitiveness results from paying close attention to green structural capital and improving innovation in providing green products and services. This research seeks to prove that the green structural capital of companies active in the food industry has increased innovation in providing green and organic products that customers and consumers welcome and improves the company's reputation. Literature ReviewReputation is an intangible asset and one of the most important and fundamental elements of an organization's survival; for this reason, it is defined as a competitive criterion and differentiation (Mehtap & Kokalan, 2012, p: 3611). Fombrun and Van Riel (2004) consider an organization's reputation as its ability to meet stakeholders' expectations. Organizational reputation is the intersection of stakeholders' perceptions of how well organizational responses estimate the demands and expectations of multiple stakeholders (Fombrun et al., 2000, p. 243). Organizational reputation is a multifaceted concept that includes a set of beliefs about the organization's capacities, goals, background, history, and mission, which lies in a network of different audiences (Carpenter & Krause, 2010, p. 27).The attention of many countries and organizations was drawn to the category of green innovation after the holding of the Earth Summit in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, which was about sustainable development and preservation of the limited resources of the planet. Green innovation has been mentioned with various terms such as environmental innovation, natural innovation, and sustainable innovation (Arfi et al., 2018, p; 212). Green innovation is one of the concepts related to the environmental management of organizations, which has become very popular among manufacturing companies (Zailani et al., 2015, p. 1117). Green innovation is new processes, systems, and methods that increase the organization's business value by promoting sustainable development goals and minimizing environmental adverse effects (Aboelmaged & Hashem, 2019, p. 856).If we explain sustainable performance using the metaphor of a tree, the tree's root is human capital, the tree's trunk is structural capital, and the fruits and leaves of that tree are social capital. Therefore, to use social capital, the tree trunk must allow nutrients to reach the leaves from the roots. Any failure in structural capital leads to the disconnection of human and social capital, and sustainable performance is not realized (Chen & Chang, 2013, p. 83). Structural capital refers to the company's non-human assets (Yusliza et al., 2019, p. 3).MethodologyIn this research, a quantitative approach and a structured questionnaire were used, which were sent to the members of the statistical sample via email. This research focuses on food manufacturing companies in Iran as the primary statistical population. This research focuses only on 200 large food companies with diverse products operating in different industry sectors and having a significant market share in various food sectors. To develop the measurement tool, the questionnaire of Huang and Kang (2011), which includes six dimensions, was used to measure green structural capital. The questionnaire of Zhi et al. (2019), which includes two dimensions, was used to measure green innovation. The Loma-Aho (2008) questionnaire, which includes five dimensions, has been used to identify organizational reputation.Regarding the validity and reliability of the data collection tool, it should be mentioned that the reliability of the questionnaires was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha method, and its validity was confirmed using content validity. A 5-level Likert scale (completely agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and completely disagree) was used to answer the questions, and numbers 1 to 5 were used to score the answers. Also, this research uses the structural equation modeling technique and Smart PLS software to examine the hypotheses and test the model.ResultsPLS-SEM results show positive and significant relationships between structural capital, green innovation, and organizational reputation. Also, green innovation mediates between green structural capital and organizational reputation. Therefore, the current research confirms the significant effect of green structural capital on increasing green innovation and the organizational reputation of companies in the food industry.DiscussionToday, companies have no choice but to carry out environmental protection activities to comply with international environmental protection regulations and satisfy environmentally friendly consumers (Hart, 1995; Berry & Rondinelli, 1998). The two forces that lead companies to act in the direction of environmental protection are the pressure from environmental laws and regulations and the pressure from environmentally friendly consumers. Environmentally friendly consumers are increasing in the world. This issue pushes companies towards environmental management, as consumers choose environmentally friendly products and even pay relatively high prices for green products.ConclusionCompanies that pioneer green innovation can charge relatively higher prices for their products and gain more competitive advantage and reputation by increasing their market share. Economic enterprises that invest heavily in environmental management can both avoid the problems of protests and punishments regarding environmental protection and, improve their company's image and develop their competitive advantages by developing new markets. Increase In addition, economic enterprises can embody the concept of green products in the design and packaging of their products to increase the benefits of differentiation. Therefore, participation in environmental management and green innovation actively positively affects the company's competitive advantages.
Seyedreza Pourghafari; Alireza Manzari tavakoli; Sanjar Salajeghe; Mahdi Dehghani soltani
Abstract
The purpose of the research is to investigate the effect of organizational culture on employee voice through the mediation of employee empowerment in the headquarters of the Bank of Agriculture and its branches in Tehran using the Fuzzy DEMATEL technique. The current research is descriptive-exploratory ...
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The purpose of the research is to investigate the effect of organizational culture on employee voice through the mediation of employee empowerment in the headquarters of the Bank of Agriculture and its branches in Tehran using the Fuzzy DEMATEL technique. The current research is descriptive-exploratory practical in terms of its purpose, and its data analysis is mixed. In the qualitative part, content analysis was used, and in the quantitative part, the fuzzy DEMATEL method was used. In the qualitative part, an in-depth, semi-structured interview was conducted between 16 experts who were identified using a targeted snowball method, which includes four dimensions for organizational culture: customer orientation, orderliness, expertise, and ethics; 4 dimensions for employee empowerment, including training, dynamics, responsibility, and feedback, and four dimensions for employee voice, including beneficial, usefulness, compatible, and warning. In the quantitative phase, the internal dependence and mutual effects of the mentioned criteria were examined by distributing a questionnaire among nine informants who were identified using the targeted snowball method and the fuzzy DEMATEL technique. The results showed that the criteria of education, responsibility, beneficial tone, morality, orderliness, specialization, dynamism, and warning tone are among the effective criteria, respectively, and the criteria of feedback, beneficial tone, customer orientation, and consistent tone are among the effective criteria.IntroductionIn today's competitive environment, to achieve organizational goals, the relationship between managers and employees must be so that subordinates can easily and without worry share their constructive opinions and ideas to increase efficiency (Bahrami & Kayani, 2019). Consequently, whenever employees believe that they can create essential changes in their environment by expressing their opinions and ideas, they will benefit their organization by expressing them (Ali et al., 2018). This behavior of their "voice" has been accepted by many organizations (Shuja'i et al., 2019). With a comprehensive review of the "voice" literature, it can be stated that the main goal is to give all the employees in the organization the opportunity to regularly share their problems and concerns with the managers and superiors of the organization (Sargolzaei & Kikha, 2020). Shan et al. (2020) stated in their research that organizational culture is one of the factors known to encourage the voice of employees and has a great effect on encouraging the voice of employees in an organization; therefore, the lack of appropriate culture in the organization can be an obstacle to create the phenomenon of voice (Sholekar & Shoghi, 2017). According to the latest research, the role of organizational culture and the voice of employees has been underestimated by researchers (Gholampour et al., 2019).On the other hand, Viveros et al. (2018) consider voice as a precondition for employee participation in the organization and related to empowerment. Empowerment is attributed to a process in which the manager helps employees acquire the necessary competence to make decisions without dependence. In addition to being effective in the functioning of people, this process will also affect their personality (Sina et al., 2021). Although employee empowerment has been proposed as an antecedent of employee voice behavior in the literature, little effort has been made to investigate the effect of empowerment on voice behaviors to provide prompt service to important stakeholders, and few studies have investigated how empowerment affects employee voice behaviors. (Park et al., 2021). The issue that caused this research to be done in the Agricultural Bank was the need for more attention to the points of view of some employees, experts, and experts of the bank regarding the work processes by their superiors. The result of this behavior, in addition to creating dissatisfaction among clients and the loss of social capital at the community level, has reduced the loyalty of current customers to the Bank of Agriculture. If the prevailing trend continues, the current customers will not have the recommendation to encourage other customers to use the services of this bank, and this factor will cause the decline and decrease of the bank's profitability in the long run.Research Question(s)How does organizational culture affect employee voice through the mediation of employee empowerment? Moreover, what are the practical and influential relationships of the discussed indicators in the mentioned model?Literature ReviewOrganizational CultureIn recent years, organizational culture has become an important topic in scientific research, and researchers are always eager to recognize and measure organizational culture to understand from what angle people look at their organization (Kirimi et al., 2018). Therefore, it is necessary to identify organizational culture to manage culture and transformation (Abbaspour et al., 2017). The research considers organizational culture as a set of values, shared norms, beliefs, and opinions governing the organization (Zarei et al., 2021). It shows the spirit of the organization, its way of thinking and functioning, its values, the ethics and purpose of the organization (Shirazi et al., 2021). Empowering employees"Empowerment" is defined as employees' perception of the degree of freedom of action and the opportunity the manager gives them to make decisions and commitments (Khorakian et al., 2021). According to Ranjbar and Abbaszadeh Sohron (2021), empowerment means injecting strength into employees. The benefits of empowerment can be divided into two categories: 1. Organizational benefits: Empowering employees in organizations causes flexibility, quality improvement, and cost control. 2. Individual benefits: Empowering employees gives more motivation to perform tasks and reduces conflicts in the individual and group dimensions, and people can have more control over their surroundings. (Afshon, 2018:; Boiri, 2018).Employee voiceIn 1970, Hirschman used the word "Voice" for the first time and defined it as "any effort to create change instead of running away from objectionable issues." He stated that employees react to inappropriate situations by leaving the organization or expressing their displeasure (Ghafurian Shagerdi et al., 2017). A comprehensive study of the literature about voice has defined this term as the verbal expression of information, opinions, and ideas about work with the positive motivation of participating in efforts in an altruistic and passive way in the organization (Bahmani Choubbasti et al., 2018). Research on the voice of employees has shown various benefits from making employees speak, the most important of which are improving team performance, increasing team creativity, increasing employee job retention, saving economic and social costs, increasing quality and innovation in products and services, encouraging employees to propose new ideas to solve problems, improving management decision-making, increasing organizational compatibility and ensuring better development opportunities for the organization (Nazir et al., 2021).MethodologyThis research was a mixed type of research done in qualitative and quantitative phases. The content analysis method was used in the qualitative part. In this research, 16 experts of the target community with expertise in the management field were present. They were identified using the targeted snowball method, and interviews were conducted in-depth semi-structured until the theoretical saturation stage. In the quantitative part, the fuzzy Dimetal method was used. Some selected reporters should complete the fuzzy DEMATEL questionnaire. In multi-criteria decision-making styles, there is no need for a large number of samples, and the number of people depends on the composition and topic of the panel of experts (Azizian et al., 2019: 168). In this section, nine journalists with education related to public administration were selected using the targeted snowball method.ResultsIn the prevailing conditions, the participation and expression of employees' views in organizational decisions and activities is a successful procedure in the competitiveness of organizations, especially financial institutions and the money market, which requires a suitable foundation for employees. Considering the importance of the topic, it was tried to investigate the effect of organizational culture on employees' voices through the mediation of employee empowerment using the Fuzzy Dimetal technique. In order to know the main and sub-components of the considered model, interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation and in a targeted snowball method with the informants of the Bank of Agriculture, which led to the identification of 4 criteria for each of the research variables, which are which include customer orientation, ethics, orderliness and specialization for organizational culture structure; training, dynamism, accountability and feedback for the employee empowerment structure and beneficial, beneficial, consistent and warning voice for the employee voice structure. This research drew conclusions by drawing the shape and size of D+R and D-R. Finally, the degree of influence and effectiveness and the intensity of influence and effectiveness of the indicators were determined, written as follows. Influential indicators 1. Training: It is the most influential and important criterion compared to other criteria, which shows that training is important for empowering managers and employees, respectively, to master the processes of effective listening and voice expression in work processes.Responsibility: which is in the second rank of influence and importance. Commitment and responsibility make employees easily comment and propose solutions for problems that slow down or stop the growing process of the system based on work experience.Beneficial and warning voices are in the third and eighth levels of influence and importance, respectively. The information, knowledge, ideas, and opinions of employees are a vital factor for the organization because by expressing their voice, employees release their thoughts, and all their focus will be directed to their work.Morality: It is in the fourth category of influence and importance. The existence of morality in the organization by creating positive psychological security and the feeling of support and value the management towards the employees will motivate the employees to express their opposition to the management and their views and points of view.Orderly thinking: It is placed in the fifth influence category. Discipline helps employees to behave in a controlled and responsible manner and follow the guidelines specified by the organization.Specialization: It is in the sixth category of influence. Specialist employees with experience in their work area have constructive views and points of view that originate from their professional and working knowledge, and this individual factor, which is internal, is the origin of their opinions.Dynamics: It is placed in the seventh category of influence; Dynamic employees themselves identify problems and take action to solve them and are considered an important determining factor in the success and effectiveness of the organization. Effective indicators1. Feedback: It is the most effective measure; Organizations can benefit from the benefits of employees' voices when they announce performance feedback to employees and ask for their views and opinions, especially feedback that challenges the organization's procedures and policies.2. Beneficial voice: The second category is the effective criterion. When the conditions and platform for voice expression are provided in the organization, employees willingly express their problems and personal desires, which indicates a sense of security and a friendly and intimate relationship with superiors; on the other hand, it shows the hierarchical organizational culture with low power distance.3. Customer orientation: The third category is the influence criterion; paying attention to the customer's needs, which is expressed in the form of voice and expressing views and suggestions from employees, should be placed as the main part of the goals and values of the organization.Compatible voice: The last category is the measure of effectiveness. This type of voice is a non-participatory behavior based on the employees' feeling that they cannot change the current situation. This tone of voice causes the emergence of agreeable statements and simply supports the status quo.Discussion This research determined that the dimensions of training, responsibility, beneficial voice, morality, orderliness, specialization, dynamism, and warning voice have the highest influence on the voice of employees and cause its development. Conclusion The research results showed that to develop the voice of employees, it is necessary to improve the dimensions of training, responsibility, useful voice, morality, orderliness, specialization, dynamism, and warning voice. AcknowledgmentsThis article was extracted from a doctoral dissertation entitled "Explaining the relationship between organizational culture and employees' voice through the mediation of employee empowerment in Iran's state banks in order to provide the desired model (case study: Bank of Agriculture headquarters and its branches in Greate Tehran)." We want to express our gratitude to the Applied Research Center of the Agricultural Bank and all the professors who helped develop this research.
