Volume & Issue: Volume 14, Issue 2, September 2010 

The Impact of Organizational Person- Organization Fit and Organizational Culture on Organizational Behaviors of University Faculties in University. (Case Study: Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman)

Pages 1-21

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Abstract This study attempts to investigate and analyze the impact of organizational culture and degree of fit between university faculties on behavioral outcomes in our case study. The basic question is that how much organizational culture and degree of fit (mis) between university faculties and university could influence the organizational citizenship behavior and their intention to remain in university. This study uses the survey research method to answer the basic question. The research population includes 393 individuals consisting of all of the full time university faculties in Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman (1385). Further, based on the pilot study and using stratified sampling method, 205 individuals were selected as sample. The results confirmed the impact of person-organization fit on organizational behavior of university faculties. Furthermore, no significant relationship between the values fit and intention to remain, goals fit and intention to remain, and work environment fit and organizational behavior (organizational citizenship behavior and intention to remain), was found with 95% confidence level. Finally, the relationship between the type of organizational culture and person-organization fit was statistically significant.

Data Envelopement Analysis; A New Approach to Measure the Agility of organizations

Pages 21-45

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Abstract Change is the main characteristic of new business era. Confronting this changing environment, Agile Manufacturing System (AMS) as the most advanced production paradigm, is emerging in the production world. Attention to this concept has resulted in developing various methods of assessing organizational agility as an important part of agility literature. These methods have a common deficiency in methodology; the lack of considering the amount of need for agility in assessing organizational agility. All researches in this area measure only the capability of agility. In fact, the intensity of environmental change determines the extent of need for agility. This necessity in turn defines the level of agility capability required for responsiveness. To obviate the cited shortcoming, a method should be developed to consider the capability of agility (output) against the extensity of change (input). This paper presents a modified Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to assess the relative organizational agility. Then, this new model is used for assessing the agility of 20 production organizations from 5 different industries. Finally, agility efficiency and efficiency path for organizations are mapped.

Designing the Social Undermining Model of Manpower and Outcomes of Interpersonal Communications

Pages 45-66

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Abstract Social undermining has been considered as one of the negative outcomes of social life that imposes huge costs on both organizations and society. Mangers should be aware of all dimensions and outcomes of this phenomenon in order to reduce its negative interactions. The purpose of this paper was recognizing of social undermining model, and establishing social consciousness in employers and employees. According to fairness theory, a conceptual model was developed, which examined the relations between independent variable (social undermining) and dependent variable (employee outcomes) as well as the relations of these variables with mediate variables (justice perception) and the consideration of moderate variables (cultural values and some functions of human resource management) in two Iranian organizations by path analysis and subgroup methods . The obtained results using the social undermining model confirmed the function of mediate variable (justice perception ) and moderate variable of some functions of human resource management but denied the function of moderate variable of cultural values (power distance ).

Internal Marketing: A Step towards Improving Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and of Services Quality

Pages 67-98

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Abstract Nowadays, by the daily expansion of service industries, the subjects of service marketing and service quality have been converted into vital issues for all organizations. Abundant attempt of organizations in this area is a clear evidence of this claim. In the past years, organizations have tried to provide high quality service and better external customer satisfaction through external marketing concepts and attitudes of external marketing. One of the important specifications of services is the employees 'direct interactions with customers and the determinant role of their customer-orientation behaviors in contact with customers. Therefore, to gain superior service quality thus external customers ’satisfaction, we should have employees (internal customers) who are obligor to the company's goals and visions. They should also have customer-orientation behaviors. Nowadays, with the introducing of internal marketing concept, the importance of organization's internal customers (employees) in the success of external marketing plans has become more obvious. Researches have indicated that there is a close interaction and relationship between internal and external marketings. According by, the present research was conducted to identify the effect of internal marketing's effect on organizational citizenship behaviors and quality of services. The research methodology was survey - correlation based on the structural equationsmodel. Using conceptual model (path analysis), the obtained results indicated that internal marketing effect in Great Tehran Gas Company (GTGC) has increased organizational citizenship behaviors of the employees as well as the quality of services.

Developing an Appropriate Leadership Style for Lebanese Organizations (Hospital Management)

Pages 99-122

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Abstract Leadership is an important issue and choosing a leader with an appropriate leadership style is critical for any firm’s success. Having an effective leader is of great importance for a firm to perform well. In this study, we developed a leadership model for Lebanese hospitals. Top and middle managers participated in this study. All hospitals with more than 50 beds were chosen. Finally, 68 questionnaires were collected from all the 92 hospitals. Directive, supportive, participative and achievement-oriented were the measured leadership styles. The relationships between the five dimensions of personality, (i.e, extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) and four cultural dimensions mentioned by hosted, (i.e, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and power distance) as well as such organizational factors as job structure, authority systems and team work were examined. The relationship of the subordinate factors as ability and work liking and four leadership styles was also tested. Finally, we developed a model that is appropriate for the internal factors in hospitals and consistent with personality of leaders and their cultural dimensions.

An Explanation of the Impact of Party Loyalty on the Organizational Citizanship Behavior in Public Organizations

Pages 123-148

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Abstract One of the most important debates in public administration has been Political attitudes and activities of bureaucrats and their impact on their performance that has been studied in politics-administration dichotomy. In order to prevent of curroption in public service public administration researchers argue that administration should not involve in political patronage. Also political officials should not do extensive political appointees in all of the administrative levels. But we see that in developing countries, when winning certain political patry, many of the public administrators were changed. This paper purposes to argue the Cause of this process for politicization of the public organizations and it’s influence on individuals performance and behavior. In this regard, this research examined the effect of political attitudes of bureaucrats on their organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The results showed that political attitudes have a significant correlation with OCB and that the bureaucrats that belong to the ruling party exhibit more OCB than others.

A Technique for Supply Chains Capability Measuring in Servicing Development Using Fuzzy MCDM Approach

Pages 149-172

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Abstract This paper proposes a Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision Making (FMCDM) approach for measuring supply chains capability with the main aim of customer satisfaction development. Drawing on the four measurement criterions of a Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model, this research first summarized the customer satisfaction and performance indexes synthesized from the literature relating to supply chains capability. Then, for screening, the indexes fit for supply chains capability in customer satisfaction development were selected through fuzzy screening. Furthermore, the relative weights of the chosen indexes were calculated by Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP). The MCDM analytical tool of TOPSIS was adopted to rank the supply chains performance and improve the gaps with three supply chains as an empirical example. The analysis results highlighted the critical aspects of evaluation criteria as well as the gaps to improve supply chains capability for achieving the aspired/desired level of customer satisfaction development. The results also showed that the proposed FMCDM measuring model using the SCOR framework can be a useful and effective assessment tool.

The Design of the Product Beauty Value Engineering

Pages 173-202

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Abstract Progressing environment and competitive market in the recent years have caused shorter product life cycle. Therefore, organizations have to keep up with the other competitors in introducing products conformed with customer demands, if they want to survive. On the other hand, designing and offering new products to the market in some industries imposes enormous costs to the organizations. Automotive industry is one of these industries. This research was accomplished with the focus on the product of “Samand“ in “Iran Khodro” company. Nowdays, the necessity of launching a new product can be greatly realized, but it seems to be impossible due to the urgency of executing the so called project and also the lack of monetary resources. “Face lift designing“ can be regarded as a suitable approach to solve the mentioned problem. The goal of the research is to find out the parts that considering the monetary limitations, could bring out the best “Face lift“ design for the company. To ascertain this goal, value engineering (VE) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) were used. Four populations consisting of customers, experts, automotives designers and strategic planners were used gathering data from the two populations of customers and designers. In conclusion, considering budgetary constraints of the company, those parts, which due to the redesigning of them, best face lift design might be obtained were orderly determined as bumpers, lights, side mirrors and gutter.

Transport Energy Demand Forecasting Using Neural Networks: Case Study Iran

Pages 203-220

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Abstract In this paper, the energy demand of transport sector from 1386 to 1400 was forecasted using artificial neural networks (ANN) approach considering economic and social indicators. Feed forward supervised neural networks to forecast and back propagation algorithm to train networks were used. In order to analyze the influence of economic and social indicators on energy demand of transport sector, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), population and the total number of vehicles in 1347-1385 were taken into consideration. The obtained results as compared with the multiple regression method, revealed much less mistakes. The average absolute error percentage was decreased from 15.52% to 6.05%. .

Offering a Model to Asses the Organization’s Readiness in Knowledge Management

Pages 221-244

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Abstract Plenty of managers have comprehended the essential role of knowledge in acquiring competitive advantages and pursuing the strategic organizational objectives. Since knowledge management is a competitive obligation, it is crucial for organizations to know whether their systematization is prepared or not. Lack of appropriate infrastructures and the indispensable prerequisites cause the utilization of such procedures to be extravagant rather than profitable. The presentation of organizational preparation model in knowledge management is inevitable to attain such a goal. That is why, a conceptualized model was offered in this research to quantify the preparedness of an organization. The indexes pertinent to knowledge management preparation were extracted from the subject’s literature review. Then they were dispatched to 50 experts and cognoscenti in the knowledge management field, whereas 40 questionnaires were rendered back. The authentication agent analysis methodology was used to validate 5 factors, which encompassed 19 indices and Finally 6 indices were crossed out. t-test 2-term experimentations were employed to verify the chief and subordinate hypotheses. The indices and determinants of the model were stipulated in the ensuing stage, in which a harmonious mean was utilized. 94 questions were chosen for the verified indices. The Iranian statistics kernel was quantified through this questionnaire. The preparation level was illustrated in diverse dimensions and some proposals were offered based upon the organization circumstances.