Intl. Res. J. Manag. Sci. Vol., 1 (4), 93-97, 2013

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International Research Journal of Management Sciences. Vol., 1 (4), 93-97, 2013

Available online at http://www.irjmsjournal.com

ISSN 2147-964x ©2013

The Relationship between Cognitive Empowerment and

Efficiency Strengthening Factors of Faculty Members of

Zanjan Universities

Mohsen Dousti1, Majid Soleimani

2, Sirous Ahmadi

1Department of Physical Education, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamadan, Iran 2Department of Physical Education, Malayer Branch, Islamic Azad University, Malayer, Iran

3Department of Physical Education, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamadan, Iran

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive

empowermentandefficiency strengthening factors of the faculty members of Zanjan universities. The research method is

descriptive-analytic. The sample size of 243 cases is comprised of faculty members who were selected randomly from

among the universities. Data collection included two standardized questionnaires of Spritzer & Mishra to measure

cognitive empowerment and BeygiNia etal questionnaire, to assess the factors affecting faculty members'efficiency.

The questionnaire's validity was confirmed through 12 professors', and the questionnaires' reliability was respectively,

0.88 and 0.91 for cognitive empowerment and labor's efficiency strengthening factors. For analyzing the obtained data

through descriptive and inferential methods Pearson correlation test and multivariate regression were used stepwise.

The results showed that there is a significant positive correlation between the cognitive empowerment and efficiency

strengthening factors of faculty of Zanjan universities. Also, there is a significant positive correlation between cognitive empowerment, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, organizational involvement and creativity in faculty

members of Zanjan universities. The results showed that cognitive empowerment factors means, competency, having

electoral right, to be effective and being trusted can predict51 percent changes of efficiency's strengthening factors.

Keywords: Cognitive empowerment, Efficiency strengthening factors, Organizational commitment, Creativity,

organizational involvement.

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, organizations which are taking advantage of human resources, can follow the progress and success

safer, and would guarantee development path. In international competitions, the leader organizations are developers of

human resources; it is introduced as a basic principle (Rezayian, 2001). In this way one main approach is empowering

human resources. In current world, empowering human resources is the main element for being dynamic and separating

cause from traditions and take steps to make productive organizational environment. Human resources empowering as a

new approach to intrinsic motivation job means freeing personnel internal forces as well as providing platforms and

creating opportunities for the talents, abilities, and competencies of individuals (Khaki, 2007). Empowering starts with

changes in beliefs, thoughts and attitudes of clients; means that, they have to believe their ability and competence to

perform the tasks successfully and feel their ability can influence and control the results of their job; and feel that they

have a meaningful and rewarding career goals to pursue and believe that they are treating honestly and fairly.

Empowerment is strengthening the people; in this process, we help our employees to improve their self confidence and

dominate their sense of powerlessness and frustration.

One of the main concerns of organizations managers in micro and macro levels, in manufacturing and service

sectors is productivity issues and identifying the effective factors. Althin (2005) argues that, the productivity rate in

service sector may depend on human factor (labor) and the factors that influence that, superior to technology and other

factors. Japan Productivity Center (JPC) introduces the employee efficiency's increase in enabling factors such as

employees' development and training, collaborative management, justice and equitable distribution (people perception

Corresponding Author:

Email address: md_2010@yahoo.com

Intl. Res. J. Manag. Sci. Vol., 1 (4), 93-97, 2013

39

of equitable distribution of productivity growth). Savery (1998) has enumerated affecting factors of individuals

productivity as: their satisfaction of work and work life, flexible working hours, colleagues and managers cooperation,

colleagues and managers motivation and effort, continuous planning and updating technology, empowering people with

training, effective management, clients' intelligence, remuneration and incentive systems, manager's overview towards

efficiency(positive or negative/ continuous or short-term) and the morale and commitment of employees towards work,

organization and their feeling of responsibility. According to Wysocki and Kepner (2006) factors that can affect the

productivity of workforce include: the nature of work and the person's characteristic (the employee and job's

appropriateness), motivation (material and spiritual), knowledge about job, job satisfaction, work life quality and

personal participation in organized activities, members importance for senior managers and their fair treatment with

individuals.

Empowerment of human resources as a new approach to intrinsic motivation job means freeing personnel's

internal forces as well as providing platforms and creating opportunities for the talents, abilities, and competencies of

them. When organizations want to increase the quality, efficiency and productivity of their workforce, they struggle

more to strengthen these factors. Since university is a place where tries to improve young people's abilities and their

talents; so, universities and colleges goals determine professors jobs' importance and their main role and influence in

nurturing future professionals. These institutions need strengthening factors for better growth and higher productivity

and also need able people to produce and disseminate these factors and bring them to "known" from "unknown".

Enabling starts with change in beliefs, thoughts and attitudes of staff. It means that, they need to realize their influence

and control over their work results; and feel that their job is meaningful and has rewarding career goals and they should

believe that they are treating honestly and fairly. These factors have the potential of strengthen or weaken. One of the

factors that play an important role in strengthening the community factors is sport. Exercise is one of the factors that

can play a great role to play in strengthening these factors. Exercise in public or general, because of its easiness,

cheapness, availability, quick and visible influence is one of the most important things to grow the mentioned factors

(BeygiNia et al., 2013).

Cognitive empowerment and its relationship with efficiency always is noticeable. Moy et al (2006) in their study

as the relationship between employee empowerment and trust between managers concluded that there is a significant

positive relationship between feelings of efficacy, sense of self management, and confidence. But there is a negative

relation between a sense of competence and confidence. Also, there is a positive relationship between two variables of

education and a sense of efficacy and confidence. Picorze and Mayerze (2010) showed that good training, job

displeasure and duplication have much impact on the empowerment of staff in the areas of employee empowerment.

They concluded that the goals will not be realized unless the hierarchical organization of executives and employees get

aware of the importance of empowering (Elmi, 2008).

BeygiNia etal (2013) in their study, they examined labor efficiency strengthening factors, on the impact of

employee cognitive empowerment factors. Results showed that increasing the sense of being meaningful and having

electoral right can lead employee's increased job satisfaction, participation and their commitment to the job and the

organization. The feeling of having a choice is in relation with greater job satisfaction and higher levels of

organizational involvement. Horabadi (2011) examined the relationship between organizational structure and employee

empowerment and concluded that there is a significant negative relationship between cognitive empowering, formality

and concentration; but, there isn't any relationship between psychological empowerment and complexity. Also Shaghy

(2006) examined the relationship between employee empowerment and organizational learning, and concluded that the

highest rate belongs to competency, and the lowest rate to the feeling of having the electoral right between employees.

The obtained results indicate that delegation, performance-based reward systems, job enrichment, participative

management and revolutionary leaderships will facilitate the process of employees empowering. Competency feeling

aspect has the highest average and feel of having the electoral right and having trust to colleagues has the lowest

average on cognitive empowerment. As well as having the necessary skills, engaging employees, manager's support,

continuous feedback, having interest in the work environment, managers continued justify, the optimal use of human

resources, increased organizational commitment, improving the work style, increasing the employee motivation,

participation atmosphere provides increasing and effective efficiency on labor productivity.

Therefore, as stated empowerment is known as an important tool by which managers would be able to efficiently

handle today's organizations. So considering the importance of empowerment and necessity and complexity of treating

efficient labor force, and considering the crucial role of powerful employees in organizations success and managers

neglect of this important matter, research and study in this area is essential, and perhaps the best way of efficiency

improvement is to improve employee empowerment programs which is effective in all aspects of the organization.

Therefore, universities and science institutes have special role in the country as centers of higher education

organizations. It is obvious that the society's optimal performance in terms of socio-cultural research and education is in

relation with empowerment programs and these institutions employees efficiency strengthening factors. In the case of

the subject's importance, this paper studies, cognitive capacity and efficiency strengthening factors of Zanjan

universities' faculty members' relationship and tries to answer this question, "Is there a significant relationship between

the cognitive capacity and efficiency strengthening factors of the faculty members of Zanjan universities?"

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METHODOLOGY

This research method is scaling method. Therefore, it is a descriptive - analytic study. First, the previous studies

and theories have been formulated the theoretical framework through attribution method (library) and then data has

been collected through field questionnaires. There are statistical population of 628 faculty members of Zanjan

universities and due to Morgan sampling table, 243 of them were selected through simple random sampling. Data

collection tools were two questionnaires. The first used questionnaire was standard questionnaire of Spreitzer and

Mishra for measuring the cognitive empowerment of faculty members which contains 15 questions and the second one

BeygiNia et al (2013), for assessing the affecting factors on faculty members' efficiency which contains 20 questions.

The validity of questionnaires confirmed by 12 professional sports managers and their reliability acquired 0.88 and 0.91

respectively, through a pilot test with 30 questions. The SPSS software was used in order to analyze and evaluated data.

Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe and analyze the collected data. In descriptive statistics, the

data were presented in terms of the frequency through charts and tables and in inferential statistics, Pearson's test used

to examine and test the research hypotheses and multiple stepwise regressions used to predict the variables

(multivariate).

RESULTS

Describing the results showed that 86 faculty members were women and 157 of them were men. 68 faculty

members of Zanjan universities are masters, and 175 of them are Ph.D. graduates. Most of the faculty members have

experience of 5 to 10 years. Most of them, about 73.3 percent have physical activities. 28 percent of members have at

least once a week physical activities, and 76.1 percent have more than half an hour of physical activity, weekly. Table

(1) below represents the average level of each variable.

Table 1. Quantity of statistical variables.

Max Min SD Avr Variable

105 35 12.17 85.91 Cognitive Empowerment

140 50 17.1 110.46 Efficiency

35 8 4.66 29.78 Organizational Commitment

35 5 5.2 27.47 Job Satisfaction

35 5 6.62 24.81 Corporate Partnerships

35 13 4.51 23.28 Job Creativity

To investigate the relationship between cognitive empowering and efficiency strengthening factors, the Pearson

correlation coefficient was used. The results are shown in Table 2 bellow.

Table 2. Pearson correlation coefficient.

Sig. r Variables

0.01 0.71 Efficiency

Cognitive Empowerment

0.01 0.57 Organizational Commitment

0.02 0.58 Job Satisfaction

0.01 0.60 Corporate Partnerships

0.02 0.60 Job Creativity

As the above table shows, in the results of 95 percent significance level, Pearson correlation coefficient for each

variable is less than 0.05. Thus, considering the present data, rejection of null hypothesis and the research hypothesis is

confirmed. So there is a significant positive correlation between cognitive empowerment and efficiency factors such as

organizational commitment, job satisfaction, organizational participation and organizational creativity. The acquired

coefficient rates indicate that this relationship is strong and the positive sign indicates a positive direct relationship. In

fact, increase in these options causes an increase in cognitive empowerment. To predict the predictor variables effect on

the variables of efficiency strengthening factors the multivariate regression model was used, which has indicated in

table 3.

Table 3. Regression coefficients.

Standardized Non-Standardized

Sig. t Coefficients Beta Coefficients B Predicted Variables Variable Criterion

0.01 5.13 0.33 1.41 Sense of Efficacy Efficiency Strengthening

Factors 0.02 3.69 0.19 1.55 Competency

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0.01 4.05 0.24 1.02 Trust

0.01 2.45 0.15 0.82 Having Electoral Right

According to obtained results in confidence interval of 95 percent, the predictor variables significance level is less than

0.05; so, these variables have the ability to predict productivity variables changes. The coefficient showed R2=0.51

which indicates the ability of the regression line to predict the level of faculty members efficiency strengthening factors.

In fact, these variables can predict 51% of changes in criterion variable which is considerable. The regression line

equation forms as bellow to prediction:

(Electoral Right) 0.82+ (Trust) 1.02+ (Sense of Competence) 1.55+ (Feel of Effectiveness1.41+ 25.06= Y

Beta coefficient in above table shows the effect of predictor variables. According to the results, the feeling of being

effective has the greatest influence on the faculty members efficiency strengthening factors (Beta= 0.33).After that,

trust is most effective (Beta=0.24) and feelings of competence and a sense of having choice in the later stagesre in

forcing faculty members efficiency strengthening factors. In sum, above variables are appropriate predictors for faculty

members' efficiency strengthening factors.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The results of the hypothesis of an association between cognitive empowerment and efficiency strengthening

factors of Zanjan universities faculty members showed that there is a significant positive correlation between cognitive

empowerment factors and efficiency strengthening factors. In fact, with increasing the empowering factors, the amount

of productivity empowerment would increase. These findings are similar with BeygiNia et al (2013) results. The

predicted test results and variables performance showed that cognitive variables changing aspects are able to predict

efficiency strengthening factors up to 51 percent. Shaghy (2006) and Abdullahi (2005) also found similar results. In this

study the feel of being effective had the most effect and trust had the least effect on efficiency strengthening factors. In

this respect, Abdullahi (2005) also concluded that the trust has the least effect on productivity regenerators. But the

greatest impact on Abdullahi (2005) research belongs to the competence variable which is in contrast with findings of

this research. Shaghy (2006) also has rated the sense of worthiness as the upper rating, and has rated having electoral

right as the lowest rating, which are in contrast with findings of the present study. So feel of secure between employees

and the belief that, they are treating honestly and fairly, having the freedom of method choice, believe of having

personal control over the results of operations, believe of having influence on the job targets based on ideals and

personal standards and ensure their ability to perform tasks successfully reinforcing factors may impact labor

productivity and strengthen these feelings can be add on productivity.

The results showed that there is straight and positive relationship between cognitive empowerment and

organizational commitment. With increase in organizational commitment, the cognitive empowerment also increases.

As Thomas et al (2006) showed organizational commitment is a psychological stable binding force, which ties the

subject to a set of related activities aimed at institutional links. So paying attention to it and making sense of these

factors can boost employee's productivity and would be effective on organizational strengthening factors. This finding

confirms BeygiNia et al (2013) results. The hypothesis results showed that there is a straight and positive relationship

between cognitive empowerment and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction can strengthen cognitive empowerment and in

contrast job dissatisfaction reduces the empowerment. Therefore, the managers' consideration is very important.

Picoreze and Mayerze (2010) as a result of their research showed that, there is a straight and significant relationship

between job satisfaction and organizational productivity (Elmi, 2008). These results have been repeated in Wysocki and

Kepner (2006) and BeygiNia et al (2013). Job dissatisfaction can be considered when differences exist between the

value of the individual and his job's capacity to meet the demand of that job associated with those values. It is obvious

that if this positive feeling is greater between the organization members, their performance would be better and more

effective through organizational goals and sense of disenchantment with the job and job quite and absence hours will

reduce. In such a case, one can expect an increased rate of efficiency strengthening factors.

Furthermore, the results showed a positive relationship between cognitive empowerment and institutional

participation. Institutional participation can increase cognitive empowerment. This finding has also acquired in

BeygiNia etal (2013), Wysocki and Kepner (2006). Participation has been linked with human life from past, and more

or less has role in creating political and social system of different societies. With increasing participation of people in

determining their own destiny and their expanding involvement in various domains, transformation, rapid development

of IT industry area, efficiency, production, industrial and commercial organizations empowerment attention to the labor

force have increased more than before. Labor force participation in organizational activities has increased

organizational efficiency and has upgraded organizational targets. Authorities, who are the participating their

employees in decision-making processes and lead their organization through collective interest, can help their

organizational performance and productivity. Thus the phenomenon is the only operating dynamism and freshness and

efficiency in organizations which makes rapid move from current status to the desired status with creating network

connections in organizations. Finally, the results showed a positive and straight forward relationship between cognitive

empowerment and creativity. Expansion of creativity in job will increase the efficiency strengthening factors. Wysocki

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39

and Kepner (2006) have preferred labor productivity to Knowledge and skills. BeygiNia et al (2013) also have found

employee's creativity more effective. Thus, these findings are consistent with those results. Staff's creativity would be

useful if they offer new ideas about products, functionality, or service operation. Hence, production and utilization of

new ideas, promises adaption possibility with changing market conditions, timely response to threats and opportunities

to grow and develop, and ultimately strengthen labor efficiency to the organization. Considering the acquired results it

is proposed that, organizational commitment among staff and faculty members to be strength endue to setting fair

wages, working hours and etc; in creasing the job satisfaction among employees and faculty members and reducing the

feeling of dissatisfaction, job quitting and preventing absence ours by university authorities.

It is suggested that to participate the employees and faculty members more, in decision-making processes for

upgrading the organizational goals. Results showed that, the use of individual's skills and creativity are important

factors which affect employees and faculty members' efficiency. So, it is recommended to provide suitable substrates,

regarding to deployment of the talents and creativities. In this respect, in regarding toward organizational goals the

training and special classes, can strengthen staff's creativity. Also, it is suggested to researchers to conduct similar

studies in various departments and agencies and to compare their performance with each other.

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