Prediction of empowerment based on organizational structure and knowledge management among the employees of the General Department of Health Insurance of Fars province

Thesis to obtain a Masters Degree (.M.A)

Trend: Industrial and Organization

Abstract:

The main purpose of this research was to predict empowerment based on organizational structure and knowledge management among the staff of the Fars Province Health Insurance Office. For this purpose, among the employees of the General Department of Health Insurance of Fars province in 2013, 117 people were selected by simple random sampling method. The samples were evaluated using Short and Reinhart's empowerment questionnaire, Robbins' organizational structure and Joseph Haddad's knowledge management. The obtained data were evaluated using the regression method. The results showed that: the dimensions of the organizational structure predict the empowerment of employees. The dimensions of knowledge management predict the empowerment of employees.

Keywords: empowerment, organizational structure, knowledge management

The acceleration of environmental changes and transformations has created a tight competitive environment. In order to survive in this field, organizations must achieve a high level of knowledge and information and, in addition, benefit from creative, knowledge-oriented and decision-making employees. Capable employees who can play an effective role in increasing the productivity of the organization with a sense of responsibility, creativity, initiative, self-confidence and a sense of belonging to the organization and able to work in a group with good performance. On the other hand, the officials and senior managers of the organizations should prepare the environment of the organization for the manifestation of the capabilities of the employees and the development of these capabilities to higher levels (Taskari, 2017). Empowerment[1] is to remove obstacles to growth, encourage commitment to goals, encourage risk-taking, creativity and innovation, and enable people to solve problems, increase responsibility, and eliminate fear. In short, empowerment is to put an end to everything that stops people's growth, freedom of action, self-confidence, participation and cooperation (Aqlamand and Akbari, 2014).

The vast majority of experts believe that empowerment in both employees and managers creates an atmosphere of freedom of action for them, which gives them the opportunity to improve their abilities and skills and provide reasons for their effectiveness (Jaafari). Ghoshchi, 1380). Among the various factors that have an impact on empowerment are creativity, participation, organizational structure [2], organizational commitment and organizational justice. One of the factors influencing empowerment is the organizational structure. The organizational structure is the result of the process of organizing and designing the organization and shows how to distribute tasks, power and authority in the organization. If a suitable structure is not designed for the organization, the organization will deviate from the path of its goals, and the least result will be the waste of organizational resources. In addition, the inappropriate structure causes tension and conflict in the organization and also hinders innovation and creativity (Farsia Fard, 2013). The structure of an organization can be considered as a set of ways in which the organization's activities are divided into known tasks and coordination is ensured among these tasks. The structure determines the way people work, but the way people work also determines the shape of the structure of an organization. In fact, the structure is a very complex device or tool for control that is formed in the process of mutual relations between members, it is constantly renewed and at the same time it defines those mutual relations (Rezaian, 1382). Another variable in this research is knowledge management. In today's complex environment, organizations are trying to overtake their competitors. In a millennium where the markets are saturated with a lot of innovation, (being different) is the most important concern of organizations and their managers (Adli, 2004). Knowledge management is effective in improving work quality, increasing efficiency, having up-to-date information, increasing efficiency, customer satisfaction, and improving decision making. Knowledge management is a necessity in our organizations, because every day we are producing new knowledge, experiences and golden tips that may have been produced many times in the past or may be needed again in the future. These treasures are simply lost and not acquired by other people moving and leaving.. Therefore, knowledge management is a necessity for the survival of the organization. Knowledge is considered as a key competitive factor in the global economy, so maintaining knowledge within an organization is one of the competitive advantages of that organization (Rezaian, 2012). Therefore, according to the raised problem, the researcher predicts empowerment through organizational structure and knowledge management.

Statement of the problem:

Today, empowerment[4] is considered as one of the useful tools for improving the quality of employees and increasing organizational effectiveness. In order to achieve success in today's changing business environment, organizations need the knowledge, opinions, energy and creativity of employees, from frontline employees to high-level managers. In order to achieve this, organizations act through relevant empowerment in order to encourage them to take initiative without applying pressure, honoring the collective interests of the organization with minimal supervision and performing their duties as the owners of the organization. Empowering employees enables them to be more resilient and flexible in the face of problems and threats. Therefore, it can be useful as a resource that prevents the vulnerability of employees and sows the seed of hope in critical situations such as the destruction of financial capital and the loss of human life (Pak Taynet and Fathizadeh, 2017).  Nowadays, paying attention to the organizational structure is very important in empowering employees.  Organizational structure is a set of ways through which the organization's activities are divided and coordinated into known tasks. The structure is both the creator and the creature at the same time. It defines the structure of mutual relations between members and can affect the commitment, creativity and innovation of people.  Bureaucratic organizational structures are not responsive in the rapidly changing and competitive world and turbulent environments. In addition, specialized employees are among the factors that deal with the phenomenon of bureaucracy. Professional employees should not be so caught up in the maze of bureaucracy that they cannot use their creativity. Strategies based on bureaucratic control, i.e. the application of regulations and laws, procedures and instructions, policies and hierarchies of authority and standardization of affairs are for uniformity and coordination of behaviors, and it causes employees not to express their opinions and thoughts, and creates injustice in the distribution of power, and ultimately, it causes employees to be incompetent. Therefore, the organizational structure should be designed according to the organizational goals and the level of employees' capabilities. Since human power is the most important capital of organizations, the more this capital has the desired quality, the more likely the success, survival and improvement of the organization will be. Thus, a lot of efforts should be made to improve the quality of human resources, because this is for the benefit of the organization and its employees. Capable human power is one of the major indicators of the superiority of an organization over other organizations. The first step for empowering employees is to know the factors affecting it. Research results show that the organizational structure is the most important factor affecting the empowerment of employees (Nefari, 2019). Public and private organizations and the environment in which these organizations operate have changed greatly. Organizations are forced to revise their structure in order to adapt to the changing and competitive environment, and for this purpose, they must show more flexibility in the face of changes in the environment and also to manage their knowledge capitals. They need more complex methods and techniques.

Knowledge management [5]It means: creating, renewing, using and leveraging knowledge and other intellectual capital assets in a subtle and systematic way to maximize the knowledge-based effectiveness and efficiency of employees and the organization. (

Salawati, 2018). In organizations where the knowledge management system is well implemented, people's learning takes place in the organization itself, and the change of people's views is reflected in the form of formal and informal changes in the organization's performance. Knowledge is more fruitful when it is shared among everyone. Knowledge management is a wide range of activities that are used to manage, exchange, create or promote intellectual capital at a macro level.