Alireza Amirkabiri 1*, Farideh Haghshenas Kashani 1, Ameneh Azizi 2. Abstract

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1 International Journal of Basic Sciences & Applied Research. Vol., 3 (SP), , 2014 Available online at ISSN Examining the Impact of the IT Role (upgrade automation) in job Empowerment of the Keshavarzi Bank s Employees with Taking Advantage from the Melham and Nolan Model Alireza Amirkabiri 1*, Farideh Haghshenas Kashani 1, Ameneh Azizi 2 1 Assistant Professor at management faculty in the Islamic Azad University of Central Tehran branch 2 MS c student at management faculty in the Islamic Azad University of Central-Tehran branch * Corresponding Author: Alireza Amirkabiri Abstract In the recent years, taking advantage from IT in the business and services environment, have growth considerably. Without any doubt, organizations employees and their working environment, in terms of job designing, working condition and many other facts are placed under the impact of IT. Since individuals and their knowledge are counted as the most vital properties of the organization, it is clear that each company seeks to change for applying its intangible assets. Present study with the purpose of determining the impact of IT (upgrade automation) has done on the job empowerment of keshavarzi bank employees. To measure the dimensions of the empowering staffs (knowledge and skill, trust, communications, motivation) Melham questionnaire and to measure the dimensions of the IT factors (start, development, control, conflation, handling, maturity) Nolan s standard questionnaire was used. To analysis of the researches data, Melham and Nolan s model was used. The result from the impact of IT on empowering and strong solidarity and correlation was between the empowerment factors and IT. Keywords: Job Empowerment, IT Role, Melham and Nolan Model. Introduction Role of IT in today s world is so amazing and complicated, so that, the present time, named the information explosion era. By the other hand, because of this reason, IT is developing so fast and organizations to reach their ends, requires the use of IT. The second reason, is the requirement to systematic innovation and such a progression that exists in the nature and origin of the intelligently works. The third one is that organizations today must be coordinated with the information technology. An organization must determine that to manage its affairs, requires to which information otherwise will sink in the lots of hectic data. IT (administrative automation) in the change and fast environmental transformations era, has a vital role in the continuing the survival of the organizations; IT provides this possibility for managers that by fast processing of information have the possibility of control and coordination or harmony of more sophisticated structures. In addition, IT causes that the organization s performance and management done by solidarity and quick feedback. Also, application of IT causes the enhancement of the person s ability or organization to easier communication, be more exact and less costly. By this way, employees have access to more information and reaches to the results in doing their affairs. By the other hand, employees also like information, are one of the important and vital sources of the organization and the organization as will not achieve its goals without information, without the existence of human resources also will not capable to accomplishment of the works and achieve its purposes. So, information resource and human resource are necessary in organizations and required each other. Organizations requires such persons that maintain their knowledge update and educates and trains scholar interns and expert forces to solve the problems of today s world and establishment of the pivot capabilities in the organization. There is several environmental stimulus that encouraged organizations to empower their workers. In the meantime, such as most important of these stimulus, is the impacts of IT in the working environments, because fast growing of technology, is affected all of the organization s aspects. Scientists and theorists of management, are agree with this concept that true and appropriate application of IT, causes the increase of the effectiveness of employees and management in the organization. 199

2 As the result, causes the clearer of responsibility and makes the employees and managers respondent to facilitate the better services offering. In fact, IT, made such a very intense changes in the kind of required skills of employees and members of the organization. Literature review Introduction: Role of IT in today s world is so amazing and complicated, so that the present age named the information explosion era. From the other hand, because of this reason, application of IT (administrative automation) also growing in the organizations so fast and organizations to reach their goals, requires the use of IT. Therefore, information goes everywhere and its impact is inclusive. Companies which struggled that modernize or renovate their organization by collecting information, with the acceleration of 50 to 69 percent, reduced their management ranges and categories, because of a lot of reasons, big organizations must go toward the orientation of information. Demography is one of these reasons. Educated and expert workers that now tend to increase are not further willing to obey from the command and control methods of the past. IT (administrative automation) has changed the business approaches. So that today, numerous volume of the commercial transactions done via internet and as electronic, as well as, impact of IT on the approaches of doing work in government and citizenship s communication with government, led to formation of the electronic government. Virtual organizations also are the new approaches from traditional organizations that changed the approaches and habits of business with their special variables, as the result, whatever that organizations followed in the past, today, is accessible via IT (administrative automation). IT, promoted the efficiency, productivity and also effectiveness of the organizations and is such a tool that had a salient effect on organizations and institutions in order to answer the conditions of organizations in the third millennium, growing and developing the IT in the last decade of the twentieth century. Being powerful of computers in terms of processing speed, development of the networks knowledge, development of the communication s equipment and especially internet, caused that exchange, sharing and distribution of information, done so fast across the world and because of it, traditional business approaches are transform. Information and communication technology refers to such a technology that makes possible the access to information via telecommunications. Such a technology that becomes a necessity of human s life. The ICT phrase or in other words, information and communication technology, includes internet, wireless networks, mobile phones and most of the communication media. In fact, IT and communication, to converge with the audio and visual networks and telephone networks with computer networks by cabling or link and wireless system. IT uses the vast range of technologies and existing processes. Oil sector also to enter to the IT era, must use these technologies and processes vastly. In the field of software technologies can refer to the process of vast banks information systems and feedback decision systems and in the field of IT hardware can refer to the teleconferencing systems and information systems management. Research projects proposed for development of the smart systems and other research systems for oil sector, but still none of them reached to this desired point for activity in this part. Cause of this matter, is the inflexibility of the oil sector and also lack of sufficient foresight to accept and coordinate with the new technologies. Therefore, transformation in the way of attitude of the oil sector is necessary for this category. Impacts of IT on organization: Automation s effect in the first step, is to alternate the capital instead of human working force. For instance, vendor in one store use from the computer data base system, like scanner to shorten the process time. Effect of computer professional data base system is that it helps more efficiently workers and managers in making more effective decision. For example, in the example above, information from the selling system makes the possibility of controlling items. Impact of change is obtained when the institution decides that reengineering its process so that achieve to higher efficiency. In the example above, institution, redesign its supply chain via supply chain management system that in it, selling system has a basic role. One of the differences between assets of IT and other forms of assets, is the dual role that IT has in the organization. Firstly, like most of assets, can benefit from the IT directly in production technology, as it use in the banking transaction processing system, but despite of such impact, the second role of IT has a salient impact as the coordination technology. In this field, IT as such a special and powerful technology, proposed that can have special impacts on the coordination costs of the economic activities in the inside and between the organizations. Role of IT in the organization s processes Role of IT in the processes of organization, such as production and selling, has had a salient growth. First versions of computer technology, at first used to maintain the organization performance information. It gave happens and activities of days and past weeks to managers. By developing the computer technology systems, possibility of collecting and using the information, provided simultaneously with their occurrence. Means the information of the organization performance in the time of occurrence gave to managers by the network. Later, many of the manual registration processes of information became to the computer approaches and automation and some of the working steps of workers were removed. Computer system now, makes the possibility of observation and controlling on performances and informs errors and working problems before occurrence to workers and managers. Many of the manual old processes have automated completely. These transformations cause such important changes in the job and expert structure of the personnel. Some of jobs are removed and some works that is done before, now done as manual, by the computer and as new approaches. For instance, planners or responsible of the project s control that are doing their job before, as manual approaches and on the paper and manual forms, now by applying the special computer systems, becomes as an expertized workers and computer 200

3 programmer and developed their skill and job level. Use of IT, in addition to impact on the working nature and environment, changed also the way of organization s competition. IT is the cause of development and optimization of the inner operations of organization, reduction of the inner costs and acceleration of the production matter. Reduction of the costs, makes the chance and opportunity of profitability even in the lower price for the products. With the speed of operation in conveying the product to the market, access to the profit, happens faster. IT helps the marketing processes to sell and improved the speed of operation in which new products causes the price reduction and being trampled of opportunities. Automation information systems: Automation information systems or OAS, are responsible for the process of the daily information related to the activities and administrative duties and infrastructures. In these systems, tools and different general software s are used such as word processors word, electric worksheets like Quattro Pro, ms excel, slideshow like power point and personal information banks like ms access. Other equipment and facilities such as fax and like that are used in administrative automation system to establish communications and doing correspondence and sending messages; but these tools are categorized in the electronic communication systems and are not cared in administrative automation systems. Maybe most common information systems are these administrative automation systems that are used in most of organizations. But important point in this matter is the lack of compatibility of many of similar software s in some organizations. One of the important duties of IT in the organizations is the standardization of working formats and compatibility of the administrative automation tools according to environment and communication in inside and outside of organizations. Some of organizations, uses from special administrative automation software are as integrated and intelligent so that duties of circumstance and document s production and correspondences and making decisions also secretariat s operations done systematically and automate. Some of other organizations sporadically and often without communications network and none systematic, uses from independent tools of administrative automation. Microsoft software company, develop one compatible and excellent set from this type of software s with the name of set office, production and their continued efficiency. Considering to the network possible installing of set office, many administrative automation services can design and support easily in them. Most important condition of applying and use of automation in most of the organizations, regardless of the other use of it, is related to the necessity of speed and precision and accuracy in their work. And it is because of the range development of the organization operation that this matter needs developing open channels of communication with more speed. And administrative automation causes that open channel becomes short and necessary information give to the managers easily. Generally, advantages of the administrative automation systems application is divided to two categories of direct advantages and indirect advantages. direct advantages: these advantages include: Increase of product or efficiency and time saving or working force. Usually these advantages that are measurable and might have direct and short time impact on the cash flow and including: A) Better controlling on work, because of the less divide of the working force. B) Transferring information from one shape to other form done less, like writing on the tape that after that being written on paper. C) Non-productive activities like archives, record keeping and on time delivery will be less. D) Organizing of personnel is performed better. Because will be less using the facilities of telephone conferencing, traveling and gathering. 2. Indirect advantages: These advantages are non-quantity or non-small and might enrich the organization via profitability and growth in the long run, these advantages including: A) Less dependency on other offices to supply copy, print and other similar matters. B) Less requirement to formality to control the working flow between the offices. C) Because of the increase of the worker s effectiveness in doing special affairs, their job satisfaction will be increase. D) Because of better offering of information and services on time, customer s satisfaction will increase. E) More competition of organizations via use of information sources and necessary capability to reaction rather pressures and opportunities. Disadvantages of the use of administrative automation system But, application of the administrative automation systems has such disadvantages including: Make changes in human environment, being ignorance of some social and human relations in affairs and as being mechanization of activities, being complicated and difficulty of work with the systems, outbreak of the moral justification of the made mistakes and attributing them to the system, physical problems of workers in work or computer, not accepting the mechanized system by managers or workers, being less of the information s safety in terms of both accessibility and destruction. From 1990 and after, this discussion has been addressed that organizations with such empower, responsible and engaged, capable and motivated workers, will can better that adapt themselves with the changes and to compete. Today, the main and deep distance between the nations, is in terms of wisdom and folly nor wealth and poverty. Main challenge is the human force. Today, competitive power of nations is in their human capital quality. Today, individual and separate activities cannot be effective and peoples of an organization are responsible for themselves, individuals and organization s goals. In fact, empowerment believes that by creating such interest, motivation and training, to develop the capabilities and competencies of the workers and gives the realization of the organization ends to such empower persons. 201

4 Worker s empowerment is one of the effective techniques to increase the worker s efficiency and optimize use of their individual and group capacity and ability to organization goals. In other words, empowerment means creation of such conditions that persons can do their work firstly with inner motivation, secondly accomplish it with the complete success. After many years of experience, the world has come to this result that if an organization wants to be forehand or pioneer in its working and economic affairs and not be left back in the field of competition, must enjoy from expert, creative and high motivated manpower. Today, with the outbreak of rapid environmental developments in the field of organizations, like use of IT and universal networks that causes the facilitation or ease of the information flow in the different organizational levels, flat out of the organization and their movement toward structural dynamics like: Circular and network structures, increase of the competition rate in achieving to the working market, services and production of the most of countries, organizations went toward the reduction of the manpower and increase of the quality level of the manpower. Organization are less willing to attract the obedience of their members as compulsory, but also are more toward the being inner commitment and increase of trust in the organizations. In the present era, empowerment have been known as a tool that managers by it, will be able to manage the modern and today s organization effectively that have such characteristics as penetration various channels, growing relying on vertical structure and colleague networks, small differences of managers and workers from each other, and reduction of the organizational belonging. From other empowerment categories y, it is the attention to the concept of organizational citizenship behavior. Effort to develop the performance was as inviolable principle from the first days of the management formation that entered in the new discussion every day. Table Psychological empowerment dimensions. Explanation Having confidence on own ability in doing duties successfully Having the freedom in selection of the approach and the way of doing work Belief in influence ability or personal control on the results of activities Valuing for job purposes according to ideals and personal standards Feeling safe and believing in honesty and fairly treating with them Dimensions Sense of competence Sense of autonomy Sense of being effective Sense of being meaningful Sense of trust Advantages of the manpower s empowerment Bowen & lawer (1992) describe the manpower s empowerment advantages in the service organizations as bellow: Empower workers gives the rapid and on time response to the customer s requirement while offering the services. 2. Capable persons, gives such rapid and on time answers to the unsatisfied customers while giving services. 3. Capable workers, have better feeling about themselves and their job. 4. Capable workers, communicate with customers warmly and friendly. 5. Capable workers can be the large source of thoughts of services. Empowerment limits Reasons of the lack of manager s whiling to empowerment of the workers. By emphasize on this matter that empowerment beginning from managers and goes to workers, lot of managerial studies shows that some managers are not whiling to empower their workers due to three reasons: Manager s attitude about subordinates: such managers that avoid from empowering their workers, often believes that their subordinates are not sufficiently conversance to do the desired work and are not interested in taking more responsibility. Needs to very high precision and care for training or should not get involved in the works or such responsibilities that normally higher authority doing it. 2. Lack of the personal security: some of managers have this hallucination that if they empower the other, they may lose the recognition and relating rewards to successful doing of work. They are reluctant from sharing skill or their working secrets because of the fear of loss of their power or authority. Therefore, they must know all the details about such designs that gave to them. These kinds of managers are prefer that they work on duties by their own so that to involve others. 3. The need to control: Managers, who are not empowering their workers, often have an intense need to this matter that manage whatever that is in currency and direct it and governed it. However, revolution provides the information of opportunities to develop the human s life condition but such social models that are exists in this field, are not equivalent. One of the most valuable inputs of the organization is information. Information counted as a type of asset to organization and most valuable information causes the increase of the confidence and stability and the lack of information causes the lack of confidence and instability in the organization. Of course, existing information in today organization by IT are collected and maintained. Organization without access to the information will not be able to do its works and will not reach to its goals and wants. In past, information in one organization could have revealed in one place only and gave to such a special person. 202

5 Because in that time, information exists more as documents and evidences and assets of this was limited but today, information simultaneously can be revealed in any number where it needs and placed to the lots of persons. And it was IT that removed this limitation and solved this problem. Methodology The present research in terms of research s implementation and collecting data is a descriptive study from the type of survey and in terms of goal, is an applicable or applied research that seeks to solve such a special problem for society. Major tools to collect data including the library studies, interview and questionnaire. Statistical society of the present study includes of 1600 experts of Keshavarzi bank central unit of Tehran. In the present study, using the sampling random simple formula (kokaran), 310 persons of the mentioned statistical population, were selected as sample. Accordingly, number of 310 questionnaires distributed between the keshavarzi banks workers as simple random approach and between them, 309 analyzable questionnaires were returned that are based on the test hypotheses of the research. Validity of research In the present study, research s questionnaire is standard and for validity of the contents, enjoyed the idea of experts and professors. Validity of content of this questionnaire confirmed via supervisor and consultant and enjoys a necessary validity. Reliability of the questionnaire In this study, in order to determine the stability of the test, Cronbach alpha method and spss20 software were used. Alpha coefficient of Cronbach for initial sample (60 pieces) obtained equal to 934. And the amount of the Cronbach alpha coefficient for 34 total questions of questionnaire (309 sample pieces) obtained equal to 924T of course for each of the questions also placed in one higher range of 9 and this fact is indicative of the high stability rate of questionnaire. Data analysis In this research, to examine the relations between independent and dependent variables using the regression analysis method. In order to examine the descriptive statistic, sample of three dedicated questions was addressed in the questionnaire that according to that, kind of person s gender and education was measured with the person s job experience and history. In this research, 309 persons of the keshavarzi bank employees have participated that from these 309 persons, 72/8 percent were men and 27/2 were female, 76/1 percent were under the 10 years, 21/7 percent between 10 and 20 years? And 2/3 was above the 20 years of history and has experience and 29/4 percent has bachelor education and 68/0 percent have master education and 2/6 percent are PHD. And 10/4 percent has management post, 47/6 percent are experts and 42/1 percent are users. And considering to that the amount of the significant coefficients of all dimensions is larger than the level of the error possibility is therefore, data distribution is normal. Examination of the research assumptions: Main assumption: administrative automation promotion has an impact on workers job empowerment of keshavarzi bank. Subsidiary 1: promoting of the administrative automation is effective on trust to the responsibility and acceptance of the new ideas of the organization. Subsidiary 2: promoting of the administrative automation is effective in making the motivation for better performance against the material rewards receive, in the organization. Subsidiary 3: administrative automation promotion is effective in communications to develop the better service in the organization. Subsidiary 4: administrative automation promotion has an impact on knowledge and skill in the organization. Table 2. Examination of the research assumptions. Main assumption First 1 subsidiary assumption Secondary 2 subsidiary assumption Third 3 subsidiary assumption Correlation Watson statistic Statistic F coefficient camera Sig a a a

6 Fourth subsidiary assumption a0/193 1/ / 593 0/ 001 Table 3. Coefficient test Results. Standardized Unstandardized coefficients coefficients Model B Std. Error Beta Significant level )Sig). Main (Constant) IT Subsidiary (Constant) IT Subsidiary (Constant) IT Subsidiary (Constant) IT Subsidiary (Constant) Results from the test hypotheses IT In all assumptions according to the table, test results of Durbin Watson statistic camera, is the amount of static between 5 and 2.5 that shows the lack of correlation existence and as the result, have an independent error. And considering the amount of significant level of assumptions is less than the possibility error level of 05 and as the result shows the existence of linear significant relation. Therefore, sufficient condition to accept all assumptions is established. References Bowen DE, Lawler EE, The Empowerment of service Workes. What,Why,Who,When. Mangement Review. Yang SB, Choi S, Employee Empowerment and Team Performance. Journal of Team Performance Management. 15(5): Dai x, Jing Xiao h, Xi K. Growth of Enterprise Information Technology Application: System Dynamics Model and Empirical Evidence. Melhem Y, Prerequisites of Employee Empowerment: The Case of Jordanian Mobile Phone Companies. Journal of Business Administration. 2(4):