Investigating the Effective Components of Organizational Health of Iranian Extension System

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Fatemeh Ertiaei ¹
• Ahmad Rezvanfar ²
• yousef hejazi ³
• Amir Alambaigi ⁴

¹ Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Economics and Agricultural Development, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj-Iran

² Department of Agricultural Extension & Education, Faculty of Economics & Agricultural Development, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

³ Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Economics & Agricultural Development, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

⁴ Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Economics and Agricultural Development, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

Abstract

Keywords

• Construction
• Healthy organization
• Qualitative method
• Grounded theory

Extended Abstract

Objective

In the present era, organizations are no longer focus on their mass production, financial reserves and human resources Instead, the development of organizations depends on their intellectual capital (Movahedi & et al, 2018). Undoubtedly, human resources play a crucial role in achieving fundamental organizational goals (Karimi & Shahdousti, 2019). This issue is of particular importance in the agricultural extension system because the organization's behavior towards its audience is more sensitive and important. They can only progress and sustain their activities in extensional goals and agricultural development by preserving their true credibility and respect within the agricultural community. Considering that the agricultural system is considered a pioneer in achieving development goals of the millennium, the agricultural promotion system can assist farmers in connecting with various technical, non-technical, and market services (Kord & Piramoon, 2016). Review of studies has shown that the concept of organizational health initially emerged within academic environments, at the level of schools and universities educational environments. Only a few studies have examined it within commercial, industrial, and service environments. Furthermore, even its tools are often designed in educational environments and their use in organizational environments requires adjustment and modification. Therefore, the present research aims to explain the effective components of organizational health in the management structure of agricultural extension in Iran, using a qualitative approach.

Methods

In grounded theory, instead of starting the study with a preconceived theory, the researcher begins with a specific field of study, allowing the theory to emerge from the data. Theory derived from data is more likely to reflect reality compared to theory based solely on the accumulation of concepts from experience or contemplation (Strauss & Corbin, 1994). The duration of each interview ranged from 40 to 70 minutes. Immediately after recording, the content was transcribed word by word onto paper and then analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin method. The selection of key expert individuals, data quality, saturation of categories and emerging theory, and reaching theoretical saturation were the main criteria for determining the number of interviews. After reading the text of each interview and understanding it, an appropriate code was assigned to the desired phrase or paragraph. All interviews were coded using this method. In fact, the data coding process was carried out in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding.

Results

Out of 28 interviews (excluding overlaps), 225 codes were obtained, which remained 70 themes by considering overlap and integrating them for more accurate coding and facilitating the research process. Through continuous comparative analysis, the determination of whether each event in the data belongs to a category that is more prevalent or should be placed in a new category was systematically conducted. The initial categories were compared and reviewed multiple times, resulting in the merging of some categories or the emergence of new ones, ultimately summarized into 23 sub-categories. The raw data of the present research interview after coding and categorizing in the form of concepts, themes and categories led to the extraction of a central theme and the main phenomenon of the research. Through this category, researchers were able to link all the subcategories and categories and discover the central process of the research. The extracted components were categorized into six main categories and twenty-three subcategories, including managerial competence (desired organizational evaluation system, employee empowerment, managerial stability, comprehensive leadership, appropriate managerial strategies), the importance of human resources in  healthy organization (central theme), inter- organizational factors (optimal extensional system, positive organizational culture, internal trust, promotion of anti-corruption efforts), factors of workspace healthy (appropriate structure, organizational health precursors, financial resource equity), organizational constructive behaviors (effective and efficient communication, organizational participation, dynamic work environment, ethical management), and organizational health impact (organizational agility, improvement of human resource management, reduction of organizational indifference, organizational effectiveness).

Discussion

Extensional managers play a crucial role in organizations due to the influence they have on the behavior of subordinates and related individuals. This influence will affect the implementation of the organization's mission, employee behavior, and the type of interaction with other organizations and the agricultural community. Therefore, it is necessary for managers to pay attention to the appointment of deserving individuals to positions of importance and delegate responsibilities to them in a manner that they can fulfill them to the best of their abilities. Nowadays, the identification and implementation of a meritocracy system in administrative structures has become one of the tasks of organizations The conditions governing organizations require that according to the meritocracy logic of each person to be employed in accordance with the required expertise and training in the appropriate place. An appropriate organizational culture, accompanied by effective management, leads to outcomes such as improved performance and organizational functioning, increased job satisfaction, enhanced employee commitment, encouragement of innovation, and promotion of organizational social responsibility.

Corruption in administrative systems causes serious damage to development and progress, and in developing countries, its importance and the need for its control and prevention are evident to all. Corruption hinders healthy competition and contributes to increased poverty and social injustice. Combating administrative corruption at all levels of the agricultural extension body is necessary to prevent the exacerbation of damages in the future. On the other hand, an empowering structure includes rules and regulations that serve as a guide for problem-solving, thereby improving the problem-solving process. This structure refers to supportive rules and regulations that organizational leaders use to exercise their authority in managing organizational transformations, providing a necessary foundation for organizational leadership in complex internal and environmental situations. A capable structure empowers the organization to achieve organizational health and promotes flexible rules and procedures, viewing problems as learning opportunities, accepting value differences, encouraging initiative and innovation, fostering trust, facilitating problem-solving processes, enhancing collaboration, supporting employees, fostering participation, participatory decision-making, trust, honesty, credibility, unity, and creating a sense of power and influence among employees in the agricultural extension system in four dimensions: recognition, focus, process, and context. Promoting positive values in the organization motivates employees to contribute more to the organization and discourages organizational misconduct and cognitive deviances. In other words, spirituality in the workplace is a framework of organizational values that indicates the existence of a culture that increasingly transcends work processes and improves their understanding of communication with others­­­­­­.