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European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science ISSN: 2501 - 1235 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1235 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu Volume 3 │ Issue 4 │ 2017 doi: 10.5281/zenodo.818070 THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF DECISION-MAKING AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES OF YOUTH AND SPORT OFFICES OF WEST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE, IRAN Mostafa Mostafa pouri, Ali Amini, Vadoud Shoshtary, Auoub Izadi, Yousef Esmayilian, Fatemeh Salami, Bager Khakpour Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Education Management of Miandoab, Iran Abstract: The availability of precise, relevant, timely and new information increases the speed and precision of decision making. The objective of present study is to examine the association between office automation, improvement of decision-making and productivity of employees of Youth and Sport offices of West Azerbaijan Province. The statistical population of present study consists of 130 employees of Youth and Sport offices of West Azerbaijan Province selected through simple random sampling. The statistical instrument of present study consists of two standard questionnaire of office automation and improvement of decision-making and productivity. To analyze data were used descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Pearson correlation). The results of preset study show that there is a positive association between the items of office automation and improvement of decision-making and productivity of employees of Youth and Sport offices. Keywords: office automation, improvement of decision-making, productivity, youth and sport offices Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 194 Mostafa Mostafa pour , Ali Amini, Vadoud Shoshtary, Auoub Izadi, Yousef Esmayilian, Fatemeh Salami, Bager Khakpour THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF DECISION-MAKING AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES OF YOUTH AND SPORT OFFICES OF WEST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE, IRAN 1. Introduction In the present era, the organizations have to use computer systems, information technologies and advanced media. The future belongs to those who use precise and up-todate knowledge to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of these systems and learn lessons from the experiences of others without undertaking the costs and consequences of experiences for the second time. Today, there are different types of office automation systems. The management information systems can develop new organizational projects and use modern tools of collection and processing of information to support the employees in attaining their objectives. The computer can increase the speed, correctness and accuracy of decisionmaking and enhance the level of accuracy and efficiency of works done in an organization. The automation system might significantly influence the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and scheduling of employees decision making. In the present study was investigated the effects of automation system upon improvement of decision-making and productivity of employees of Youth and Sport offices of West Azerbaijan Province. Management and decision-making are two close terms in dealing with organizational affairs. Undoubtedly, decision-making is one of the significant duties of top managers which is susceptible to errors but if the whole process is viewed differently, the conditions will be different. Most of the employees regard decision-making as an individualistic measure which occurs in a definite moment but it is actually a process mixed with the interaction of power, policies, personal differences and organizational background. The leaders who perceive this issue will make better decisions than those who emphasize decision making under their sole authority. As a result, one could say that some decision processes are more effective and efficient than others (Garvin, 2010). The significant changes of administrative correspondence in economic organizations and entities are growing so rapidly that previously slow and timeconsuming administrative processes are no longer acceptable. In this regard, it is necessary to develop an instrument through which the speed and precision of administrative processes could be enhanced. To do this, the office automation system as the modern method facilitates the procedures and on the other hand, collection of information on the set of organizational activities and their classification provides proper background to enhance dealing with daily affairs. The maximal application of physical resources, human resources and other factors based on scientific methods decreases the manufacturing costs, development of markets, increase of employment and enhancement of living condition of every individual. From European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 3 │ Issue 4 │ 2017 195 Mostafa Mostafa pour , Ali Amini, Vadoud Shoshtary, Auoub Izadi, Yousef Esmayilian, Fatemeh Salami, Bager Khakpour THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF DECISION-MAKING AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES OF YOUTH AND SPORT OFFICES OF WEST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE, IRAN the viewpoint of Japan Productivity Center, productivity is a national priority which enhances social welfare and eliminates poverty. Digital means might increase our productivity. The ability to think and develop thoughts is important. One should determine whether the office automation in developing countries has changed into a fixed culture. Is it still a discrete and non-integrated part of our traditional bureaucracy? In the present study, Youth and Sport offices as an entity which undertakes the responsibility of training sports to the youth in Iran was selected and the authors endeavor to show the probable association between office automation and improvement of decision-making and productivity of employees of Youth and Sport offices of West Azerbaijan Province. Does the office automation within an organization helps in improving activities, decision making and productivity of employees? 2. Methodology The present study is of correlative type the statistical population of which includes 140 individuals selected through simple random sampling. The measurement instrument of the research variables included the standard questionnaire of office automation (Rahmani, 2013) and standard questionnaire of improving decision-making and productivity (Rahmani, 2013). To determine the validity and reliability of the questionnaires and resolution of possible ambiguities, the initial study was done on 10 employees of Youth and Sport offices of the adjacent province. To determine the face and content validity, the comments of experts of physical education and sports science were considered. To determine the reliability, Cronbach s alpha was used the results of which showed that for the standard questionnaire of office automation and standard questionnaire of improving decision-making and productivity, its values were respectively 0.90 and 0.97. In regard to the questionnaire of office productivity, the alpha coefficient of issued letters, received letters, perception and usage hours were respectively 0.84, 0.84, 0.85 and 0.84. Regarding the standard questionnaire of improving decision-making and productivity, the alpha coefficient of correctness, precision, being timely, and costeffectiveness, the values of alpha coefficients were 0.96, 0.87, 0.93 and 0.87. To organize and summarize data, descriptive statistics was used and in the section on inferential statistics, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to study the association between office automation and improvement of decision making and productivity of employees in Youth and Sport offices of West Azerbaijan Province. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 3 │ Issue 4 │ 2017 196 Mostafa Mostafa pour , Ali Amini, Vadoud Shoshtary, Auoub Izadi, Yousef Esmayilian, Fatemeh Salami, Bager Khakpour THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF DECISION-MAKING AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES OF YOUTH AND SPORT OFFICES OF WEST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE, IRAN 3. Findings Table 1: Mean, Standard Deviation and Correlation Matrix of Items of Office Automation and Improvement of Decision-making and Productivity in Sport and Youth Offices Variable r P 0.452 *0.000 20.89±4.46 0.427 *0.000 18.69±3.21 0.390 *0.000 Perception 16.64±3.94 0.332 *0.000 Usage Hours 20.89±4.46 0.432 *0.000 r P 0.452 *0.000 20.89±4.46 0.415 *0.000 18.69±3.21 0.308 *0.000 Perception 16.64±3.94 0.345 *0.000 Usage Hours 20.89±4.46 0.412 *0.000 r P 0.452 *0.000 20.89±4.46 0.142 *0.000 18.69±3.21 0.325 *0.000 Perception 16.64±3.94 0.356 *0.000 Usage Hours 20.89±4.46 0.411 *0.000 Office Automation Mean and Standard Accuracy of Decision Making and Deviation Productivity (Mean and Standard Deviation) 55.71±10.085 106.39±27.27 System Number of Issued Letters Number of Received Letters Variable Office Automation Mean and Standard Timeliness of Decision Making and Deviation Productivity (Mean and Standard Deviation) 55.71±10.085 105.21±28.06 System Number of Issued Letters Number of Received Letters Variable Office Automation Mean and Standard Cost-effectiveness of Decision Making and Deviation Productivity (Mean and Standard Deviation) 55.71±10.085 112.12±31.27 System Number of Issued Letters Number of Received Letters European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 3 │ Issue 4 │ 2017 197 Mostafa Mostafa pour , Ali Amini, Vadoud Shoshtary, Auoub Izadi, Yousef Esmayilian, Fatemeh Salami, Bager Khakpour THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF DECISION-MAKING AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES OF YOUTH AND SPORT OFFICES OF WEST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE, IRAN Variable r P 0.452 *0.000 20.89±4.46 0.327 *0.000 18.69±3.21 0.389 *0.000 Perception 16.64±3.94 0.365 *0.000 Usage Hours 20.89±4.46 0.347 *0.000 Office Automation Mean and Standard Correctness of Decision Making and Deviation Productivity (Mean and Standard Deviation) 55.71±10.085 104.78±29.01 System Number of Issued Letters Number of Received Letters *p≤0.05 As shown in table (1), the obtained results show that there is a significant association between items office automation system (i.e. number of issued and received letters, perception, and usage hours) and items of improvement of decision-making and productivity (i.e. accuracy, correctness, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, decision-making and productivity) among the employees of Youth and Sport offices of West Azerbaijan Province. 4. Discussion and Conclusion As to the main problem of present study regarding the direct effect of office automation system on improving decision making and productivity of Youth and Sport offices of West Azerbaijan Province, the results showed that office automation system and its items directly influence the increase of correctness, accuracy, timeliness and cost-effectiveness of employees decision-making. Therefore, there is no evidence on denial of four hypotheses denoted by defined variables of correctness, accuracy, timeliness and cost-effectiveness. In all steps of developing office automation system, the reinforcement of management information system (MIS) is highly significant. It is essential to revise the working procedures and redesign them in an open manner so as to make them completely compliant with automation system and minimize the costs which the organization undertakes. The parallelization of procedures in secretariat through simultaneous application of paper and software systems should be prohibited and software records should be regarded as sufficient. There is a positive approach towards the office automation system among the employees of Youth and Sport offices of West Azerbaijan Province. In general, the employees think that this system positively affects the organizational performance. It is necessary to provide the employees with more effective training regarding the type of influence that the system has upon organizational functions. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 3 │ Issue 4 │ 2017 198 Mostafa Mostafa pour , Ali Amini, Vadoud Shoshtary, Auoub Izadi, Yousef Esmayilian, Fatemeh Salami, Bager Khakpour THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF DECISION-MAKING AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES OF YOUTH AND SPORT OFFICES OF WEST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE, IRAN The positive effects of automation systems are undeniable but the level of realization of objective is significant. The first step to attain a realistic viewpoint towards the evaluation of results of office automation in the organizations is to codify efficient variables for assessing the improvement level in the organization and following the signs of organizational development as a result of establishing advanced organizational systems. This issue demands scientific support of the organization. The findings of these studies can play more effective role in identification of advantages and weaknesses of automation systems of the organizations with similar tasks and associations. Therefore, it is recommended that the researchers use technical consultation, guidance and cooperation to select subjects which can be raised in all departments of Youth and Sport Ministry and encourage a larger range of organizations to use the results of their studies. In future studies, the researchers should deal with other new, effective and significant subjects so as to identify and resolve the most fundamental problems of their organizations. The present study has some limitations too. Lack of similar studies due to novelty of the subject, the problem of identifying significant variables and transmission of qualitative items into quantitative ones such as quality management are among such limitations. The existence of negative hypotheses as a result of negative comments of employees of administrative and public organizations reinforces the trend that it is better not to challenge the existing structure and to keep the general critique undisclosed. As a result, some of the most basic applications of present study (i.e. creation of new visions to attain efficient functions) do not exert significant effects upon governmental structures. Doing studies and working simultaneously will increase the duration of the study. Therefore, those students who discretely work and study in compact courses (i.e. in different times) have higher freedom compared with those who simultaneously work and study. It is better to teach the employees of governmental offices the basic concepts of office automation in its most comprehensive manner and within the context of developing organizational culture. Due to general state policies regarding the development of e-government and strategic approach of Youth and Sport Ministry to office automation, it is recommended to do comprehensive study in national scale by employing an expert team of researchers with well-supplied means, knowledgeable professors or cooperation of those companies specialized in office automation systems instead of hiring amateur researchers. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 3 │ Issue 4 │ 2017 199 Mostafa Mostafa pour , Ali Amini, Vadoud Shoshtary, Auoub Izadi, Yousef Esmayilian, Fatemeh Salami, Bager Khakpour THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF DECISION-MAKING AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES OF YOUTH AND SPORT OFFICES OF WEST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE, IRAN References 1. Backhard, R & Pritchard, W,. (2009). Management of evolution and innovation. In Pairizi, M, I (Trans.), Modiran Press. 2. Bahan, K & Holmes, D,. (1999). Familiarity with information technology. 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European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science - Volume 3 │ Issue 4 │ 2017 201 Mostafa Mostafa pour , Ali Amini, Vadoud Shoshtary, Auoub Izadi, Yousef Esmayilian, Fatemeh Salami, Bager Khakpour THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF DECISION-MAKING AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES OF YOUTH AND SPORT OFFICES OF WEST AZERBAIJAN PROVINCE, IRAN Creative Commons licensing terms Authors will retain the copyright of their published articles agreeing that a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) terms will be applied to their work. Under the terms of this license, no permission is required from the author(s) or publisher for members of the community to copy, distribute, transmit or adapt the article content, providing a proper, prominent and unambiguous attribution to the authors in a manner that makes clear that the materials are being reused under permission of a Creative Commons License. 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