Vol-7, Special Issue3-April, 2016, pp2261-2266 http://www.bipublication.com
Research Article
Relationship between professional ethics and organizational Entrepreneurship
of Managers from perspective of elementary school teachers
1
Vahideh Naroei, 2Azizollah Arbabisarjou,
and 3Mahnaz Shahrakipour,
1Department of Educational Administration, Zahedan Branch,
Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran
2
(Corresponding author), Pregnancy Health Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan , Iran.
Email: derranneh2005@yahoo.com
3Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Health,
Pregnancy Health Research Center,
Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
ABSTRACT
Background: Professional ethics is actually a collection of human behavior’s principles and standards that determines the behavior of individuals and groups. In fact, professional ethics is a rational thinking process that is aimed at fulfilling the task that which values when should be preserved and promoted in the organization. Organizational entrepreneurship is a process through which organizations are realizing the opportunities and the right organizational environment is created for training and development of entrepreneurs and supports innovation and ideas ofentrepreneurs. A study was conducted aiming at studying relationship between professional ethics and organizational entrepreneurship of managers.
Method: This research is a descriptive study of correlation type which was conducted on 343 elementary school teachers in Zahedan. They were selected using stratified – random sampling. Data were collected using library and field study. Research statistical population included all elementary school teachers in Zahedan. Professional ethics of managers was used by Bahagir’s (2011) questionnaire following confirming reliability and validity. Organizational entrepreneurship of managers was investigated using Marguerite Hill questionnaire (2003) after confirming its reliability and validity. Obtained results were analyzed using SPSS software and statistical descriptive and inferential tests.
Findings: research findings suggested positive significant relationship between professional ethics and organizational entrepreneurship in principals. Also, there is positive significant relationship between components of professional ethics including benefit-centered, individual-centered, task-centered, justice-centered, and right-centered.
Conclusion: Given research findings it can be concluded that managers can improve their organizational entrepreneurship level by applying professional ethics. Also, research findings can be used as guide for educational managers and elementary schools’ principals, and can help to promote quality of educational and training services and professional position of managers.
INTRODUCTION
Professional ethics is one of the basic issues in all human communities. It is less considered in labor environment in our community. While there a field in this name in secular west in knowledge related to management and organization, but it is
making. Thus, great industrial countries have attempted to make research works on professional ethics and give special status to it (1, 2, 3), because paying attention to ethical values and principles is the key for survival and perfection of human communities (4). Ethics in educational administration includes value principles and rules which direct decisions and behavior of managers as right or wrong (5). Overall, professional ethics can be defined as follows: organization’s ethical responsibilities which includes all dimensions of the organization as well as occupational ethics (6). According to Patrick, today issue of ethics has gained special status in organizational management literature and ethical and moral virtues is regarded as one of the basic elements of happiness in material and spiritual life of human. Meanwhile, professional ethics has strategic role in future success of the organization, and negligence toward it makes the organization as vulnerable and disadvantaged. Components of professional ethics include as follows: benefit-centered ethics, individual-benefit-centered ethics, task-centered ethics, justice-task-centered ethics, and right-centered ethics (7 ).
Entrepreneurship includes a learning process and the ability to cope with issues and problems and learning from them (8). Also, efficient and successful organizations are those which have entrepreneurship as integral part of their features, and do their best for promoting organizational entrepreneurship spirit (9 ). Entrepreneurship is very important issue which most of developed and developing countries are paying attention to it. Meanwhile, one of the main branches is entrepreneurship in the organization which undoubtedly has considerable role in success and excellence of the organizations (10). Organizational entrepreneurship develops entrepreneurial performance in the great organizations by promoting and encouraging entrepreneurial spirit and using knowledge created in other approaches. Successful organizations are those which have entrepreneurial and creative managers and employees, because entrepreneurial
and attempt to utilize talents of all organization’s members. Hence, paying attention to entrepreneurship is increasing growing by the organizations. One of the variables which can be said it has important impact on entrepreneurship is spirituality and professional ethics in the organization. Ethics can be a mechanism among individuals in the society or in their personal affairs (14). In today modern world, concepts of professional ethics and social responsibilities have become faded and our country is not an exception. Concepts such as labor culture, responsibility, work ethic, discipline, work commitment, discipline in the quality of goods and services provided are not in high quality in our country. Because professional ethics and entrepreneurship have been seriously damaged in our country in recent century, and it should be reviewed. Thus, necessary training on role of ethics should be given to new generation, because the country develops which values the work and labor (15). Hence, the main goal of current study is investigating professional ethics and organizational entrepreneurship of managers in the view of elementary school teachers in Zahedan.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Current research is descriptive – correlation study and its statistical population includes all elementary school teachers in 2015 – 2016 academic year. 3,156 ones were selected using stratified random sampling, and sample size was specified as 347 based on Cochran sample formula. Two questionnaires were used for data collection: a. professional ethics questionnaire by Bahagir (2011): This questionnaire includes five components (benefit-centered ethics, individual-centered ethics, task-individual-centered ethics, justice-centered ethics, and right-justice-centered ethics) and 37
items and investigates professional ethics. The questionnaire is formulated based on Likert five-point scale ranging from Totally Disagree to Totally Agree. It is scored as 1 = totally disagree to 5 = totally agree. Minimum score in this test is 37 and maximum score is 185. The closer score to 185, professional ethics is higher and school management is better. B. organizational entrepreneurship questionnaire by Marguerite Hill (2003): this questionnaire measures entrepreneurship in individuals in the form of five components (Organizational actions, individual attitudes, organizational flexibility, rewards status, entrepreneurship leadership and entrepreneurial culture) and 48 items (16). The questionnaire is formulated based on Likert five-point scale ranging from Totally Disagree to Totally Agree. It is scored as follows: 1= totally disagree to 5 = totally agree, 1 = very low to 5 = very high, 1 = always to 5 = never, 1 = certainly to 5 = not at all. Minimum score in this test is 48 and maximum score is 300. The closer score to 300, it denotes higher organizational entrepreneurship of manager and school. Content validity method was used for determining validity of questionnaires. To this end, questionnaires were approved by professors of educational administration department at University of Sistan and Baluchestan, and it was assured that questionnaires measure the same characteristics intended by the author. In order to determine reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used. Obtained coefficient for Bahagir professional ethics questionnaire was 0.85 and it was 0.762 for organizational entrepreneurship questionnaire. These coefficients denote accepted reliability for the questionnaires. Inferential statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and variance analysis test via SPSS 21 software were used for data analysis.
Findings
Table 1. Frequency of participants in terms of gender
Gender Frequency Frequency percentage
Female 256 74.6
Considering data in Table 1, 74.6 percent of research sample includes women and 25.4 percent were men. 517 ones (14.9%) were single and 292 ones (85.1%) were married. In terms of educational level, 9 ones (2.6%) had high school diploma, 112 ones (32.7%) had associate degree, 198 ones (57.7%) had BA degree and 124 ones (7%) had MA degree. In terms of years of working, 32 ones (9.3%) had below 10 years of working experience, 143 ones (41.7%) had 10 – 20 years of working experience, and 168 ones
(49%) had above 20 years of working experience. in terms of employment type, 12 ones (3.5%) were employed by agreement, 80 ones (23.3%)were contractual, and 251 ones (73.2%) were formal employees. In terms of school ownership, 326 schools (95%) were public schools and 17 schools (5%) were nonprofit schools.
Table 2 gives descriptive findings related to organizational entrepreneurship variable and professional ethics variables.
Table 2. Descriptive report on responses to research variables
Variable SD Mean Max. Min. Range of changes
Organizational entrepreneurship 11.199 60.60 101 36 65
Professional ethics 16.550 82.97 169 56 113
Benefit-centered ethics 3.0871 12.268 24.00 7.00 17.00
Individual-centered ethics 2.677 10.542 20.00 6.00 14.00
Task-centered ethics 2.899 10.801 22.00 6.00 16.00
Justice-centered ethics 3.745 13.242 28.00 7.00 21.00
Right-centered ethics 3.379 13.746 25.00 8.00 17.00
As observed in the table, score range of professional ethics is 56 and 169. Standard deviation related to professional ethics is 16.55. Mean score of professional score is 82.97. Highest mean score (13.74) is related to right-centered ethics and lowest mean score (10.54) is related to
individual-centered ethics component. Also, score range of organizational entrepreneurship is between 36 and 101. Standard deviation for organizational entrepreneurship is 11.19. Mean scores of organizational entrepreneurship is 60.6
Table 3. Mutual correlation coefficients of professional ethics and organizational entrepreneurship
r Sig Organizational entrepreneurship
0.304 001
/ 0
Benefit-centered ethics
0.371 001
/ 0
Individual-centered ethics
0.153 001
/ 0
Task-centered ethics
0.056 001
/ 0
Justice-centered ethics
0.058 001
/ 0
Right-centered ethics
According to findings in Table 3, all correlation coefficients between professional ethics and its components are positively significant with organizational entrepreneurship (P < 0.001). Thus, positive and significant relationship between professional ethics and organizational entrepreneurship is supported. It means that organizational entrepreneurship of managers in schools is increased by increasing professional ethics level.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
relationship between benefit-centered ethics and organizational commitment. It is also consistent with findings by Karimi (2014) entitled “Impact of professional ethics of managers on efficacy of high schools in Zanjan”. Their findings showed that professional ethics and all of its components have positive significant impact on organizational effectiveness(17).
Network structure is more evident in entrepreneurship, and horizontal processes are more dominant than general processes. More relationships are formed based on participation and mutual understanding by reducing hierarchy and eliminating borders, and obedience share is lower in this organizational structure. Ethics is the center of activity for entrepreneur group, and the group acts for achieving the goals. Ethical group, which is involved in entrepreneurship process, do its best for improving its services. Entrepreneurs create ethics management plan so that they can manage ethics in entrepreneurship process and work place. Professional ethics plans help entrepreneurs to preserve their ethical performance in disturbed conditions (18). Today concepts of work ethics and social responsibilities are less considered in our country. Concepts such as labor culture, responsibility, work ethic, discipline, work commitment, discipline in the quality of goods and services provided are not in high quality in our country. Because professional ethics and entrepreneurship have been seriously damaged in our country in recent century, and it should be reviewed. Thus, necessary training on role of ethics should be given to new generation, because the country develops which values the work and labor (15). Entrepreneurs are different in terms of attitude, beliefs in goals and perseverance compared to other managers. They have musts and most not which are different from stereotyped frameworks of others in the real world. These principles are manifested in the determination of entrepreneur’s will, and they are determined to do their job (19).
Findings showed that relationship between professional ethics components including
benefit-centered ethics, individual- benefit-centered ethics, task- centered ethics, justice- centered ethics, and right- centered ethics and organizational entrepreneurship of managers is positive and significant. That is, organizational entrepreneurship of managers of schools is increased by increasing components of professional ethics. This finding is consistent with finding by Bahagir (2011) in his work entitled “Relationship between professional ethics of managers and organizational commitment of teachers in high schools in Distract 3, Alborz province.”(7).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research was extracted from master’s thesis in Islamic Azad University, Zahedan Branch, numbered as … All elementary school teachers in Zahedan city who took part in the study are appreciated. Also, authorities of Education Organization of Zahedan are kindly appreciated which helped in data collection. Professors who helped the author in conducting the research are also appreciated. All material and spiritual rights of the paper are preserved for Islamic Azad University, Zahedan Branch.
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