Proposing a maturity assessment model of the productivity management system in Iranian organizations

In this paper, a new comprehensive model has been developed to guide organizations regarding the establishment of a productivity management system with all essential elements and relations. Using the knowledge available in the literature and expert views, this research has tried to propose an evaluation scheme to measure the maturity of the system in Iranian organizations.

Design/Methodology/Approach: 

This study is typically an applied-developmental research as it introduces a framework for the assessment of productivity management systems in Iranian companies (developmental) and also attempts to offer a method for solving or simplification the complex, chronic problem of productivity in Iranian businesses (applied). From another perspective, the current research should be regarded as a qualitative research approach that seeks to describe and explain the phenomenon of productivity management system maturity based on an analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. The main strategy adopted in identifying conceptual elements concerning the productivity management system has been encoding. The primary signs of conceptual elements have been identified with a systematic search of databases containing scientific documents and reports on one hand and during interviews with experts on the other. The main concepts and categories about the topic have been extracted through a combination of homogeneous signs.

Four categories were identified in the encoding process (labelled as four modules of the productivity management system) and 18 concepts underlying such categories were included within the four modules. Then, 76 signs were extracted from the analysis of documents and interviews as peripheral aspects or features expected from the corresponding elements. Accordingly, the first step in the establishment of a productivity management system in an organization was to provide the infrastructures required for the managerial subsystem. Next, the main processes of productivity needed to be activated based on the available or generated infrastructures. In the third step, the appropriate measures had to be taken to guarantee the sustainability of the subsystem and ensure its constant growth and development. Finally, the impacts of the establishment of the productivity management system were expected to be evaluated to indicate the extent to which the attempts made have helped to meet the various needs of different groups of extra-organizational beneficiaries (including environmental activists and local community members).

Social implications:

 Constant enhancement of productivity as one of the most significant aims of any organization, requires the establishment of a series of factors and elements that make up an organization’s productivity biome, all the aspects and layers of which need to be shaped correctly. Such a requirement can be operationalized in an organization only through the establishment of a comprehensive productivity management system, a managerial system that has not been considered accurately and practically so far in the rich literature review concerning the subject of productivity. This study was conducted to eliminate this research and administrative gap and plotted the conceptual map of such a structure through the extraction of signs of the conceptual elements concerning the managerial system using scientific documents and interviews with experts. By developing organizations that perform their activities more productively, they are more successful in achieving their goals. Therefore, people will also benefit from the performance of this productive organization and will be more satisfied.

Originality/value: 

This study has proposed a conceptual map for productivity management systems through the extraction of signs of the conceptual elements concerning the managerial system using scientific resources and interviews with experts. It has also proposed a comprehensive model showing how the productivity management system could be established in an Iranian organization using procedural documents such as the administrative guidance developed by the National Productivity Organization. The validity of the model (referred to as i-MAPS) was confirmed through the formulation and administration of the evaluation logic for the measurement of the maturity of the system and its pilot implementation in some private and public organizations in Yazd Province. The maturity of an organization in the establishment and utilization of the productivity management system can be analyzed using the developed model. Besides, the measures can be taken based on instructions extracted from the model contents to increase the organization’s success in the roadmap and to overcome probable challenges and obstacles.