Benefits of Quality Control

Benefits of Quality Control THE QUALITY CONTROL ERA The inspection-based approach to quality was challenged by Walter A. Shewhart. Shewharts landmark 1931 book Economic Control of Quality of Manufacturing introduced the modern era of quality management. In 1924, Shewhart was part of a group working at Western Electrics Inspection Engineering Department of Bell Laboratories. Other members of the group included Harold Dodge, Harry Romig, G.D. Edwards, and Joseph Juran, a veritable whos who of the modern quality movement. The new concept of quality included ideas that were quite radical at the time. Shewhart recognized that variation could never be completely eliminated. Try as one might, no two things could ever be made exactly the same. Thus, he reasoned, attempts to eliminate variability were certain to fail. Then Shewhart took a huge conceptual leap: the central task of quality control was not to identify variation from requirements, it was to distinguish between variation that was a normal result of the process and variation that indicated trouble. This insight lead directly to Shewharts now famous concept of statistical control. The concept is explained by Shewhart as follows: A phenomenon will be said to be controlled when, through the use of past experience, we can predict, at least within limits, how the phenomenon may be expected to vary in the future. Here it is understood that prediction means that we can state, at least approximately, the probability that the observed phenomenon will fall within the given limits. Shewharts approach to quality was to identify the limits of variation that could be expected from a process operating in a normal state. To do this he developed simple statistical and graphical tools that could be used to study data obtained from a process. Unlike inspection, Shewharts approach did not require 100% inspection or sorting; samples could be used. Furthermore, as long as the process variability was less than the design required, one could be assured that acceptable process quality was being maintained. Shewharts approach is known today as statistical process control, or SPC. SPC remains one of the quality professionals most powerful tools, in a form largely unchanged from Shewharts original presentation. WHAT DOES QUALITY MEAN Quality means fulfilling the customers requirements and expectations, at all times. It is also important to bear in mind that quality standards must be set to meet legal requirements. As the customers requirements are typically higher than legal ones, standards set by authorities should be regarded as minimum or bottom-line requirements. WHAT DOES QUALITY CONTROL MEAN A set of procedures taken to assure that a product manufactured or service delivered would meet defined quality requirements or customers needs. BENEFIT OF THE QUALITY CONTROL IN INDUSTRY Improvement in the quality of the product and the services Production improves The system is continually evaluated and modified to meet the changing needs of the customers Reduces cost in the long term The lead time for the producing parts and subassemblies reduces. QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT (QFD) A systematic method for transferring customer wants/needs/expectations into product and process characteristics Developed by Shigeru Mizuno (1910-1989) and Yoji Akao (b.1928) in Japan Excellent tool for communication between cross-functional groups Provides a common basis for Integrated Product Development Simultaneous Engineering Concurrent Engineering CONCURRENT ENGINEERING â€Å"The simultaneous performance of product design and process design. Typically, concurrent engineering involves the formation of cross-functional teams. This allows engineers and managers of different disciplines to work together simultaneously in developing product and process design.† †¢ 3 Main Areas to Concurrent Engineering: 1) People 2) Process 3) Technology JUST IN TIME (JIT) Managing Quality + Time + Productivity + Capacity = JIT The objective of JIT is to . . . purchase materials produce products and deliver products . . . just when they are needed QUALITY CIRCLE Voluntary groups of employees who work on similar tasks or share an area of responsibility They agree to meet on a regular basis to discuss solve problems related to work. They operate on the principle that employee participation in decision-making and problem-solving improves the quality of work How Do Quality Circles Work Characteristics Volunteers Set Rules and Priorities Decisions made by group Use of organized approaches to Problem-Solving All members of a Circle need to receive training Members need to be empowered Members need to have the support of Senior Management CAUSE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS (ISHIKAWA/ FISHBONE ANALYSIS) It means identifying the likely causes of a problem thoroughly. Their major benefit is that they push to consider all possible causes of the problem. Suggested steps for conducting Cause Effect Analysis  · Identification of a problem Pen down the exact problem faced in details.  · Identify who are involved, what is the problem and when and where it occurs.  · Workout the major factors involved  · Identify the factors that cause the problems.  · Draw lines off the spine for each factor and label it. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) Total Quality Management means that  · the organizations culture is defined by and supports the constant attainment of customer satisfaction through an  · integrated system of tools,  · techniques, and training. This involves the continuous improvement of organizational processes, resulting in high quality products and services. The three aspects of TQM  · Counting Tools, techniques, and training in their use for analyzing, understanding, and solving quality problems.  · Customers Quality for the customer as a driving force and central concern.  · Culture Shared values and beliefs, expressed by leaders, that define and support quality. Total Quality Management and Continuous Improvement  · TQM is the management process used to make continuous improvements to all functions.  · TQM represents an ongoing, continuous commitment to improvement.  · The foundation of total quality is a management philosophy that supports meeting customer requirements through continuous improvement. Value-based Approach u Manufacturing Dimensions Performance Features Reliability Conformance Durability Serviceability Aesthetics Perceived quality u Service Dimensions Reliability Responsiveness Assurance Empathy Tangibles Four Levels of Quality FITNESS FOR STANDARD -inspection oriented -no consciousness to customer/market FITNESS FOR USE -Must satisfy customer need for use -Hotel shampoo body oil FITNESS FOR MARKET -Must achieve low cost as well as 1 2 FITNESS FOR LATENT REQTS -Listening to the voice of the customer -V-8 engine, Swatch -Uncovering latent reqts adds value ==> need continuous innovation DEMINGS FOURTEEN POINTS Create constancy of purpose for improvement of product and service. Adopt the new philosophy poor quality cannot be tolerated. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. End the practice of awarding contracts on the price tag alone; work with a single supplier. Improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production, and service. Institute training on the job. Adopt and institute leadership. Drive out fear. Break down barriers among staff areas. Eliminate slogans, exhortations , and targets for workers. Eliminate numerical quotas for the workforce and numerical goals for management. Remove barriers that rob people of their pride of workmanship. Eliminate the annual rating or merit system. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement for everyone. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING Statistical quality control technique, where a random sample is taken from a lot, and upon the results of the sample taken the lot will either be rejected or accepted. Accept lot Ready for customers Reject lot Not suitable for customers Statistical process control determine if in acceptable limits Purposes Determine the quality level of an incoming shipment or, at the end production Ensure that the quality level is within the level that has been predetermined TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTAINENENCE Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is an approach to managing physical assets that emphasizes the importance of operator involvement in making equipment reliable Management has always held an operator accountable for production output. More than ever, that person is also responsible now for product quality Many factors affect how well that can be achieved, including the way in which the workplace is organized as well as the equipments effectiveness. When several people are involved, producing quality depends on teamwork The prime objectives of TPM are to: Maximize equipment effectiveness and productivity and eliminate all machine losses Create a sense of ownership in equipment operators through a program of training and involvement Promote continuous improvement through small-group activities involving production, engineering, and maintenance personnel PARETO CHART Method of prioritizing problems or causes by frequency of occurrence or cost Based in the 80-20 rule: 80% of the problem is caused by 20% of the sources â€Å"Vital few† and â€Å"trivial many† Depicted by a vertical bar graph arranged from left to right descending order Advantages of a Pareto Chart Focuses efforts on problems with greatest potential for improvement Distinguishes the critical causes from the less significant causes Helps prevent â€Å"shifting the problem† where the solution removes some causes but worsens others Measure the impact of improvement projects when comparing charts â€Å"before† and â€Å"after† The chart shows the relative importance of problems in a simple, quickly interpreted, visual format. Progress is measured in a highly visible format that provides incentive to push on for more improvement. SIX SIGMA Analyze Challenge of identifying best practices Overuse of statistical tools/ under use of practical knowledge Challenge of developing hypotheses Improve Challenge of developing ideas to remove root causes Difficulty of implementing solutions Control Lack of follow up by Managers/ Process Owners Lack of continuous Voice of the Customer feedback Failure to institutionalize continuous improvement. Benefits of Six Sigma Generates sustained success Sets performance goal for everyone Enhances value for customers; Accelerates rate of improvement; Promotes learning across boundaries; Executes strategic change

Leadership and Learning

In his life, the writer of this paper was able to know several leaders who are both supportive and excellent in their own ways of leadership. As a result, the writer decided to take bits of their styles to learn from and implement into his own eclectic style. Yes, basing from experience, even the bad leaders have something to teach the present learning of the new leaders of this era, certainly, they unintentionally show us what not to do. Looking back to reflect on his learning’s has enlightened the author of this paper to a plethora of areas in which the writer himself incorporated small aspects of how each of the leaders in his past have managed their employees and company. The style that the writer has come up with is one that he intends to use to produce quality management in his workplace. As for a fact, quality leadership is very important in almost any organization. The author of this paper thus defines quality leadership, or effective leadership as the innate ability to consistently motivate a staff of employees towards attaining the objective of an envisioned mission statement. However, several books authored by different leaders have many definitions of the term leadership. Within the content of this paper, the writer will illustrate the key components of quality leadership and the approaches that are taken in order to achieve it, including the different leadership styles and managerial traits. The writer will also elaborate on the plan to implement the knowledge that he has gained from the class and how it will benefit organization as well. Where to begin In order to evaluate what styles to implement, the writer needed to determine what theories and approaches would benefit him in upholding the mission statement in his current position. An organization trying to live up to its mission statement needs individuals who are effective and competent leaders. Thus, in order to have good leaders,   an organization has to have a clear and concise vision as to where it wants to be. As stated in the text, â€Å"like definitions of leadership, conceptions of leadership effectiveness differ from one writer to another† (Yukl, 2006, 9). In the writer’s perspective, an effective leader must recognize what is minor and what needs to be strongly improved within the existing management and leadership systems within an organization. In order to attain the level of quality and effectiveness that the organization deems acceptable, certain behaviors must be displayed. These characteristics should be congruent to being more proficient in pursuing and achieving the objectives of the entire organization. The first behavior to be discussed is the participative leadership. This style of leadership works extremely well in a setting such as the correctional facility that the author of this paper is working with. This approach as indicated by the book, â€Å"participative leadership, delegation and empowerment are subjects that bridge the power and behavior approaches to leadership† (Yukl, 2006, 82). This style can be exercised in particular, through engaging oneself in a constant dialogue with his peers, subordinates, administrators, team members, and outside treatment providers. As an effective leader using participative leadership, the writer would continually ask questions, probing all levels of the facility for input to ensure that everyone feels empowered and involved. This particular approach has worked well for the author thus far; as for a fact, it has earned the respect of his subordinates and peers as well towards his position in the organization. Earning respect has created a record of success that has propelled the author into a new position with higher responsibility in the face of uncertainty. Being a participative leader has allowed him a little breathing room in a period of upheaval at his own facility. Using this approach has instilled self-confidence in the writer’s subordinates, making them effective followers (Yukl, 2006, 137). Having effective followers has led to a decline in late night emergency calls, or calls to deal with otherwise trivial issues with a youth or any client that the organization deals with particularly. The staff now being effective followers will take the initiative and make decisions to deal with these trivial issues. Participative leadership is the main ingredient for the writer’s successful management style. There are other contributing factors as well. Creative visioning and creating a verbal picture of expectations, instilling belief in my abilities, and influencing others to commit to maintaining our mission statement are some of the other factors attributed to my success. All these procedures coupled with a willingness to take risks, especially when faced with adversity is the recipe for an environment conducive to efficiency. Power and influence Another area of concentration to becoming a more effective leader would be the area of power and influence. In order for the writer to continue on his path to a successful career, he certainly needs to be open to new ideas, insights, and revelations that can lead to better ways of accomplishing goals. He also needs to have control over the type of power that the writer chooses and thus exercise in actual leadership performance to employ at different times. There are five base types of power in the French and Raven power model, which includes reward, coercive, legitimate, expert, and referent power. Reward power would work in attempting to maintain fidelity in the use of our evidence based curriculum as it would allow the writer the ability to reward staff members who accept the directives that the leader particularly placed on them. It may take the form of praise, cash, a good review, recommendations, choice of the next assignment, or any number of things that encourage the desired behavior from a staff member. Coercive power could prove useful as it is the opposite of reward power, but would be used differently than discipline because it is personal where discipline may not be much applicable enough to improve the organization’s structure. The subordinate can learn from discipline, where coercive power does not provide an opportunity for employee improvement by learning. Coercive power threatens subordinates with something unpleasant or even stressful so that staff will submit to the directives given. This is a power that would be used as little as possible, due to the detrimental effects it has on the respect for the leader. In the daily milieu at the writer’s facility’s legitimate power is very important because this is in compliance of the social conditioning. Most employees have the notion of rank, which is a designation of who has power over whom. This has advantages because it decreases the second-guessing of assignments and directives because employees feel obligated to comply. The next type of power expert power is one that is frequently employed by the author of this paper. This is the power that comes from knowledge and experience that is appropriate for the current situation. For example, a physician has expert power over patients due to the years and years of education, training, and practice that he or she has completed. This same individual may not have expert power in other areas, such as administration or management. Individuals with expert power may need to adjust their approach in situations where they do not have expertise, but are expected to lead. When a problem arises on the living unit and the author of this paper is called in, to make a decision, he enters a situation where he is in a position to use expert power. This is due to his years of experience, and the many training seminars he has attended over the years. This is the reason why this particular leadership power is one of the most effective preferences of the writer. Last but certainly not least is referent power. As a leader with referent power, that author is the one that others refer to In particularly owing mutual respect. This respect comes from a successful record of accomplishment over a period of time involving common interests between individuals. This is why subordinates according to the text, â€Å"comply because he/she admires or identifies with the agent and wants to gain the agent’s approval† (Yukl, 2006, 148). Having a proven record of achievements carries a tremendous amount of influence with subordinates as well as with colleagues. This mutual respect is paramount in having a positive and productive work environment. Having said all of that, the writer finds himself deciding to implement each of these types of power in order to achieve his goal of having an eclectic style of leadership. Now more than ever the writer needs to employ many different approaches and styles into his daily managerial duties. With all of the recent chaos in the writer’s facility, he has found himself behind the eight ball so to speak. The writer feels that it is important to implement all five of the different kinds of power so that he can be proficient in the appropriate use of power and have a positive influence over his subordinates. Gaining and maintaining influence over employees is a difficult task if the leader is not careful. In this situation the writer would have to first visualize specific, measurable and attainable tasks that when achieved, will allow the writer to feel affecting and appreciated by others as being a positive influence. Next, the writer would need to identify the tools, or resources, that he already possesses as an influential leader. These resources would be the factors that assist in displaying my knowledge or power in a situation. Unfortunately, due to modesty and lack of awareness many leaders do not use or are even aware of the internal tools at their disposal. In this case, the writer is well aware of his internal resources to increase his influence positively over my subordinates. Some of the tools that the writer has at his disposal are intelligence, good judgment, knowledge of the industry, past success in institutional settings, and of course charisma. In order to achieve success in using the internal tools the writer has, he would need to use proactive influence tactics (Yukl, 2006, 166). To do this the author of this paper would implement rational persuasion first. This technique involves managing his subordinates using valid, rational reasoning. When addressing employees, the writer would carefully in a clear, unemotional and orderly manner, explain issues, ideas and protocols. Then he would be sure to solicit their questions and concerns, then explain any uncertainties and proposed discrepancies in a manner that they could easily comprehend. Remaining unemotional about the objectives that need to be achieved, the subordinates would come to regard the writer as an effective leader. The Multiple linkage model gives a great starting point for growth. To be a good leader, the author of this paper must know his subordinates and be aware of their abilities, and knowledge of the task. A clear and concise job description needs to be provided for the employees to ensure clarity. As the leader, the writer would need to define the roles of subordinates and direct them on what, how, when and where to do different duties. The need for a set criterion for employees to follow is essential as Max DePree states in his text, â€Å"at times in business, the congruence of principles and practice-or their incongruence-comes sharply into focus† (DePree, 2004, 113). In laymen’s terms the defined guidelines need to be clearly defined and enforced.  Ã‚   Using this style, writer would influence subordinates to internalize the values and beliefs of the organization. Then over a period of time the subordinates would develop the desired skills and traits through choice and training. This, along with the styles, theories and approaches discussed earlier will help the writer to develop into an effective leader who through learning will have a powerful influence over the subordinates under him. Conclusion This course has given the writer many different tools that he can implement at a moment’s notice, to help him become an effective leader in his own organization.   This will have a tremendous impact on his professional life particularly in helping him in continuously upholding his integrity in his profession. This will also help him maintain congruence and consistency in his personal life. The writer has come to realize that there is no secret recipe or any formula to become an effective leader. It is a process of trial and error, successes and failures. Thus, the author of this paper can never stop trying, and with practice, he will certainly increase his chances of success in leadership by absorbing all the information that is passed on to him by other leaders who ought to inspire him continuously. It is important for the writer to remember that no one style of leadership is appropriate for every occasion or situation. In addition, the author of this paper must ensure his awareness of a situation and how others perceive his approach. There must be readiness to choose the leadership style that is the most appropriate for the occasion. When a leader has the proper tools in place to effectively run a department, or facility they can use these tools for guiding the organization towards its mission statement. Since beginning this class my awareness of how remarkable the art of leadership is has grown immensely. The writer can now say without a doubt that he has chosen the correct career path. References: DePree, Max. (2004) Leadership is an art; New York, NY: Random House Inc. Yukl, Gary. (2006) Leadership in Organizations; Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.               

Prons and Cons of Corporate Reporting Essay

We succinctly lay out arguments put forth both for and against the regulation of corporate disclosure and standard-setting. We then examine current developments suggesting that accounting standard-setting is at risk of becoming entangled in a web of political forces with potentially significant consequences. The crisis has brought into sharp focus the reality that the regulation of corporate reporting is just one piece of a larger regulatory configuration, and that forces are at play that would subjugate accounting standard-setting to broader regulatory demands. Recent actions by the European Commission relating to IFRS 9 and proposed legislation in the US Congress to create a systemic risk council serve to illustrate this point. We conclude by discussing in detail the recent fair value debate as a case study of the way in which bank regulatory policy and accounting standard-setting decisions were jointly determined as a potentially socially optimal means to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis. Keywords: regulation; corporate reporting; politics 1. Introduction History attests to the influence of crisis and scandals as an impetus for regulatory intervention by politicians (Banner, 1997; Reinhart and Rogoff, 2008). After a series of scandals in the UK in the 1990s culminating in the collapse of Barings Bank, there was a dramatic shift in the structure of nnancial regulation that consolidated regulation responsibilities under the auspices of the Financial Services Authority. A wave of financial scandals epitomised by the Enron debacle catalysed swift and sweeping ciianges to US securities regulations with the passage of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. Today, in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007-2009, financial accounting standard-setting finds itself drawn into the orbit of complex political processes focused on restructuring the regulation of the world’s financial markets. The crisis has ignited woddwide debate on issues of systemic risk and the role played by financial regulation in creating and exacerbating the crisis. Proposals abound for how regulation of financial markets and financial institutions should be changed to mitigate the potential †¢The authors are at Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina. This paper has been prepared for presentation and discussion at the Information for Better Markets Conference, sponsored by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, 14-15 December 2009. We thank Dan Amiram, Mary Barth, Elieia Cowins, Martien Lubberink, Brian Singleton-Green and Steve Zeff for helpful comments. Correspondence should be addressed to: Professor Robert Bushman, Kenan-Flagler Business School, The Unversity of North Carolina, CB #3490, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3490, USA. E-mail: Bushman@unc. edu. for such large-scale financial meltdowns in the fixture. The scope of regulatory issues under debate spans many aspects of the financial system, including the alleged role played by financial accounting standards in deepening the trajectory of the crisis. The crisis has energised politicians, regulators, and economists to scrutinise financial accounting standards as never before, creating significant pressure for change (see, e. g. G-20, 2009). Given mounting momentum for potentially far reaching regulatory change, this is an opportune moment to step back and carefiilly consider how to organise the analysis of efticient regulatory choice.

THE IMPACT OF FEEDBACK ENVIRONMENT ON EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 21 Words: 6432 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? This research paper examines the effect of feedback environment on employee commitment, with role clarity being the mediating variable in the public and private sectors organizations of Islamabad Rawalpindi city. From the previous researches a link was found between feedback environment and employee commitment at workplace, this study attempts to explore this link in the context of Islamabad. To create employee commitment amongst organizational members has become increasingly important in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dynamic business environment, because this factor leads to employee retention and a low degree of turnover. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "THE IMPACT OF FEEDBACK ENVIRONMENT ON EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT" essay for you Create order For this study a sample size of 200 was taken and different private and public sector organizations were covered in the research work. The research was of hypothesis-testing in nature and responses were collected using standardized questionnaires for each variable. All three variables supervisory and coworker feedback and role clarity proved to be positively associated with employee commitment; with the feedback from coworker source being the strongest in creating employee commitment followed by role clarity and feedback from supervisor source. The mediating effect of role clarity was not found to be significant and there is still an opportunity for further research in this area to explore this link. However the positive association of role clarity with employee commitment represents its importance in creating employee commitment, though its contribution is small, but this very dimension must not be ignored by the managers of the 21st century. Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION It has become necessary for business firms to satisfy all of their major stakeholders (consumers, employees, clients etc) to remain competitive in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dynamic business environment. The satisfaction and commitment level of a firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s employees is of key importance in determining its human resource strength, which in turn leads to their retention and make an organization able to satisfy the needs of its customers, consumers and clients in both the production and service sectors. Many variables have an impact on the level of commitment of a firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s employees, some of which are job satisfaction level (with intrinsic and extrinsic factors), the quality of leader-member exchange and the overall feedback environment that an employee works in. Many researchers put emphasis on providing feedback to employees in order to satisfy them and consider providing feedback to employees to be essential for maintaining and increasing employee motivation and satisfaction. Traditionally the yearly formal performance appraisal/review in private sector organizations and Annual Confidential Report (ACR) in public sector organizations have been considered as the ideal platform for higher authorities (departmental/organizational heads, supervisors, immediate bosses) to provide feedback to employees about how they view their performance. But employees generally report problems and shortfalls regarding the current methodologies used to asses their performance and characterize the overall process as being too much restricted to a performance appraisal period and involving only one feedback source (departmental/organizational heads, supervisors, and immediate bosses). A qualitative case study by Longenecker and Nykodym (1996) in the public sector illustrated some of the problems associated with traditional performance appraisal method. Employees noted that feedback in performance appraisal was problematic for improving employee motivation and performance, and as a communications tool to improve the manager/subordinate relationship and suggested that managers should: make more time available for providing performance feedback, increase their knowledge of actual performance, better clarify performance expectations, put greater emphasis on employee development, not dwell on negatives, provide more ongoing feedback, and increase two-way communication These suggestions indicate that supervisors/immediate bosses might adopt a number of specific behaviors to support feedback processes in the organization, which in turn might lead to an enhanced manager/subordinate relationship and increased employee satisfaction and hence employee commitment. Here we can see that feedback only after some specified interval and through formal sessions is not sufficient to improve work outcomes (job satisfaction, productivity, employee commitment, organizational citizenship behavior etc). Considering this very fact; Steelman, Levy and Snell (2004) proposed a scale, known as Feedback Environment Scale (FES) with a validation study to demonstrate how different facets of feedback sources (supervisor and coworkers) constitute the overall feedback environment within an organization. This new instrument measures a much more comprehensive view of the feedback environment and is more relevant to the organizations of today and the responsibilities of 21st-cent ury managers. FES may also be defined as a multifaceted construct with two major factors (Supervisor and Coworker) manifested in seven facets. Together, these seven facets reflect the contextual aspects surrounding the transmission of job performance feedback on a recurrent or daily basis (Steelman et al, 2004). In general; Employee commitment is oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s psychological attachment to his or her organizations. The higher the level of Employee Commitment of an individual, the lower are the chances of his/her psychological and physical job withdrawal. Moreover; committed employees are generally productive and go beyond their job descriptions in improving their organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s products and services. Researchers have found a positive link between Feedback Environment Scale and Employee commitment. This link is mediated by a third variable called Role Clarity, which is defined as the subjective feeling of having as much or not as much role relevant information as the person would like to have Lyons (1971). This study is aimed to explore this link in a Pakistani context and more specifically in the context of Islamabad, After the confirmation of such a link, mangers can adopt a number of measures to improve employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ satisfaction, their level of productivity and employee commitment. Research Objectives To measure the level of performance feedback (from supervisors and coworkers) received by the employees of different organizations, both of public and private sector operating in Islamabad city. To Measure the level of employee commitment of employees working in different organizations To explore the link between feedback environment and employee commitment To suggest specific measures to be adopted in order to increase the overall feedback environment and employee commitment in organizations Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Feedback Environment In the past, the feedback environment has been defined as the type of job performance information that employees perceive as being available to them (Herold Parsons, 1985).but according to the refined and most up-to-date definition; the feedback environment refers to the contextual aspects of day-to-day supervisor-subordinate and coworker-coworker feedback processes rather than to the formal performance appraisal feedback session (Steelman et al, 2004). Consequently, up to now, an organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s feedback environment has been defined as the amount and availability of positive and negative feedback from different sources (Steelman et al, 2004). 2.2 Measurement of Feedback Environment Feedback environment in an organization is measured through a new multifaceted instrument, the Feedback Environment Scale (FES), which helps inform the feedback process in organizations. This new instrument measures a much more comprehensive view of the feedback environment and is more relevant to the organizations of today and the responsibilities of 21st-century managers. FES may also be defined as a multifaceted construct with two major factors (Supervisor and Coworker) manifested in seven facets. Together, these seven facets reflect the contextual aspects surrounding the transmission of job performance feedback on a recurrent or daily basis (Steelman et al, 2004). It is clear that employees receive feedback information from various sources (Greller, 1980; Morrison, 1993) but some authors suggest that supervisor and coworker feedback sources are the most practical and relevant from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s point of view (Ashford, 1989). Thus, the FES postulates two factors called Supervisor Source and Coworker Source and the following seven specific facets within each of those source factors: source credibility, feedback quality, feedback delivery, frequency of favorable feedback, frequency of unfavorable feedback, source availability, and promoting feedback seeking (Steelman et al, 2004). Source Credibility is conceptualized as the feedback sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s expertise and trustworthiness (Giffin, 1967). Consistency and usefulness have been demonstrated to be important aspects of feedback quality (Greller, 1980; Hanser Muchinsky, 1978; Herold, Liden, Leatherwood, 1987). A feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s perceptions of the sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s intentions in giving feedback will affect reactions and responses to the feedback (Fedor, Eder, Buckley, 1989). Favorable feedback is conceptualized as the perceived frequency of positive feedback such as compliments from supervisors and/or coworkers when from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s view, his or her performance does in fact warrant positive feedback. Correspondingly, unfavorable feedback is conceptualized as the perceived frequency of negative feedback such as expressions of dissatisfaction and criticism from supervisors and/or coworkers when from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s vi ew, his or her performance warrants such feedback (Steelman et al, 2004). Supervisor and/or coworker source availability is operationalized as the perceived amount of contact an employee has with his or her supervisor and/or coworkers and the ease with which feedback can be obtained (Steelman et al, 2004). Feedback seeking is defined as the extent to which the environment is supportive or unsupportive of feedback seeking. It is the extent to which employees are encouraged or rewarded for seeking feedback and the degree to which employees feel comfortable asking for performance feedback (Williams et al, 1999). 2.3 Role Clarity Lyons (1971) defines role clarity as the subjective feeling of having as much or not as much role relevant information as the person would like to have. The importance of having role clarity (knowing the tasks and expectations of a job) has been shown in previous research that used both emotional and performance-related measures (Abramis, 1994; Jackson Schuler, 1985; Tubre Collins, 2000). Role clarity is a prerequisite for harmonious interactions with others in the role set (Mcgrath, 1976). The absence of role clarity leads to stress, intrapersonal tension and lowered job satisfaction (Cooper, Sloan Williams, 1988; Hall, 2004). Breaugh Colihan (1994) defined role ambiguity to be job ambiguity and indicated that job ambiguity possesses three distinct aspects: work methods, scheduling, and performance criteria. 2.4 Employee Commitment It is recognized that an employees commitment to an organization can be expressed in three particular ways: affective, continuance, and normative. Affective commitment is focused on an emotional attachment to the organization (Herscovitch, 2002). On the other hand, continuance commitment is when an employee stays with an organization based on a perceived cost of leaving (Herscovitch, 2002). In this case, the employee is staying because he/she thinks it will cost more to go find work elsewhere. Lastly, normative commitment refers to an employees moral obligation to stay with the organization (Herscovitch, 2002). This can arise due to the employee feeling that the organization has treated him/her well and therefore, he/she owes the organization a continued period of employment. In one sense, each type of commitment somewhat ties the individual to the organization; however, each impacts differently on the manner in which the employee conducts him/herself in the workplace. For example, a n employee with an affective commitment will often go above and beyond what is required of his/her position in order to assist the organization in meeting its goals. Employees with high affective commitment tend to be absent from work less frequently and display a higher work motivation and organizational citizenship (McShane, 2001). Continuance commitment, however, is negatively related to performance whereby employees tend to do simply what is required, have higher rates of absenteeism, and low motivation (Johns and Saks, 1996). 2.5 Feedback Environment, Role Clarity/Ambiguity and Employee Commitment Over recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the effects of the feedback environment on work-related outcomes (e.g. Norris-Watts Levy, 2004; Rosen et al., 2006). A favorable feedback environment is positively related to supervisory reported organizational citizenship behavior and that this relationship is partially mediated by affective commitment (Norris-Watts Levy, 2004). Another study tested a mediated model suggesting that the effects of the feedback environment on job satisfaction, and supervisory rated in-role and extra-role performance are mediated by perceptions of organizational politics. In general, this model was supported, again demonstrating the relationship between the feedback environment and several work-related outcomes (Rosen et al., 2006). A field experiment conducted by Tziner and Latham (1989) revealed increased work satisfaction and employee commitment when a goal-setting and feedback program was introduced, but it is not possible to draw the concl usion that this effect emanates from feedback only. Researchers have found a relationship between feedback and role ambiguity (Herold et al, 1987, Peiro et al, 1994, Sawyer, 1992, Teas, 1983, Vredenburgh, 1983). So, even though previous studies lend support to the hypothesis that feedback affects attitudes towards work, there is also a possibility that the uncertainty reducing effect of feedback is the link between feedback and work attitudes, through the intervening influence of role ambiguity. Resultantly, there is also support to hypothesize that feedback only indirectly affects attitude towards work with role ambiguity as a mediating variable (Anders et al, 1999). Mathieu Zajac (1990) conducted a meta-analysis of 48 studies and found that overall employee commitment was low when employees were unsure about what was expected of them (Role Ambiguity). In nine studies, Dunham, Grube, Castaneda (1994) found that employees understanding about the significance of their tasks were somewhat positively related to affective commitment, but not related to normative or continuance commitment. Workers need role clarity to be able to navigate on their own. To improve the opportunity for self feedback there appears a need to strengthen the connection between the individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s work and the organizational goals (Anders et al, 1999). Chapter 3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK On the basis of literature review, a relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment was found, being mediated by a third variable, Role Clarity. The following hypothetical link between the variables was drawn and tested. 3.1 Operational Definitions 3.1.1 Feedback Environment (Independent Variable) Feedback Environment has been taken as the independent variable for this study which is defined by Steelman et al (2004) as the amount and availability of positive and negative feedback from different sources. As the feedback environment in organizations is generally measured using the Feedback environment Scale (FES) proposed by Steelman et al (2004), the same will be employed to measure the quality of feedback environment that takes into account two major feedback sources which are: Supervisor source Coworker source Feedback from each source has seven dimensions which are: 3.1.1.1- Source credibility Giffin (1967) defined source credibility as the feedback sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s expertise and trustworthiness. Perception of trustworthiness an individual imparts to other people. Factors that influence source credibility are expertise and reputation for honesty. 3.1.1.2- Feedback quality Feedback quality refers to its consistency and usefulness which are important aspects of feedback (Greller, 1980; Hanser Muchinsky, 1978; Herold, Liden, Leatherwood, 1987). 3.1.1.3- Feedback delivery It refers to the feedback environment in terms of sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s consideration and intentions in his or her delivery of the feedback (Steelman et al 2004). In simple words this dimension is related to the extent of empathy of the feedback source. 3.1.1.4- Favorable feedback Steelman et al (2004) defined favorable feedback as the perceived frequency of positive feedback such as compliments from supervisors and/or coworkers when from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s view, his or her performance does in fact warrant positive feedback 3.1.1.5- Unfavorable feedback Unfavorable feedback is conceptualized as the perceived frequency of negative feedback such as expressions of dissatisfaction and criticism from supervisors and/or coworkers when from the feedback recipientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s view, his or her performance warrants such feedback (Steelman et al, 2004). 3.1.1.6- Source availability Supervisor and/or coworker source availability is defined as the perceived amount of contact an employee has with his or her supervisor and/or coworkers and the ease with which feedback can be obtained (Steelman et al, 2004). 3.1.1.7- Promoting feedback seeking Williams et al (1999) defined Feedback seeking is defined as the extent to which the environment is supportive or unsupportive of feedback seeking. It is the extent to which employees are encouraged or rewarded for seeking feedback and the degree to which employees feel comfortable asking for performance feedback Responses about each dimension relating to both the sources will be gathered using the FES Questionnaire, proposed by Steelman et al (2004) in their validation study of the FES. 3.2 Employee Commitment (Dependent Variable) For the purpose of this study employee commitment has been defined as an employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s psychological attachment to his/her organization. Mainly the three component model of employee commitment by Herscovitch (2002) is used, which says that the commitment level itself consists of three parts; affective, continuance and normative commitment. Somers (1995) defined Affective commitment as an employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s emotional attachment to an organizational goals and values. Normative commitment is a perceived duty to support the organization and its activities, whereas; continuance commitment is however interacted with affective commitment in predicting job withdrawal intentions and absenteeism. The level of employee commitment was measured using the employee commitment questionnaire by John Meyer Natalie Allen (1991). Figure 3.1: The Theoretical Relationship between Feedback Environment and Employee Commitment with the Mediating Effect of Role Clarity/Ambiguity 3.3 Role Clarity/Ambiguity (Mediating Variable) Role clarity is defined as the subjective feeling of having as much or not as much role relevant information as the person would like to have Lyons (1971). Or simply knowing the tasks and expectations of oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s job is known as Role Clarity. From the previous studies there appeared a relationship between feedback and employee commitment with the mediating effect of role clarity/ambiguity, and it was conceived in this study that the quality of feedback environment leads to role clarity or ambiguity as feedback serves the purpose of clarifying an employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role which leads to employee commitment (Mathieu Zajac 1990, Dunham, Grube, Castaneda 1994). Role Clarity was measured using the standardized questionnaire proposed by Rizzo et al (1970). 3.4 Hypotheses: The following seven hypotheses were tested to explore the link between the following: Supervisory Feedback and Subordinateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Role Clarity Coworker Feedback and Incumbentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Role Clarity Feedback Environment and Employee commitment Role Clarity and Employee commitment 3.5 Hypotheses Statements Hypothesis 1: Ho: There is no relationship between supervisory feedback and subordinateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role clarity Hypothesis 1: H1: There is a relationship between supervisory feedback and subordinateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role clarity Hypothesis 2: Ho: There is no relationship between coworker feedback and employee role clarity Hypothesis 2: H1: There is a relationship between coworker feedback and employee role clarity Hypothesis 3: Ho: There is no relationship between feedback environment and employee role clarity Hypothesis 3: H1: There is a relationship between feedback environment and employee role clarity Hypothesis 4: Ho: There is no relationship between supervisory feedback and employee commitment Hypothesis 4: H1: There is a relationship between supervisory feedback and employee commitment Hypothesis 5: Ho: There is no relationship between coworker feedback and employee commitment Hypothesis 5: H1: There is a relationship between coworker feedback and employee commitment Hypothesis 6: Ho: There is no relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment Hypothesis 6: H1: There is a relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment Hypothesis 7: Ho: There is no relationship between employee role clarity and employee commitment Hypothesis 7: H1: There is a relationship between employee role clarity and employee commitment Chapter 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design is a master plan specifying the methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing needed information. Having identified the variables of the study and developing the theoretical framework, the next step was to design the research in a way that the required data could be gathered and analyzed to arrive at a solution. A Survey was conducted, based on a questionnaire. The term questionnaire refers to a list of questions, usually printed, and submitted for replies that can be analyzed for usable information. 4.1 Purpose of the Study The research was of hypothesis-testing in nature. The characteristics of variables and their relationship were defined in the previous section. Hypotheses were formulated on the basis of relationships between the two main variables (feedback environment and employee commitment). Researches have shown that there is positive relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment. Those studies were conducted in different parts of the world and the current research is based on the hypotheses which are to be tested to find if there is a positive relationship between the said variables. 4.2 Type of Investigation The purpose of our research was to find out if there is relation between variables, the type of investigation chosen was correlation. 4.3 Extent of Researcher Interference with the Study The primary data was collected through the questionnaire. The data was collected in natural environment and the researcherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s interference was minimal. 4.4 Study Settings The research was conducted in natural environment where work proceeds normally, i.e. in non-contrived settings. The study was based on Field Experiment where all activities were occurring in natural work environment. 4.5 Unit of Analysis In this study, individuals were studied separately. Research team studied the feedback received from the two sources (supervisor and coworker) and through the questionnaire investigated the relevant variables and their relationship. 4.6 Sampling A sample is a subset of a larger population that contains its major characteristics. In this step the following decisions were taken: Who is to be sampled (sampling unit) How large a sample should be (sample size) How will sample units be selected (sampling technique) 4.7 Sampling Unit To get the representation from all levels of management and all types of organizations, employees form each layer of management were selected as sample from different organizations ranging from manufacturing to service, both from public and private sectors. Responses were gathered from the employees of the following organizations: Askari Bank, Balochistan Teachersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Training Academy, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Cantonment Hospital, Chiltan Ghee Mills, Civil Secretariat, Concern Worldwide, Habib Bank Ltd, Mercy Crops, National Bank, PTCL, Islamabad Electric Supply Company (QESCO), SME Bank, Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGC), Telecard, Telenor, UNDP and Warid Telecom 4.8 Sample Size The sample size for the study was 200. Employees from each of the above-mentioned organization were asked to respond the questionnaires. 4.9 Sampling Technique Probability sampling was used for the research; in such type of sampling each member of population has an equal chance of becoming a sample. 4.10 The Questionnaire The Questionnaire had the following sections: 4.10.1 Section-1 (Demographics) The first section investigated about the respondentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s demographical characteristics including: Age Gender Marital Status Qualification Managerial level Nature of work Experience in years The respondents were not asked to mention their names or disclose their identity and it was ensured to keep the information confidential. 4.10.2 Section-2 3 (Supervisory and Coworker Feedback Measurement) These sections contained questions about the supervisory and coworker feedback received by the respondents focusing on the following dimensions: Source credibility Feedback quality Feedback delivery Favorable feedback Unfavorable feedback Source availability Promoting feedback seeking The items of this section were obtained from the validation study of feedback environment (Steelman et al, 2004). 4.10.3 Section-4 (Employee commitment Measurement) This section contained questions about the level of employee commitment of the respondents. 4.10.4 Section-5 (Role Clarity Measurement) This section contained questions measuring the Role Clarity of the respondents. 4.11 Data Collection In this phase the research moved from papers to the field. Data was gathered in the form of responses from the respondents. Questionnaire was used as a tool to collect data and 100% of the respondents were surveyed through it. As mentioned above different organizations from public and private sector were visited to collect the responses. Questionnaires were distributed and taken back from the respondents after two to three days. Total time taken to complete the data collection process was two weeks. The respondents were guided about filling the questionnaires and the queries were responded properly. Chapter 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5. Hypothesis Testing All seven hypotheses of the study were tested on the following parameters: Confidence level: (1-ÃŽÂ ±) = 0.95 (95%) Level of Significance: ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05 Statistic used: t-statistic Sample size: n = 200 Table 5.1: Results of Hypothesis Testing Hypotheses t-calculated t-tabulated Computation Result 1 2.20 +1.96 tcalttab Rejected Ho 2 1.97 +1.96 tcalttab Rejected Ho 3 2.13 +1.96 tcalttab Rejected Ho 4 3.74 +1.96 tcalttab Rejected Ho 5 6.88 +1.96 tcalttab Rejected Ho 6 6.18 +1.96 tcalttab Rejected Ho 7 1.99 +1.96 tcalttab Rejected Ho Where: tcal = the calculated value of t-statistic ttab = the tabulated value of t-statistic It is clear from the results of table 5.1, that all seven alternative hypotheses were accepted as the value of t-calculated found be higher than the value of t-tabulated regarding each hypothesis. This shows that there is a link between each of the independent variable (feedback from supervisor and coworker source, feedback environment and role clarity) with the dependent variable (employee commitment). 5.1 Correlation Analysis The second analysis involved regressing each of the predictors on the outcome variable i.e. employee commitment. The results are presented in table 5.2 A correlation matrix was developed for Supervisory Feedback, Coworker feedback and Role clarity with Employee Commitment. According to the results, all the three variables were positively associated with Employee Commitment. The association represents a positive linear relationship between the dependent variable; Employee Commitment and each of the independent variables. Table 5.2: Correlation Matrix for Employee Commitment Variable Supervisory Feedback Coworker feedback Role Clarity Commitment Supervisory Feedback 1.000 0.534** 0.123** 0.257** Coworker feedback 0.534** 1.000 0.139** 0.439** Role Clarity 0.123** 0.139** 1.000 0.097** Commitment 0.257** 0.439** 0.097** 1.000 ** p.01 Coworker feedback was most strongly associated with Employee Commitment (0.439), followed by supervisory feedback (0.257) and role clarity (0.097). All relationships were statistically significant at p 0.01. The correlation analysis of employee commitment as shown in table 5.1 indicates that all the associations (between x and y variables) were positive. This signifies that a positive linear relationship exists between x and y variable. Coworker feedback was most strongly related with employee commitment, followed by role clarity and supervisory feedback. All relations were statistically significant at 0.01 levels. 5.3 Regression Analysis The value of R2 was 0.195. The first independent variable, coworker feedback [0.419, P 0.05] made the highest contribution to the model, the findings suggest that the coworkersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ feedback matters most in creating employee commitment. Table 5.3: Regression Analysis of Feedback Environment at workplace (Dependent Variable= Employee Commitment Variable Coefficient Standard Error Standardized Beta Intercept 1.783** 0.262 - Supervisory Feedback 0.029** 0.077 0.029 Coworker feedback 0.388** 0.071 0.419 Role Clarity 0.009** 0.016 0.036 Note: R2= 0.195; F-value=15.803 ** p.05 The second variable, role clarity feedback [0.036, p0.05] was also statistically significant, contributing towards employee commitment. The last variable supervisory feedback (0.029) contributed the least amount towards employee commitment and is statistically significant at p0.05. 5.3 Mediation of Role Clarity As there was no significant difference in the regression results of employee commitment with and without role clarity and the value of R2 0.193 with role clarity being the mediating variable did not have a noteworthy difference therefore; no or very less mediating effect of role clarity in creating employee commitment was found. When studied as a single independent variable with employee commitment; role clarity proved to be contributing notably towards employee commitment 5.4 Graphical Representation of Linear Equations For the purpose of better understanding of relationships between independent and dependent variables for the overall model and the individual relationships between each independent and the dependent variable/s; general linear equations are made and graphically represented. Y= Commitment X1= Supervisor Source X2= Coworker Source X3= Role Clarity X4= Feedback Environment E= Error Term Regression Equation: Y= ÃŽÂ ²o+ÃŽÂ ²1X1+ ÃŽÂ ²2X2+ ÃŽÂ ²3X3+E 5.4.1 Supervisory Feedback vs. Employee Commitment The graph shown below represents the relationship between supervisory feedback and employee commitment. X-axis represents supervisory feed back and Y-axis represents employee commitment. The Graph shows positive correlation between the two variables i.e. if one variable increases; the other variable also increases in the same direction. Y= ÃŽÂ ²o+ ÃŽÂ ²1X1+E Figure 5.1: Supervisory Feedback vs. Employee Commitment 5.4.2 Coworker Feedback vs. Employee Commitment The graph shown below represents the relationship between coworker feedback and employee commitment. X-axis represents coworker feedback and Y-axis represents employee commitment. The Graph shows positive correlation between the two variables i.e. if one variable increases; the other variable also increases in the same direction. Y= ÃŽÂ ²o+ÃŽÂ ²2X2+E Figure 5.2: Coworker Feedback vs. Employee Commitment 5.4.3 Feedback Environment vs. Employee Commitment The graph shown below represents the relationship between feedback environment and employee commitment. X-axis represents feedback environment and y-axis represents employee commitment. The Graph shows positive correlation between the two variables i.e. if one variable increases; the other variable also increases in the same direction. Y= ÃŽÂ ²o+ÃŽÂ ²4X4+E Figure 5.3: Feedback Environment vs. Employee Commitment 5.4.4 Feedback Environment vs. Role clarity The graph shown below represents the relationship between feedback environment and role clarity. X-axis represents feedback environment and y-axis represents role clarity. The Graph shows positive correlation between the two variables i.e. if one variable increases; the other variable also increases in the same direction Y1 = Role Clarity Y1 = ÃŽÂ ²o+ÃŽÂ ²4X4+E Figure 5.4: Feedback Environment vs. Role Clarity 5.4.5 Role Clarity vs. Employee Commitment The graph shown below represents the relationship between role clarity and employee commitment. X-axis represents role clarity and y-axis represents employee commitment. The graph shows positive correlation between the two variables i.e. if one variable increases; the other variable also increases in the same direction Y= ÃŽÂ ²o+ÃŽÂ ²3X3+E Figure 5.5: Role Clarity vs. Employee Commitment 5.4.6 Supervisory Feedback vs. Role Clarity The graph shown below represents the relationship between Supervisory Feedback and Role Clarity. X-axis represents Supervisory Feedback and y-axis represents Role Clarity. The graph shows positive correlation between the two variables i.e. if one variable increases; the other variable also increases in the same direction Y1 = Role Clarity Y3= ÃŽÂ ²o+ÃŽÂ ²1X1+E Figure 5.6: Supervisory Feedback vs. Role Clarity 5.4.7 Coworker Feedback vs. Role Clarity The graph shown below represents the relationship between Coworker Feedback and Role Clarity. X-axis represents Coworker Feedback and y-axis represents Role Clarity. The graph shows positive correlation between the two variables i.e. if one variable increases; the other variable also increases in the same direction Y2 = Role Carity Y3= ÃŽÂ ²o+ÃŽÂ ²2X2+E Figure 5.7: Coworker Feedback vs. Role Clarity Chapter 6 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS The research was based on hypothesis-testing and several hypotheses were proposed to test the relationship between supervisory feedback, coworker feedback (The Feedback Environment), role clarity [independent variables] and employee commitment (dependent variable). The results verified that a positive relationship exists between the independent and dependent variable/s in the model and all seven alternative hypotheses proved to be true. The strongest bonding of employee commitment was found to be with coworker feedback, which is a very important feedback source in organizational context. Role clarity was the second most important variable in creating employee commitment and the third variable causing employee commitment was supervisory feedback. According to the basic model of research, Supervisory and coworker feedback have the dimensions of, source credibility, feedback quality, feedback delivery, favorable feedback, unfavorable feedback, source availability and promote feedback seeking. From the statistical results it can be interpreted that different organizations in Islamabad city are low on each of the seven above-mentioned dimensions with respect to supervisory feedback and the resulting level of commitment with supervisory feedback is low. On the other hand coworker source is more valuable for employees and is substantially rich on each of its dimensions, resultantly contributing a greater amount towards employee commitment. As per the results of the research, Role Clarity also contributed towards employee commitment and was the second strongest variable in causing employee commitment in the overall model, which means that employees must know their jobs in terms of authority, guidelines, expectations and the importance of their job in the achievement of overall organizational objectives. Overall the research suggests that the theoretical model shown in figurer 3.1 represents that feedback environment has a positive impact on employee commitment. From the research it can be derived safely that employees of different organizations in Islamabad city are receiving a low amount and quality of feedback from their supervisors (immediate bosses, departmental or organizational heads) and a relatively higher quality and amount of feedback from their coworkers. Thus, the quality and amount of feedback received by both the sources are critical factors in creating employee commitment. Supervisory and coworker feedback jointly forms the overall feedback environment for an employee to work in, which is a controlled factor and can be improved in a systematic manner. Recommendations Based on the findings of the research named à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the impact of feedback environment on employee commitmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, conducted in Islamabad city, it is recommended that: 6.1 Coworker Feedback: Coworkers are important source of feedback to an employee and he/she gets useful input from them in the form of suggestions, techniques, performance discussions etc; therefore; firms must improve coworkersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ feedback process and the quality of peer-to-peer interactions, which can be done by arranging formal sessions of employees with experienced coworkers or by arranging a formal coaching or mentoring program. In general, a culture of providing feedback on performance should be nurtured, so that it becomes a part of the organization which can cause consistency and proper feedback on various issues ranging from individual performance to organizational productivity and performance. Through formal sessions of feedback training; employees can learn how to provide true feedback, positive and negative feedback and what should be the tone and expressions while providing feedback to others. Such training program should also focus on motivating employees about asking for perfo rmance feedback by themselves instead of waiting for others to provide them feedback. 6.2 Supervisory Feedback The amount and quality of supervisory feedback can be improved by training managers to identify flaws in the feedback culture prevailing in the organization and to provide tools and techniques to them in improving it. Major points to be emphasized in managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ feedback training should be: Making managers more expert interpersonally in treating their subordinates and being credible to their employees Providing feedback on a consistent basis rather than in formal performance appraisal sessions only Managers should consider their subordinatesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ feelings while providing feedback to them (being empathetic) Favorable and unfavorable feedback should be provided when required or when the situation warrants such feedback Managers should spend more time with their subordinates in order to understand their feedback needs and should make themselves available whenever the feedback is required by their subordinate/s Mangers should encourage their subordinates to ask for performance feedback to improve two-way communication between the two stakeholders 6.3 Role Clarity Though feedback environment serves the purpose of clarifying employees of their roles, however other methods should also be used to have employees clarified their roles, so that they can participate more and more towards organizational improvement. Some of the suggestions to improve the role clarity dimension of an employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s job are: Properly written job descriptions Orientation sessions for new employees Formal sessions to clarify organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s vision, mission, goals and policies to its employees Clear performance review standards and criteria Schedules and deadlines for different performance outcomes 6.4 Limitations of the Study The study was conducted in Islamabad city, considering the organizations working within its boundaries. Financial and time constraints did not allow the researchers to expand the sample size beyond 200 respondents. As English is not the first language of the local population, some respondents were unable to understand the questionnaire properly which might have led to responding some questions wrongly. The findings of this study might not be applied to other cities of Pakistan as Islamabad has different corporate culture as compared with other cities of the country. 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