Examining the effects of workplace characteristics on empowerment of the agricultural extension employees in new valley governorate, Egypt

Abstract EN

This research aimed to: 1) explore the workplace characteristics profile (WCP) of the agricultural extension organization in New Valley Governorate from viewpoint of the extension personnel, 2) identify the level of employees' empowerment perceived by extension personnel, and 3) ascertain the impact of workplace characteristics profile on extension personnel's empowerment.

The scale developed by Prien et al.

(2009) was used to measure WCP, as well as an adaptation of the questionnaire used by Menon (2001) was used to measure the employees' empowerment.

Data were collected using a questionnaire form during January to February 2021 from a sample of 25 persons representing 37.3 % of the total number of extension personnel (extensionists and agricultural supervisors) in New Valley Governorate.

Frequencies, percentages, mean, Pearsons' correlation and Step-wise regression analysis were used for data analysis and presentation.

Findings revealed that the overall score of respondents' perceptions of the workplace characteristics profile amounted to 221.15, which represents 73.72% of the total score, the score of the overall mean of empowerment reached 58.55 representing 78.07% of the total score.

With regard to the impact of WCP on employees' empowerment, results indicated that there are 35 correlations among WCP's factors and empowerment subscales and there are four factors of WCP (Task Standardization, Standardization of Roles, Controlling Harassment, and Communication) explain between10.1% to 57.5% of the variance on employees' empowerment subscales.