Prioritizing factors affecting the hospital employees' productivity from the hospital managers' viewpoint using integrated decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory and analytic network process

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to identify and prioritize factors affecting the hospital employees' productivity from the viewpoint of hospital managers working in the teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, in 2017. Materials and Methods: This was an applied, cross-sectional, and descriptive-analytical study conducted in 2017 in all teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. After identifying factors affecting hospital employees' productivity using the results of previous studies, all hospital managers (56 managers) were selected as the study population using census method to prioritize the factors. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and analytic network process (ANP) techniques were used for analyzing the collected data through Excel 2010 and Super Decision 2.8. Results: Fifteen factors affecting employees' productivity were determined using the results of previous studies which were classified into four clusters. The results of DEMATEL technique showed that “employees' attitude toward the organization” was the most affecting factor (r = 11.928) and also the most affected factor (c = 12.120), as well as the most important factor affecting the employees' productivity (r + c = 24.048). In addition, the results of ANP showed that the cluster of “leadership and management styles” (relative weight [RW] = 0.274) and its factors, especially “involving employees in the decision-making processes” (L1) (RW = 0.102) and “delegation of authority to the employees” (L2) (RW = 0.100) were the most important factors affecting the employees' productivity. Conclusion: According to the results, adopting an appropriate leadership style and providing participatory management, involving the employees in the hospital decision-making processes, etc., had significant effects on the increases in the employees' motivation and productivity.

Keywords

• Labor productivity
• hospital managers
• teaching hospitals
• Iran