IMPACT OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS: THE CASE OF OMAN

IMPACT OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS: THE CASE OF OMAN
Latifa Albadi, Modern College of Business and Science, Oman

(Presented at the International Conference on Research in Education and Science (ICRES) which took place on April 27-30, 2024, in Antalya, TURKEY (https://www.2024.icres.net/) and at the nternational Conference on Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (ICEMST) (https://www.2024.icemst.com/) organized by the International Society for Technology, Education and Science (ISTES) http://www.istes.org).

This study aims to explore – from the standpoint of administrative and academic employees at the faculty of business in Sohar University - the extent to which the employees ‘engagement in decision- making increase employees’ satisfaction and employees’ commitment. In addition to revealing how employee’s engagement in decision making is perceived, the study reports on the correlation between employees’ engagement, employees’ job satisfaction, and commitment. The study assumes that employees’ engagement increases the job satisfaction and commitment. A Pragmatic philosophy underscores the research design. Data collection utilized a mixed methods case study approach with a survey administered to 47 administrative and academic staff at the faculty of business in Sohar University. The survey contains three open-ended questions aimed at bringing out valid quotes that confirm quantitative results. The quantitative component has been subjected to descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Thematic analysis was used to identify semantic patterns that cut across participants’ experience in relation to their level of engagement in the decision-making process. The findings show that Participants ‘engagement in decision making enhances their’ job satisfaction and commitment. However, it is important to note that even though the research sample was selected from one setting within Oman, which is geographically restricted, and may diminish generalizability of the findings, it opens a new prospector research in this area. Through participant voice as well as quantitative findings, this study offers insights on how employees’ engagement in decision-making impacts their job satisfaction and commitment levels. The findings provide various stakeholders such as education leaders with insights into the value of engaging their employees in the decision-making process for organizational effectiveness.