Effects of macroergonomic organization factor on consulting work system performance

Abstract

It is known that the macroergonomic organization factor can have positive effects on work systems. In this study, the direct, indirect and total effects of the macroergonomic compatibility of organization-related elements on consulting work system performance were investigated. More specifically, the effects of the compatibility of seven organization-related elements (teamwork; organizational and safety culture; coordination, collaboration and communication; work schedule; social relationships; supervision and management styles; and performance evaluation, rewards and incentives) on three consulting work system performance variables (firm performance, client and employee) were evaluated. To conduct this evaluation, twenty-one hypotheses for direct and ten hypotheses for indirect effects were proposed and validated between the variables using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Data collection regarding the considered variables was performed by a Macroergonomic Compatibility Questionnaire (MCQ) developed according to the requirements of the consulting sector. MCQ was administered among middle and senior managers of a sample of international management consulting companies operating in Turkey. The study results indicated that “supervision and management styles” has the most powerful effect on all performance categories. Furthermore, except work schedule, each of the considered elements has a significant effect with the varying degree on all performance categories. The developed SEM models may guide the decision-makers of the management consulting company to invest their resources effectively while carrying out the macroergonomic practices. In this regard, the developed model may help consulting companies to enhance service quality and increase their competitiveness in today’s business world.