Proposing a Framework for Assessing Personnel’s Idea and Suggestion Management System based on Their Usability (Case study: Lorestan Gas Company)

Authors
saeed Safari 1
moslem Haghi 2
hosein Sabzian
1 Associate Professor, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
2 . Msc in Public Administration, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The Success of organizations and corporations depends heavily on the innovation and management of personnel's ideas and suggestions. The usability as a key indicator in assessing human resources and organizational systems can help managers to ensure higher level of performance. This paper offers a framework for assessing idea and suggestion management systems based on usability in 4 proposed systems. This descriptive and analytical study was carried out during 2012-2013 in Lorestan Gas Company. Data gathering was done using a researcher-made questionnaire and the validity of questionnaire was confirmed by academicians and practitioners and its reliability was verified through conducting a pre-test in 20 participants with a Correlation Coefficient of 0.92. Results indicate that the most usable suggestion systems has the highest participation rate and the least usable ones attracted the least suggestions from personnel.
Keywords
Ideas Management
Suggestion System
User Centered Design
Usability
Personnel Participation
[1]       JokelaT.; The kessuusability design process model; University of Oulu, (online), www.tol.oulu.fi/Tokelau/KESSUUDProcessModel 2.1.pdf, pp:213-235, 2009.
[2]       Pluskowski B.; Dynamic knowledge systems; White Paper- 0602-1 Imaginatik, (online), www.imaginatik. Com, pp: 387-3952002.
[3]       Van Dijk C., Van Den EndeJ.; Suggestion systems: Transferring employee creativity into practicable ideas; R&D Management, 32(5), pp: 380-392, 2002.
[4]       VerespejM. A.; Suggestion Systems Gain New Luster; Industry Week, 24(22), pp: 11-18, 2005. 
[5]       OsmanF.; Islam in a modern state: Democracy and the concept of Shur; Occasional Paper Series, Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, History and International Affairs, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, U.S.A., pp:223-234, 2007.
[6]       WiliamC.; Suggestion from workers: Schemes andproblems; Quarterly Journal of Economics, 46(4), pp: 617-643, 2011.
[7]       صفریس.، سبزیان ح.؛ مدیریت ایده در نگاهی فرایندی؛ هفتمین همایش و جشنواره ملی نظام پیشنهادها،آذر ماه 1388.
[8]       Turrell M.; Idea management and the suggestion box; White Paper - 0802- 1© Imaginatik, (online), www. Imaginatik, pp: 18-45, 2002.
[9]                Holzinger A.; Usability engineering methods for developerssoftware”; Communication of the ACM, 48 (1), pp:71-74, 2005.
[10]   Gould J. D.;How to design usable system, In: Handbook of Human - Computer Interaction, Edited by M. Helander, Amsterdam: North Holland, pp: 213-217, 2008.
[11]   Faulkner X.; Usability engineering, London, UK: Macmillan Press Ltd, pp: 42-52, 2000.
[12]   Whiteside J.; Bennett J. Holtzblatt K.; Usability engineering: Our experience and evolution; In: Handbook of Human–Computer Interaction, Edited by M. Helander, Amsterdam: North Holland, pp: 18-32, 1988.
[13]   Nielsen J., Molich R.; Heuristic evaluation of user interface; Proceedings of the ACM CHI’90 Conference, Seattle: ACM, pp: 213-232, 2010.
[14]   Helms J.W.; Developing and evaluating the (LUCID/Star) usability engineering process model; Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Faculty of Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pp:38-43, 2001.
[15]   Briggs R.O., De Vreede G. I.; Meetings of the future: Enhancing group collaborationwith group support systems; Creativity and Innovation Management, 6 (2), pp: 106-116, 2011.
[16]         Ford C.; A theory of individual creative action in multiple social domains; Academy of Management Review, 21(4), pp: 1112-1142, 2006.
[17]   Farham A.; How tonurture creative sparks; Fortune, 129(1), pp: 94-100, 2004.
[18]    میر‌سعیدی فراهانی، سید م، نظام پیشنهادها در صنعت، راهکارها و چالش‌ها، انتشارات سپهر فاطمی، چاپ دوم، 1378.
[19]   ScottS. G., BruceR. A.; Determinants of innovative behavior: A path model of individual innovation in the workplace; Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), pp: 580-607, 1994.
[20]   AmabileT. M., Regina C., Heather C., Lazenby J., HerronM.; Assessing the work environment for creativity; Academy of Management Journal, 21(5), pp: 1154- 1184, 1996.
[21]   Stenmark D.; Company-wide brainstorming: Next generation suggestion systems?; Proceedings of IRIS 23, Laboratories for Interaction Technology, University of TrollhättanUddevalla, (online), www.viktoria.se/results/result_files/141. pdf, 2000.
[22]   Robinson A.G., Schroeder D.M.; Ideas are free; San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishing Inc, pp: 213-292, 2003.
[23]    شیخ‌محمدی م.، تولیت زواره م،؛ «مدیریت مشارکت‌پذیر بر‌اساس نظام پیشنهادها»؛ انستیتو ایزایران،چاپ سوم، 1384.
[24]   Axtell C. M., Holman D. J., UnsworthK. L., WallT. D., WatersonP. E.; Shop floor innovation: Facilitating the suggestion and implementation of ideas”; Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73(3), pp: 265-285, 2000.
[25]   Nielsen J.; Alertbox, usability 101: Introduction to usability; August 25, online),http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html, pp: 123-112, 2003.
[26]   Nielsen J.; Usability engineering; USA: Academic Press, pp: 166-187, 2006.
[27]   Nielsen J., Molich R. Heuristic evaluation of user interface; Proceedings of the ACM CHI’90 Conference, Seattle: ACM, pp: 208-213, 2010.
[28]   Kim J., Moon J.Y.; Designing towards emotional usability in customer interfaces – trustworthiness of cyber-banking system interfaces;Interacting with Computers, 10 (1), pp: 1- 29, 1998.
[29]   Cunliffe D.; Developing usable websites – a review and model; Internet Research:  Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 10(4), pp: 295-307, 2000. 
Organizational Resources Management Researches
Volume 3, Issue 1
June 2013
Pages 113-134