Ethods IN Usiness Esearch: AMZ Technology

METHODS IN BUSINESS RESEARCH
AMZ Technology
“Measuring causes of coordination problems within the

department and between the departments”
Submitted by:
Sana Naveed
Umber Zareen Siddiqui

[Pick the date]
Submitted to:
Ms Faryal Salman
Date:
29th April 2007

AMZ Research
Methods in Business technology
Acknowledgement
We are extremely grateful to Almighty Allah for providing us guidance throughout this project.
Further, we are also thankful to Mr Mehmood ul Haq, CEO of AMZ Technology for giving us
the opportunity to learn something new at every step of the way and Sadaf Muslim, Coordinator
Revenue Assurance for helping us fill in the questionnaires.
We are also thankful to Mr Faryal Salman for helping and guiding us. The book, Methods of
Business Research has been of immense value in our project, for it provided us steps on how to
carry out SPSS.
2 Methods in Business Research

AMZ Research
Executive Summary
PURPOSE
The purpose of this project is to help find ways of improving coordination within and between
departments at AMZ Technologies. Also, to identify the barriers that prevents employees from
communicating effectively with their peers and senior management.
Our findings will assist the management in drawing an idea regarding the current co ordination
issues which the employees are facing. It is the belief of the top management that an external
researcher will be able to validate the results with theirs through statistical tools and the
employees may provide more honest views to an outsider. First, we conducted an interview with
the CEO of the company followed by extensive literature view from international journals. The
literature review findings served as a base for the focus group session. From the focus group
session, we identified different variables which were used to form the questionnaire. Finally, a
management and employee questionnaire survey was conducted to assess key variables that
affected inter and intra department coordination.
There are four broad hypotheses in our research, all pertaining to the research questions that were
formulated. The miscellaneous findings of the hypothesis are follows
 The employees of the top management differ that from employees.

 The top management has a more optimistic view regarding the variables we tested as compared
to the subordinates.
 The top management shows a higher level of satisfaction with a mean of 4 and above.
 Finally, the key factors which the management should keep in mind when designing their policy
is to determine a clear set of SOPs (Standard Operation Procedures).
 Tasks should be allocated on merit and potential where the salary should reflect the amount of
effort put into their work.
Recommendations we put forward to the Management are:
 The company should devise a platform through which the employees can voice their opinions
and share their grievances without the fear of being reprimanded.
 Training opportunities should be provided to employees in order to enhance their skills.
 Management should try to allocate tasks based on merit and match the tasks with their pay.
 Informal communication between employees of different departments should be encouraged as it
gives more understanding regarding each other issues.

AMZ Research
Introduction
Research Objective
“Identifying the variables that hinder inter and intra departmental coordination at AMZ
Technology”
Research Questions
RQ1: What are the barriers that employees are facing in coordinating with their peers in their
department and in other departments?
RQ2: Does the view of the top management and employees differ regarding the overall
perception of the work environment?
RQ3: Does the factors such as Employee perception of department Management work style,
Employee perception of work group function, workload and equal opportunities affect inter and
intra department coordination?
RQ4: The management is content with the organizational co ordination as compared to the
employees.

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Conceptual background
The traditional literature on organization views hierarchy as a source of coordination (public

administration review, SeptS/Oct, 1998, vol; 58, no:5,inter organizational coordination
administrative consolidation and policy performance). Initially, AMZ technology followed this
philosophy but in the past few years it has revamped its organizational structure and significantly
reduced the number of layers. Basic research on coordination between and within the department
documents show that collaboration between departments is often needed to deliver high quality
services to customers. Employees who believe their goals are cooperative interact effectively,
make progress on the task, and strengthen their work relationships. After the flattening of the
organizational structure at AMZ technologies, improving the salary package and fostering an
open door policy, the management still feels that a degree of coordination gaps persist. The
management would like to know which factors are causing this.
Top management believes job insecurity, workplace politics, incorrect information sharing,
individual growth issues, and inability to meet new structures requirement might be related to co
ordination issues. Basic research suggests that employee perception of department management
work style, employee perception of work group function; workload and equal opportunities are
the key factors which affect the co ordination. Thus, this study will determine whether or not a
relation exists between these factors and collaboration at AMZ Technologies. We will see the
perception of the top management matches with the study we conduct. The assumption is that
management is more content with the organization’s policy as compared to employees of the
organization.
Several research hypothesis can be tested from the survey conducted with AMZ Technology
employees but in this particular research we will be focusing on identifying the factors that affect
co ordination (q38 in questionnaire and also q39 ). The decisions to test workload, equal
opportunities, management and employee perception of workgroup function are done based on
the findings of the focus group analysis and literature review. Q12 & 13 is used as the basic
measure of co ordination and different variables will be tested against it.

AMZ Research
Literature Review
Through an extensive literature review of research articles on coordination between department
and companies we derived we identified different variables and actors that possibly affect
coordination between and within the departments. The findings are incorporated in the
questionnaire.
Findings of the literature review are as follows:
 Much of the horizontal communication in an organization is informal (Robert W. Ruekert;
Orville C. Walker, Jr. (May - Jun., 1987),Interactions between Marketing and R&D Departments
in Implementing Different Business Strategies, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 8, No. 3. pp.
233-248), therefore coordination between Managers of departments takes place easily then the
employees of their respective departments.
 Behavior among the members of the departments is motivated both by individual and collective
interest, therefore factors such as allocation of tasks on merit, opportunities for promotion
available to oneself and the peers, pay and training etc affect inter and intra department
coordination.
 Formalization is related positively to interaction flows, therefore clear standard operation
procedures (SOP’s) are an important factor in determining the level of coordination.
 Resource dependence of one unit influences the execution of task of the other unit, therefore,
factors such as free flow of information, communication gaps, SOP’s affecting how effectively
coordination takes place within and between departments.
 Human factors such as personality of the manager as well as the personality of the employee also
affect the way communication takes place in the departments. Also, the degree coworkers get
along with each other, and the treatment they give each other in during team work
 Conflict resolution is another important factor. The degree issues are brought out in open and
worked out in parties involved affects coordination, so approachable personality of manager,
management’s openness to suggestion, dispute handling, informal communication are important
factors in determining the coordination level.
The four broad variables that we have used to assess whether these factors affect coordination or
not are as follows
 Work Group Function
o Attitude of management
o Freedom of judgment

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o clear instructions
o flexibility of workload
o competence of supervisor
o Management open to suggestions
o Allocation of tasks on merit
o sufficient feedback from management
 Employee Perception of Management Work Style

o free flow of info b/w dept
o Coworkers affect team performance
o Informal communication is encouraged
o Co-workers get along
o Resolution of disputes
o Dependency of units
o SOPs followed when coordinating activities
o Goal Dependency of departments
o Willingness to help each other
 Equal Opportunities
o Fair pay
o Reasonable benefits
o Tasks and project on merit and potential
o Pay reflects effort
o Opportunity to learn new skills
o Training opportunities
o Likely chances of promotion
o Decision making and problem solving
o Promotions received
o Acknowledgment of good work by my boss
 Workload
o Choice of work
o Job Allows learning of new skills
o Work Distribution among peers and me
o Overtime
o Acceptability of Supervisor
o Clear and sufficient SOPs
o Adequate information for the task
o Pressure to meet deadline

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o Deadline adequate to complete the task
Hypothesis:
RQ1: To identify the barriers that employees are facing in coordinating with their peer in their
H1: Identifying the barriers that employees are facing in coordinating with peers in their
RQ2: Does the view of the top management and employees differ regarding the overall
perception of the work environment?
H2: Testing that Employee Perception of Management Work style has mean value of
less than 4.5
H3: Testing that Employee Perception of Work Group Function has mean value of 4
H4: Testing that Equal Opportunities has mean value of 4.5
H5: Testing that Work load perception has mean value of 4
RQ3: Does the factors such as Employee perception of department Management work style,
Employee perception of work group function, workload and equal opportunities affect inter and
intra department coordination?
H6: Testing the correlation between Employee perception of department Management work style
to departmental coordination
H7: Testing the correlation between Employee Perception of workgroup of function is related to
departmental co ordination
H8: Testing the correlation between equal opportunities to departmental co ordination
H9: Testing the correlation between workload to departmental co ordination
employees.
H10: Testing whether management is more content with the organizational co ordination as
compared to the employees

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Research methodology
Sample
During the focus group session (exploratory phase of our study) employees were selected on the
basis of quota sampling. In this sampling method, the researcher first identifies the stratums or
groups and their proportions as they are represented in the population. Then convenience or
judgment sampling is used to select the required number of subjects from each stratum. In this
case, the stratums/groups included senior management and junior employees. The individuals
were chosen by the CEO and the heads of department. The proportion of each of the groups was
roughly the same. In total 8 individuals were chosen whose responses were recorded and then
transcribed. The findings are enclosed in the appendix of the report.
A census involves collecting data from all members of a population. In our case, the data for the
purpose of data analysis was collected from the entire population which comprised of 28 people.
A sampling frame consists of a list of all the population members present. In this case, the
total number of individuals at AMZ Technologies amounted to , from which only the target
population was selected. A list of the sampling frame is present in the appendix.
At AMZ Technologies, the target population includes the senior management, middle level
managers as well as the junior staff. Different departments have separate hierarchical structures
containing 3-4 layers. All of the employees belonging to departments participated in the
questionnaire analysis of the research. The questionnaires were distributed to them individually
except the technical staff with night shift duties. To all individuals, it was made clear to consult
the researchers if there was any confusion regarding the understanding of the questions.
 Number of Employees and Managers sampled
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Employees 19 67.9 67.9 67.9
Management 9 32.1 32.1 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Frequency
Employees
Management
 The designation at AMZ is

A. President
B. Vice President or Assistant Manger
C. Manager
D. Technical Staff
E. Coordinator
Cumulative
Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid A 20 71.4 71.4 71.4
B 6 21.4 21.4 92.9
C 2 7.1 7.1 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0
 The number of organizations the workers have worked in before:

Cumulative
Valid B 7 25.0 25.0 25.0
C 5 17.9 17.9 42.9
D 13 46.4 46.4 89.3
E 3 10.7 10.7 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
None 1-3 yrs 4-6 yrs 7 or greater Less than one year
Number of years worked 1

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Measures
Questionnaire
A questionnaire was designed to gather the data pertaining to the hypothesis that was formulated.
In the questionnaire, questions related to certain concepts, affecting coordination between and
among the departments. A number of scales were used which are described below:
Attitude scales: Attitudes are enduring patterns of belief which it is believed are predictive of
behavior. An employee Attitude and Perception survey helped us in the assessment of the
employees opinions regarding the factors that affect inter and intra department communication.
In this employees will be asked to rate various aspects of the variables identified in the model
development such as work load, job insecurity, personality issues.
In the attitude and perception survey questionnaire we will be employing combination of scales
which include ordinal scale, interval scale and summating rating scale also known as 5 Point
Likert Scale (1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=Do not agree or disagree, 4=Agree and
5=Strongly Agree).
Ordinal Scale: The Ordinal Scale is a ranking scale using which we asked the employee to
rank the factors they consider in their point of view most affects the coordination between and
within the departments. Q38 in the questionnaire pertains to this scale.
Interval Scale: This is the rating scale, where we infer the relative importance of the factors
that affect the coordination and is also the primary method of conducting our hypothesis testing.
The entire Section 2 of the questionnaire consists of this scale.
The introductory part of the questionnaire includes the nominal scale question which relates to
the background of the respondent regarding its relationship with the company.
Observation
While conducting the interviews and focus group session, an intentional focus was on the non
verbal cues such as body movement, expressions, use of words etc because such cues carried
implicit meaning. For instance, while conducting the focus group it was noticed that few
participants showed signs of agitation such as getting loud or too emotional while answering
questions related to favoritism and workload in the work placed. Also when some members had a
strong opinion on workload being positively related to growth or downsizing leading to
improved communication between the manger and subordinate, participants who disagreed
refuted the point by nodding their heads but at the same time did not voice their opinion as

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strongly as they should have.
DATA ANALYSIS
 Frequency Tables
 Bar Chart
1. The attitude of the management affects job performance
Cumulative
Valid Agree 18 64.3 64.3 64.3
strongly agree 10 35.7 35.7 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employee/Managers
Employees
Managers
60.0%
40.0%
Percent
20.0%
0.0%
strongly disagree do not agree strongly
disagree agree or agree
disagree
Q1-Attitude of management
Majority of the managers and employees are content with the attitude of management as
indicated by the graphs
2. I have the freedom to use my own judgment in the job
Cumulative
Valid Disagree 4 14.3 14.3 14.3
do not agree or disagree 2 7.1 7.1 21.4
Agree 20 71.4 71.4 92.9
strongly agree 2 7.1 7.1 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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80.0% Employee/Managers
Employees
Managers
60.0%
Percent
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q2-Freedom of judgement
There are some employees who feel that they aren’t able to freely use their own judgment when
at the job. Most of the managers have no reservations
Q3. My supervisor gives me clear instructions on the task to be performed
Cumulative
Valid disagree 2 7.1 7.1 7.1
Agree 19 67.9 67.9 82.1
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employee/Managers
Employees
Managers
60.0%
40.0%
Percent
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q3-clear instructions
A small percentage of employees feel that they aren’t provided sufficient instructions, whereas
the majority of them are content as are the mangers in the organization. On the whole most of
them agree that clear instructions are present,
4. The management is flexible regarding the workload
Cumulative
Agree 21 75.0 75.0 82.1
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
60.0%
Percent
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q4-flexibility of workload
The consensus among almost all workers at AMZ Technology is that there is flexibility of
workload. Only a small amount of managers disagree to this opinion.
5. I am satisfied with the competence of my supervisor in making decisions ?
Cumulative
agree 22 78.6 78.6 89.3
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
60.0%
Percent
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q5-competence of supervisor
The general consensus among all the employees and managers is that they are satisfied with the
competence of the supervisor. A very small percentage of employees and managers disagree to
this question.
Q6: The management is open to suggestions at all times
Cumulative
Valid agree 19 67.9 67.9 67.9
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employee/Managers
Employees
Managers
60.0%
Percent 40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q6-Management open to
suggestions
Everyone at AMZ Technology is satisfied with management being open and responsive to
suggestions.
7. Allocation of task is based on merit
Cumulative
agree 18 64.3 64.3 82.1
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employee/Managers
Employees
Managers
60.0%
Percent
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q7-Allocation of tasks on merit
Even though this is skewed towards agreeing, there are individuals who believe that the
allocation of task is not entirely based on merit.
8. Management provides sufficient feedback regarding the results of your job
Cumulative
Valid do not agree or disagree 3 10.7 10.7 10.7
agree 21 75.0 75.0 85.7
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
60.0%
Percent
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q8-sufficent feedback from
management
In this question, the employees and managers both agree that the feedback received from
management is sufficient.
9. Free flow of information occurs across departments
Cumulative
agree 16 57.1 57.1 82.1
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
50.0%
40.0%
Percent
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q9-free flow of info b/w dept
This graphs shows that information doesn’t pass through departments transparently, the a large
majority agree there are mainly some employees who don’t feel the same way.
10. The treatment co workers give each other effects team performance
Cumulative
agree 19 67.9 67.9 78.6

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Total 28 100.0 100.0
Employee/Managers
Employees
Managers
60.0%
Percent
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q10-co-workers affect team
perform.
This indicates the importance of peers and their roles in teams and groups. It is necessary that
they work with them in a friendly manner.
11. Informal communication is encouraged in the organization
Cumulative
Valid strongly disagree 1 3.6 3.6 3.6
disagree 8 28.6 28.6 32.1
agree 10 35.7 35.7 82.1

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Total 28 100.0 100.0
Employees
Managers
30.0%
Percent
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q11-informal comm. encouraged
Informal communication has mixed opinions, where the majority agree there is a significant
percentage which disagree to this as well.
12: The co workers get along with each other all the time
Cumulative
agree 17 60.7 60.7 96.4
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employee/Managers
Employees
Managers
60.0%
Percent
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q12-co-workers get along
A lot of individuals feel that workers don’t get along with one another in the organization.
However, majority believe they do.
13. Communication gaps rarely occur among departments
Cumulative
Agree 15 53.6 53.6 92.9
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees feel that communication gaps do occur in the organization most of the employees feel
that there are hardly any communication problems.
14. When disputes happen they are not resolved by ignoring or avoiding the issue
Cumulative
disagree 6 21.4 21.4 25.0
agree 12 42.9 42.9 82.1
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
40.0%
30.0%
Percent
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q14-resolution of disputes
The chart indicates that disputes are resolved easily, where the employees feel more strongly
about this than the managers.
15. One unit is not very dependent on the other unit to complete the job
Cumulative
Disagree 10 35.7 35.7 39.3
Agree 12 42.9 42.9 89.3
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
40.0%
30.0%
Percent
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q15-dependency of unit
This indicates that there is dependency of one department with another. A large number of
managers, however don’t feel the same way.
16. To co ordinate activities between units, SOPs are followed to a large extent
Cumulative
disagree 6 21.4 21.4 25.0
agree 15 53.6 53.6 96.4
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
50.0%
Percent 40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q16-sops followed whn
coordinating activites
This indicates the SOPs are followed, but the managers have extreme opinions where some
disagree and other agree. However, the employees have mixed opinions regarding this question.
17. For the other departments to accomplish its goals and responsibilities, to what extent to which it
need the services or support from my department
Cumulative
Disagree 2 7.1 7.1 17.9
Agree 8 28.6 28.6 64.3
strongly agree 10 35.7 35.7 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
30.0%
Percent
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q17-goal dependency of depts
In this question, the employees have a variety of opinions were a certain number of managers
strongly agree and some employees who strongly reject to this.
18. I am willing to go out of your way to help another department reach common goals?
Cumulative
disagree 1 3.6 3.6 10.7
agree 10 35.7 35.7 60.7
strongly agree 11 39.3 39.3 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees
Managers
30.0%
Percent
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
disagree
Q18-willingness to help another
dept
This shows that managers and employees show a variety of opinions, where some managers
strongly agree and the employees strongly disagree. This indicates the difference of opinions of
both set of groups.
19. I am paid fairly for work
Cumulative
agree 17 60.7 63.0 92.6
Total 27 96.4 100.0
Missing System 1 3.6
Total 28 100.0

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More or less everyone agrees that there are paid fairly, only a certain percentage of managers
reject this opinion regarding this question.
20. The benefits I receive are reasonable
Cumulative
agree 15 53.6 53.6 92.9
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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This shows that a large number of employees agree and managers that they have reasonable
benefits, where a certain number of employees are against this view.
21. The tasks and projects assigned are on merit and potential
Cumulative
agree 17 60.7 60.7 82.1
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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This question shows that majority of the employees and managers feel their project is based on
merit and potential.
22. My pay reflects the effort I put into doing my work
Cumulative
disagree 2 7.1 7.1 10.7
agree 16 57.1 57.1 96.4
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Most employees have a positive view regarding this question, where there are a certain
percentage of managers who strongly disagree regarding this opinion. They feel that they
overwork and need a higher salary as compensation.
23. My job allows me to learn new skills
Cumulative
agree 17 60.7 60.7 64.3
strongly agree 10 35.7 35.7 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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This indicates unanimous agreement among all the people that there is an opportunity to grow
and acquire new skills at AMZ Technology.
24. I m provided regular training to meet new working requirements
Cumulative
disagree 8 28.6 28.6 32.1
agree 15 53.6 53.6 96.4
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees and managers both feel that to some extent there is a lack of traning at AMZ
Technology. Maybe, they don’t require formal traning to acquire new skills.
25. The chances of promotion are high in the company
Cumulative
disagree 1 3.6 3.6 7.1
agree 21 75.0 75.0 92.9
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Even though most of employees and managers feel that pay reflects effort, the employees agree
the chances of promotion are likely. A certain managers on the other hand strongly disagree.
26. My tasks involves decision making and problem solving
Cumulative
agree 19 67.9 67.9 75.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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This question shows most of the people at AMZ Technology are able to carry out their decision
making and problem solving.
27. I received a promotion in last two years
Cumulative
Disagree 3 10.7 10.7 17.9
Agree 15 53.6 53.6 92.9
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Employees strongly disagree with regard to promotions received, whereas the managers agree in
this question.
28: My boss/supervisor acknowledges my good work and also reward me
Cumulative
agree 19 67.9 67.9 75.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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In this question, the general consensus is that they receive sufficient feedback from their bosses.
29. I m doing the kind of work I want
Cumulative
agree 22 78.6 78.6 85.7
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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This indicates the managers have a larger choice in work as compared to the employees. The
employees have mixed opinions regarding this question.
30. My job allows me to learn new skills
Cumulative
agree 21 75.0 75.0 78.6

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Total 28 100.0 100.0
The employees and the managers agree with having the opportunity to enhance their skills.
31. My peers are rarely given more work than I am
Cumulative
agree 6 21.4 21.4 92.9
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Most managers and employees feel that their peers are given less work than they are.
32. I rarely have to stay over time to finish my work
Cumulative
disagree 6 21.4 21.4 28.6
agree 13 46.4 46.4 92.9
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Managers mainly feel that they have to stay overtime as compared to the employees in the
organization.
33. My Boss/ Supervisor is always accessible whenever I need to discuss a problem or an issue
Cumulative
agree 14 50.0 50.0 53.6
strongly agree 13 46.4 46.4 100.0
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Everyone in the organization feel that the supervisor is accessible most of the time.
34. The SOP’s are clear and sufficient for the current work requirement
Cumulative
disagree 3 10.7 10.7 17.9
agree 13 46.4 46.4 96.4
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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SOPs aren’t clear in the organization as indicated by this chart.
35. Information for executing a task is always available
Cumulative

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agree 19 67.9 67.9 85.7

Total 28 100.0 100.0
Managers feel that at times adequate information isnt available, most of the employees do agree
that they have the required information.
36. There is rarely pressure to meet the deadline
Cumulative
disagree 14 50.0 50.0 53.6
agree 8 28.6 28.6 96.4

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Total 28 100.0 100.0
This indicates that there is a general view regarding the pressure to meet the deadline as most of
the employees as well as managers disagree.
37. The deadline is adequate to meet the work requirements
Cumulative
agree 16 57.1 57.1 78.6
Total 28 100.0 100.0

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Inspite of the excessive pressure to meet the deadline, most of the workers feel it is adequate.
RQ1: What are the barriers that employees are facing in coordinating with
peers in their department and in other departments?
H1 is measured through Q38 and Q39 from the questionnaire we have identified the key barriers
which employees feel effect the coordination level in the organization.
Unclear Unapproachabl resentment unwillingness to share People are Total

SOP's e personality of between information by other under work
Manager employees departments pressure
Employees 11 2 5 10 11 39
Managers 7 3 3 0 3 16
Total 18 5 8 10 14 55

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Employees Managers
Unclear SOP's Unclear SOP's
Unapproachable personality of Manager Unapproachable personality of Manager
resentment between employees resentment between employees
unwillingness to share information by other unwillingness to share information by other
departments departments
People are under work pressure People are under work pressure
19%
28% 28%
44%
19%
5%
26% 13% 19%
 From the above analysis its is evident that Unclear SOP’s have been identified as a major
problem by both for Managers (28%) and employees (43%)
 The second major problem for employees is work pressure (26%) where as Managers have rated
unapproachable personality of manager, resentment between employees, and work pressure
equally (19%).
 The above analysis shows an agreement between the Employees and Managers over SOP’s as
major problem which the top management should address.
Open ended Question Analysis (Q39)

Using employee’s suggestions as a basis for determining the results, the common factors were
tabulated as shown blow.

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10
8
6
4
2
0
After quantifying the key factors, a number of additional suggestions given by employees are
listed below:
 hierarchy followed
 proper documentation procedures
 a comfortable work environment
 The SOP’s have again been suggested by the employees and managers as an area of
improvement.
RQ2: Does the view of the top management and employees differ regarding
the overall perception of the work environment?
The mean values are set using the questionnaire filled by the CEO of the company. The average
values of the ratings by the CEO in each of the four section has been used to compare against the
ratings marked by the all the employees.
The data collected consist of the entire population, the purpose of our hypothesis is to test does
the perception of the top management matches with that of the employees or not.
The Confidence interval is set at 95% for the following four Hypotheses.
P-Value Evidence against null hypothesis

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Less than 1% Strong Evidence

Greater than 1% to 5% Moderate Evidence a
5%-10% Weak Evidence
Greater than 10% No evidence
H2:
Ho: Testing that Employee Perception of Management Work style has mean value of 4.5
Ha: Testing that Employee Perception of Management Work style has mean value of
less than 4.5
Ho: µ=4.5
Ha: µ<4.5
95% Upper
N Mean StDev SE Mean Bound T P
28 4.045 0.655 0.124 4.256 -3.68 0.001
Conclusion
To test this hypothesis we simply found the mean of section Equal opportunities (Q 1to Q8)
which is 4.044653. This mean is less than the Management perception of 4.5 (Agree) and the P-value of
less that 1% shows a strong evidence against the null hypotheses. This shows that the employees are
satisfied but not highly satisfies with the Management Work style, we reject the null hypothesis
H3:
Ho: Testing that Employee Perception of Work Group Function Management Work style has
a mean value of 4
Ha: Testing that Employee Perception of Work Group Function has mean value of
less than 4
Ho: µ=4
Ha: µ<4
95% Upper
N Mean St Dev SE Mean Bound T P
28 3.056 1.092 0.206 3.408 -4.57 0.000
Conclusion
To test this hypothesis we simply found the mean of section Equal opportunities (Q9 to Q8)
which is 3.564286. This mean is less than the Management perception of 4 (Agree), the P-value
of 0.000 also gives a strong evidence against the null hypothesis. This shows that the employees
are not highly satisfied with the Management Work style, we reject the null hypothesis

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H4:
Ho: Testing that Equal Opportunities has mean value of 4.5
Ha: Testing that Equal opportunities has mean value less than 4.5
Ho: µ=4.5
Ha: µ<4.5
95% Upper
N Mean StDev SE Mean Bound T P
28 3.763 0.870 0.164 4.043 -4.48 0.000
Conclusion
To test this hypothesis we simply found the mean of section Equal opportunities (Q19 to Q18)
which is 3.76344. This mean is less than the Management perception of 4.5 (Agree) and P-Value
of 0.000 gives a strong evidence against the null hypotheses. This shows that the employees are
not highly satisfied with the equal opportunities available to them; hence we reject the null
hypothesis
H5:
Ho: Testing that Work load perception has mean value of 4
Ha: Testing that work load perception has mean value of less than 4
Ho: µ=4
Ha: µ<4
95% Lower
N Mean St Dev SE Mean Bound T P
28 3.641 0.991 0.187 3.960 -1.92 0.033
Conclusion
To test this hypothesis we simply found the Mean of section Equal opportunities (Q29 to Q37)
which is 3.641434. This mean is less than the Management perception of 4 and the P-value of
0.033 gives moderate evidence against the null hypotheses (Agree). This shows that the
employees perceive high workload than the management; hence we reject the null hypothesis
Interpretation of Standard Deviation
Variable Mean Std. Deviation

Employee perception of 4.5 0.655
Management work style

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Employee perception of 4 1.092

workgroup function
Equal Opportunities 4.5 0.870
Workload 4 0.991
The highest deviation is shown by employee perception of workgroup function, This area needs
attention because a high standard deviation suggests a difference of opinion this suggests there is
significant difference between the individual responses as compared to that of the Top
Management and among peers as compared to other area. The management must identify why a
difference in the opinion exist, id the difference due to specific problems that employees might
be facing, then those issues need to be addressed.
RQ3: Do the factors such as Employee perception of department Management

work style, Employee perception of work group function, Workload and
Equal opportunities affect inter and intra department coordination?
 H6: Testing the correlation between Employee perception of Management work style to
departmental coordination
Method Used: Linear Correlation Coefficient and Multilinear Regression
Departmental coordination is measured using Q13 as the dependant variable and the independent
variables chosen to test the correlation are Q1-Attitdue of Management and Q7-Allocation of
task on merit.
The variables are as follows

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Q1- Attitude of management

Q7- Allocation of tasks on merit
Q13- Comm. gaps rarely occur (dependant variable)
Ho: = 0.0
H1: 0
Model Summary
Change Statistics
R Square
Model Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change
1 .056a .741 2 25 .487
a. Predictors: (Constant), Q7-Allocation of tasks on merit, Q1-Attitude of

management
The regression model is not significant as suggested by the f value of 0.741 and the
corresponding p value of 0.487 which results in not rejecting the null hypothesis . This means
that at AMZ Technologies, departmental coordination with respect to the management work
style is determined by factors other than Allocation of task on merit and attitude of management.
Further, it can also mean that there isn’t a direct relationship between management work style
and organizational coordination.
 H7: Testing the correlation between Employee Perception of workgroup of function to

departmental co ordination
Method Used: Linear Correlation Coefficient using multilinear regression
The departmental coordination is measured using Q13 which is the dependant and the remaining
independent variables chosen to test the correlation are
The variables are as follows:

Q13-comm. gaps rarely occur (dependant variable)
Q9-free flow of info b/w dept
Q11-informal comm. encouraged
Q16-sops followed when coordinating activities
Ho: = 0.0

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H1: 0
Model Summary
Change Statistics
Model R Square Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change
1 .035a .291 3 24 .831
a. Predictors: (Constant), Q16-sops followed when coordinating activities, Q9-free flow

of info b/w dept, Q11-informal comm. Encouraged
The results indicate that we should not reject the null hypothesis. This regression model is not
significant as indicated by the f-value of 0.291 and the corresponding p-value of 0.831. This
means the 3 factors; SOPs followed when coordinating activities, free flow of info b/w dept and
informal communication are not significant factors when determining the coordination level in
the organization. AMZ Technology will have to identify other variables related to workgroup
function which have an affect on coordination. It is possible that departmental coordination isn’t
related to workgroup function.
 H8: Testing the correlation between equal opportunities to departmental co ordination
Method Used: Linear Correlation Coefficient using Multilinear Regression
The departmental coordination is measured using Q13 and the variables chosen to test the
correlation are
Q21-tasks and project on merit and potential

Q22-pay reflects effort
Q26-tasks involve decision making and problem solving
Q13-communication gaps rarely occur
Ho: = 0.0
H1: 0
Model Summary
Change Statistics
Model R Square Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change
1 .487a 7.584 3 24 .001
a. Predictors: (Constant), Q26-decision making and problem solving, Q21-tasks and

project on merit and potential, Q22-pay reflects effort
The results indicate that we should reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternate hypothesis.
This regression model is statistically significant as indicated by the f-value of 0.487 and the

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corresponding p-value of 0.01, thus accepting the alternate hypothesis. This means the 3 factors;
decision making and problem solving, tasks being given on merit and potential and pay
reflecting the effort all play a vital role in determining the co ordination level in the organization.
 H9: Testing the correlation between workload to departmental co ordination
Method Used: Linear Correlation Coefficient using Bivariate Regression
The departmental coordination is measured using Q13 as the dependant variable and the
remaining independent variables chosen to test the correlation are
Q12-comm gaps rarely occur (Dependant Variable)

Q34-Clear and efficient SOPs
Ho: = 0.0
H1: 0
Results:
Model Summary
Change Statistics
R Square
Model Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change
1 .160a 4.945 1 26 .035
a. Predictors: (Constant), Q34-clear and sufficient of SOPs
The regression model is

significant as suggested by the f-value of 4.95 and the corresponding p-value of .035. Therefore,
we will reject the null hypothesis. This indicates that there is a very strong relationship between
communication gaps rarely occurring in the organization and the presence of clear and sufficient
SOPs. AMZ Technology should take some steps to making SOPs clearer in order to improve the
coordination level.
Conclusion
All in all the above results indicate that the components of the workload and equal opportunities
such as tasks being awarded on merit and being treated fairly by the management all contribute
towards reducing the communication gaps with in the organization. This also indicates, the
employees want to be awarded and tasks allocated on merit and their individual potential.
Further, SOPs have a direct relation with the coordination level at AMZ Technologies.

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employees

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Managers Employees
Strongly Disagree Strongly Disagree
Disagree Disagree
Don’t Agree Or Disagree Don’t Agree Or Disagree
Agree Agree
Strongly Agree Strongly Agree
3%
32% 7% 15% 2%
13%
12%
58% 57%
 In the study 4 and 5 ranking on the scale was set as level of high agreement showing
satisfaction with the existing coordination level.
 In the study of 28 employees consisting of 9 Managers and 19 Employees, we see that the
satisfaction level is high among the managers 32%Strongly Agree and 58% Agree as
compared to 15% Strongly Agree and 58% Agree.
 Therefore there is a need to address the issues of employees so that their coordination
level can be increased, this also proves the point that informal communication between
managers facilities coordination between Managers however, this aspect is missing in the
employees or is not may be encouraged.
Limitations
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 After distributing the questionnaire, many people were unable to understand certain
questions. Once it was explained, certain individuals still left some data. The
questionnaires were sent back to them until all responses were given. This may have
caused some distortion in results since the time duration in which they answered to the
missing questions; any event could have changed their views.
 A period of 2 months passed between the focus group session and the questionnaire
distribution. During this interval, the management made some changes regarding the
induction of an HR Manager as well as hiring some employees in various departments.
 As a number of employees were hired recently, the responses maybe a little positively
bias, they are obviously very content with the organization which is why they joined the
organization.
 The variables chosen for the study were based on the responses of a sample of employees
who were part of the focus group session. It is possible that the remaining workers may
have a different point of view regarding this all together.
 There is a possibility that the employees may have been withholding information as they
feared it may affect their work at the AMZ Technologies.
 A lot of the literature review comes under secondary research, obtained from western
organizations case studies, thus there was became a need to indigenize all the variables
taken from the articles.
 The presence of formalities within the organization regarding the use of inside
information resulted in the use of opinion based results.
 The time we conducted the questionnaire survey the management informed us that they
will have a 360 degree appraisal of their employees. Lot of employees thought this
questionnaire was part of the same appraisal; therefore there is a chance of positive bias,
since the appraisal affects employee’s job evaluation and hence salary.
Conclusions
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The purpose of the research is to address the causes of interdepartmental and intradepartmental
coordination at AMZ Technologies.
We can summarize the above results as:

H1 Employees believe that SOP’s and employees being under work pressure are the key reasons for
coordination problems. Management says that the lack of SOPs cause coordination problems
H2 The perception of top management’s and Employee perception of management work style are not
similar, employees have lower level of satisfaction
H3 The perception of top management and Employee perception of work group function are not
similar, employees reported a lower level of mean and hence satisfaction level
H4 The perception of top management regarding the equal opportunities available is different
employees report a lower level of satisfaction than the management i.e. they feel a less no of
opportunities are available than the top management perceives it to be.
H5 The top management considers a low level of workload in the organization the employee’s
registered a low mean that is their perception of work load in organization is higher than the top
management
H6 The Management work style as perceived by employees isn’t related to departmental coordination
H7 The workgroup function perception of employees isn’t significantly related to departmental
coordination
H8 Decision making and problem solving in activities, tasks being given on merit and potential and
pay reflecting the effort of an individual all play a vital role in determining the coordination level
in the organization
H9 Clear and efficient SOPs are significantly related to the coordination level at AMZ Technology
H1 The overall satisfaction level of management is much higher than the employees.
0
 The views of employees of the top management differ from that from employees.
 The top management has a more optimistic view regarding the variables we tested as
compared to the subordinates.
 The top management shows a higher level of satisfaction with a mean of 4 and above.
 Finally, the key factors which the management should keep in mind when designing their
policy is to determine a clear set of SOPs (Standard Operation Procedures).
 Tasks should be allocated on merit and potential where the salary should reflect the amount
of effort put into their work.
Recommendations:
Based on our analysis we have determined that the overall satisfaction level at AMZ technology
is positive but there is still room for improvement with regards to the coordination at the
department level.

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In all the hypothesis, Standard Operating Procedures was one variable which was frequently
identified as a barrier of coordination between and within the departments.
 SOPs should be clear and prepared for each department as well as interdepartmental.
 Input of the employees should be taken before redesigning the SOPs.
 SOPs should be implemented and reviewed on a regular basis.
These are some further suggestions:
 The company should devise a platform through which the employees can voice their opinions
and share their grievances without the fear of being reprimanded.
 Training opportunities should be provided to employees in order to enhance their skills.
 Management should try to allocate tasks based on merit and match the tasks with their pay.
 Informal communication between employees of different departments should be encouraged
as it gives more understanding regarding each other issues.
The current study identified problems under the heading of coordination; the variables
through which they were tested were derived from the focus group session. However, the
analysis of the questionnaire survey gives a different result, for e.g. personality issues were
identified as a major issue by most employees during the focus group session, but the
questionnaire survey does not identify it as a major problem. Therefore, it is recommended a
follow up research should be conducted regarding this issue. The employees may relate it as
a different problem.
References
Internet Articles:
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=800&Itemid=64
http://www.statpac.com/surveys/sampling.htm

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http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/strucres.php
http://spsp.clarion.edu/mm/RDE3/C6/CausalvsDescriptiveAct.html
http://www.okstate.edu/ag/agedcm4h/academic/aged5980a/5980/newpage110.htm
http://www.allfreeessays.net/student/JobSatisfaction.html
http://www.allbusiness.com/accounting/525758-1.html
http://www.learnmarketing.net/secondaryresearch.htm
http://www.useit.com/papers/focusgroups.html
Newspaper:
January 26 2008 Did Someone Say Research, Sci-Tech Word, Dawn News
Magazine:
Sara Amjad Qureshi , February 2008, Balance Title Aurora.
Books:
David A.Aaker. V.Kumar, Goerges. Day, Hypothesis Testing: Basic Concepts and Tests and
Associations, Marketing Research, Sixth Edition, John Wiley & Sons, INC, pg 461
Robert Kreitner, Angelo Kiniki, Contingency Approach to Organization Design: Cooperation

and Co ordination, Organizational Behavior, Sixth Edition, Both of Arizona State University,
Mc Graw Hill, Irwin pg 651
Journal Articles:
Journal Articles are taken from www.jstor.org
Aneil K. Mishra, 1998, Explaining How Survivors respond To Downsizing: The roles of Trust.
Empowerment, Justice and work Redesign, Academy of management Review, pg: 567-588
Dr. Mark A. Farrell, 2003, the effect of downsizing on market orientation: the mediating roles of
trust and commitment,
Edward T. Jennings, Jr.; Jo Ann G. Ewalt, Interorganizational Coordination, Administrative

Consolidation, and Policy Performance, Public Administration Review, Vol. 58, No. 5. (Sep. -
Oct., 1998), pp. 417-428.
Khalil Badar Arsalan, 2005, General issues in Management, proem and perspectives in
management, Ch: 3, pg; 137

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METHODS IN BUSINESS RESEARCH

“Measuring causes of coordination problems within the

Umber Zareen Siddiqui

29th April 2007

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 The employees of the top management differ that from employees.

Recommendations we put forward to the Management are:

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The traditional literature on organization views hierarchy as a source of coordination (public

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 Employee Perception of Management Work Style

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o Deadline adequate to complete the task

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 Number of Employees and Managers sampled

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 The designation at AMZ is

 The number of organizations the workers have worked in before:

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strongly as they should have.

1. The attitude of the management affects job performance

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2. I have the freedom to use my own judgment in the job

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Q3. My supervisor gives me clear instructions on the task to be performed

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4. The management is flexible regarding the workload

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5. I am satisfied with the competence of my supervisor in making decisions ?

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Q6: The management is open to suggestions at all times

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7. Allocation of task is based on merit

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8. Management provides sufficient feedback regarding the results of your job

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9. Free flow of information occurs across departments

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strongly agree 6 21.4 21.4 100.0

11. Informal communication is encouraged in the organization

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Total 28 100.0 100.0

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13. Communication gaps rarely occur among departments

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19. I am paid fairly for work

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20. The benefits I receive are reasonable

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22. My pay reflects the effort I put into doing my work

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23. My job allows me to learn new skills