Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Information and communications technology, culture, and medical universities: Organizational culture and netiquette among academic staff

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Mohammad Hossein Yarmohammadian,
. Hoorsana Iravani 1
. Mehdi Abzari 2

1 Department of Cultural Management, Khorasgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Leadership and Human Behavior, Isfahan University, Isfahan,

Abstract
Introduction: Netiquette is appropriate behavioral etiquette when communicating through
computer networks or virtual space. Identification of a dominant organizational culture and
its relationship with a network culture offers applied guidelines to top managers of the university to expand communications and develop and learn organization through the use of the
internet. The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between netiquette and
organizational culture among faculty members of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
(IUMS), Iran. Materials and Methods: To achieve this aim, the research method in this study
was correlational research, which belonged to the category of descriptive survey research.
The target population comprised of 594 faculty members of the IUMS, from which a sample of
150 was randomly selected, based on a simple stratified sampling method. For collecting the
required data, two researcher-made questionnaires were formulated. Even as the first questionnaire tended to measure the selected sample members’ organizational culture according
to Rabbin’s model (1999), the latter was designed in the Health Management and Economic
Research Center (HMERC), to evaluate netiquette. The reliability of the questionnaires was
computed by Choronbach’s alpha coefficient formula and they happened to be 0.97 and 0.89,
respectively. Ultimately, SPSS Version #15 was used for the statistical analysis of the data.
Results: The findings revealed that the organizational culture and netiquette were below average level among the sample members, signifying a considerable gap in the mean. In spite of
that, there was no significant relationship between netiquette and the organizational culture
of the faculty members. Conclusion: Emphasizing the importance of cultural preparation and
a network user’s training, this research suggests that the expansion of network culture rules
among IUMS and organizational official communications, through the use of internet networks,
in order to promote university netiquette and convenience in communication development, on
the basis of special etiquette.

Keywords

Culture management
higher education
Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
netiquette
organizational culture
university culture
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 2, Issue 1
Winter 2012
Pages 1-6

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