Female Faculty's Involvement in Work Processes in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of gender as a potential determinant of involvement in higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia. This study focuses on four specific categories of involvement: power, rewards, information, and knowledge. It utilized Edward Lawler's model of high involvement work processes to measure the involvement among female faculty in the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Edward Lawler's model is one of the first and widely cited models on employee involvement. This study further investigates the relation between the faculty's demographic variables (academic rank, college cluster, years of experience, and nationality) and their involvement. A survey research design was utilized to better address the purpose of this study. The sample consisted of 135 female faculty members. The findings show a moderate level of involvement among the respondents. Of the individual practices of involvement, power was the most wide-spread practice, with a mean rating of 3.72 and a standard deviation of .786, based on the five-point scale. Regarding the demographic variables, only college cluster was found to be significantly related to females' involvement. The implications of this study could be used to further support involvement policies and practices among female faculty members in Saudi Arabia.