Effects of Participatory Management on Support Staff Management Efficiency at Lampang Hospital.

Abstract

     This research was quasi-experimental type, single-group, repeated-measures study. The objective was to study the effects of participatory management approach on the management efficiency of support staff at Lampang Hospital. The study compared efficiency in four dimensions: planning, communication, teamwork, and decision-making before and after implementing the approach, as well as investigated staff satisfaction with the participatory management approach. The sample consisted of 45 support staff members selected through stratified random sampling based on job categories. Research instruments included the participatory management approach based on Yukl's (2020) conceptual framework emphasizing four key dimensions, and a five-point Likert scale questionnaire for measuring management efficiency. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests.

     The results showed that after implementing the participatory management approach, support staff demonstrated significantly improved management efficiency across all dimensions (p < 0.001). The overall mean score increased from 2.96 (S.D. = 0.56) to 4.22 (S.D. = 0.42). By dimension, planning increased from 3.02 to 4.18, communication from 2.89 to 4.25, teamwork from 3.15 to 4.33, and decision-making from 2.78 to 4.12. Additionally, quantitative improvements were observed: decision-making time decreased by 44%, team member suggestions increased by 96%, and meeting attendance increased by 35%. Staff satisfaction with the participatory management approach was at the highest level (X̄ = 4.31, S.D. = 0.52).