The Effect of Employee Empowerment on Entrepreneurship in Education Management: Mediation Role of Organizational Culture

In this study, the relationship between the empowerment activities applied to employees in education, and entrepreneurship and the mediation role of organizational culture in this relationship are examined. In line with this, the research is a descriptive study in the relational screening model. For this purpose, entrepreneurship and organizational culture are discussed in four dimensions, and employee empowerment in five dimensions. The study was conducted by using a Likert-type questionnaire for 222 educators in 22 schools (192 teachers, 22 principals and 8 assistant principals) in Gaziantep. Employee empowerment, entrepreneurship and organizational culture scales were used to gather data. The correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. As a result of the research, a relationship between the dimensions was found to be significant and positive in the correlation analysis which was conducted to determine the relationship between the sub-dimensions of the scales of employee empowerment, entrepreneurship and organizational culture. According to the results in regression analysis; it was determined that organizational culture level is the sub-predictor in the prediction of entrepreneurship of employee empowerment in education employees, solutions were presented on the subject.


Introduction
It is becoming inevitable for educational organizations and employees to adapt to the development in today's world that is rapidly globalizing with technology and developments and of its employees. The globalization of success in the field of education, increased awareness of patents and change in expected qualitative and quantitative properties from education staff, and parents have made it necessary to invest in human resources in education organizations. Due to these developments, the idea has emerged that the establishment of the performance of high and stable organizations may occur with skilled and enterprising, empowered staff which allows for quick adaptation to current progress (Akcakaya, 2010).
The entrepreneurship factor is encountered indicating the presence of personnel as a result of employee empowerment and complimented by many businesses and organizations as a phenomenon. Shortage of traditional organizational management due to development, quality staff to leave their job and to open small businesses, not being able to compete with the universal size enterprises, have made entrepreneurial activities imperative. The condition to compete globally for the organizations is based on changing; the key and driving force of change constitute entrepreneurship (Onay and Cavusoglu, 2010).
Many definitions are used about employee empowerment which began to be frequently used in modern management in organizations. Genc (2004) explains employee empowerment as such empowerment as a management concept; is to increase assistance, training and teamwork of people with decision-making rights (privileges) and improve the process of developing the persons. In resources about organization, it is the process of decision making of all stakeholders in the company as a result of taking responsibility of employees for the work, sharing the authority and power of the managers (Shakil, Faizi, Ahmed and Jabeen, 2015).
Employee empowerment may be explained by identifying the obstacles that cause inefficiency, by formalistic management practices of these obstacles and providing the necessary information with more effective management methods, as the boost phase of the presence aspect of employees. (Bolat, Bolat and Seymen, 2009). As empowerment activities are moving towards the same goal along with individual efforts in the organization environment, it can be expected that organizational success increases. In this respect it can be seen that individual commitment will increase. Today, the necessity for organizations to give importance to empowering the employees was explained by Yuksel and Erkut (2003) business environment to become global, resulting in increased competition, a constantly and rapidly changing external environment, an increase in the level of expectation and needs of the staff in parallel with the increase in education level, the obligation of organizations to respond to the customers faster, the way , the time and at the place they want as a result of increasing competition arising from the global business environment, information and human factors being seen among the most important factors determining the competitive advantage of the organization are factors which require employee development. Different insights arising between classical organization management and contemporary managements emerge also in the definition of empowerment. After failing to meet the meaning in the current conditions of order-command in the traditional management due to hierarchy, has accelerated the idea to meet the need for a strong staff (Yuksel and Erkut, 2003). Coleman (1996) imposes the empowerment of the employees in organizations to certain conditions. Sensitivity to the global struggle and demands of the service area, flexibility to the situation, invasive structure in the management phase, employees' desire in increasing their social powers and capacity status, risk sharing thought in all cases, the promotion of innovation, administrators sharing their status with the management as drivers and increasing the reliability of organizational bodies are some of these conditions (Cavus, 2008). In the empowerment scale performed by Toremen, Karakus and Savas (2011) making decisions, professional development, status, competence and personal effects sub-dimensions were mentioned.
Features of the organization that will carry out employee empowerment have a decisive effect on the success of employee empowerment. Strong rendered employees, to be able to demonstrate their work adequately, is directly proportional to transfer all they know with stakeholders easily, to have the best training environment for development and their acceptance of the incentive reward system of organizational management (Yuksel and Erkutlu, 2003).
One of the most prominent and important factors in the institution for staff empowerment is to prepare the conditions to support the investment about career structuring of employee's future position. Actions such as the provision of adequate infrastructure and facilities to employees to determine the status of their status in the future, directing their increased expectations and demands, putting forward their development and training requirements without preconditions, the determination of the benefits to be provided, need to be supported (Yeniceri, 2001).
Today that global competition is accelerating and now organizations are trying to take a step forward in raising awareness, methods have been introduced that are alternatively and mutually beneficial paths of innovation. The concept of entrepreneurship such as employee empowerment has been used as a common concept of organization management in recent times. The concept of entrepreneurship by Pinchot is defined as entrepreneurial activities within an existing organization (Jeffrey, Kuratko and Zahra, 2002). Generally, Naktiyok (2006) stated that correct translation of entrepreneurial thinking within the organization lies on the basis of entrepreneurship revealing the sum of entrepreneurship and innovation activities within an existing organization.
The major factor, which increases the importance of entrepreneurship inside the organization, is being ahead in competition, and maintaining and continuing superiority, being superior and up to date regarding technical developments. Due to the current conditions, the role of entrepreneurship is gaining importance in components of businesses such as to create the market, product development, quality service delivery and the creation of new ideas and applying for industrial development (Altuntas and Donmez, 2010).
Researchers have dealt with different aspects of the culture of the organization which appears as controversial and different definitions in the literature. Karahan (2006), defined as developing common beliefs and values in an organization over time. Organizational culture is the entirety of the structure of the main norms and sacred of a structure and symbols, ceremonies and traditions communicated to stakeholders (Ira and Aksu, 2009). The occurrence of the culture of the organization is a lively and fertile period. With the formation of organizational culture in dynamic circuit, the change would have started. Even if it is accepted that powerful organization cultures are not heterogeneous but static, it should not be understood that organizational culture is concept composed of recurring events (Karahan, 2006).
The clan culture which takes place within dimensions of organization culture is a kind of culture type which is moreover introvert, in where togetherness feelings are dominant and where fidelity to the organization is important and informal control is applicable. It is identified as teamwork, general opinion decision and togetherness characteristic as being a management method. Fidelity and mutual reliability are the main resources of the achievement in the organization Ocal (2010). Hierarchy culture which is another dimension of the organization culture is a kind of culture type in where moreover bureaucracy rules are applicable and systematic organization structure is applicable. In this culture where job share is regulated by means of certain rules, how work is done is identified by boundaries. Disorder is not allowed other than work whose frameworks are determined (Erdem, 2007).
Adhocracy culture, another dimension of organization culture, stresses a cultural framework which has a natural structure, is venturous, not solid and has a flexible structure, contemporary and procreative. Cameron and Quinn (1999) have used the adhocracy culture where organizational status and positions are not given importance or are taken into account temporarily, there is an advanced organic structure expression about adhocracy culture in their research. Market culture, which is the fourth dimension, is the dimension which highlights environmental impact, struggle and competition status, operability and the level of being productive of the organization culture and also constitutes control part of it. Success of the institution is put forward in the market culture by means of an increase of the share obtained from the environment, the gained profit share and real results (Erdem, 2007).
In research related to the determination of a correlation between organization culture, empowerment of personnel and entrepreneurship, Caliskan (2011) has stated that personnel trust which is included by the empowerment of personnel among motivational behavior takes leader member interaction a step further, job satisfaction factors; the working situation within the organization, entrepreneurial feelings with regards to current and productive attitude. If things to be done within the organization are fulfilled in a chain of command, employees are not expected to think differently and extra ordinarily. When authorization and opportunity of improving productivity are given to employees, a door is opened slightly for innovations and differences beyond the repetition. It has been seen in researches in organizations where the personnel or employees are supported entrepreneur innovations emerge (Martins, 2003).
The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between the empowerment activities applied to employees in education, and entrepreneurship and the mediation role of organizational culture in this relationship. It has been determined that moreover similar researches has been conducted in managements in literature research with regards to empowerment of personnel and entrepreneurship. In our research, we will attempt to ascertain at which levels of the organization culture the empowerment of the personnel effects entrepreneurship at which ratio. The importance of this research is that it is thought that as a result of the empowerment of education staff which are efficient shareholders of education management, the impact of the classical method which is still in operation in some institutions shall decrease and entrepreneurship capabilities of employees shall come to the fore. According to Martins (2003), if everything is done according to orders and rules, accepted methods and procedures are used in an organization, it would not be possible for personnel to have differing opinions and to try new methods. Therefore, maybe development of much better products and services are prevented. When the right of decision making and implementing is given to the personnel, the routine can be digressed and therefore creativity can be increased. According to results arising from this and similar studies, it is the aim of empowering the education staff, to contribute to the emergence of individuals who participate in management within the institution, can take risks on decision making stages and whose entrepreneurship skills are developed.

Method
In this study, an attempt has been made to measure the correlation between empowerment activities applied to the personnel in education management and entrepreneurship and the levels of the mediating role of organization culture in this correlation. This research has been conducted in relational screening model. Definitions made with regards to this model are as follows: Relational screening models are research models which aim to determine the existence and grade of the variance between two and more variables (Karasar 1991). Relational screening is a suitable model to determine correlation between two or more variables and for researches which aim to get clues related to cause and effect (Buyukozturk, Cakmak, Akgun, Karadeniz and Demirel, 2009).

Universe and Sample
The research group consists of 257 educators in 22 schools (primary, secondary and high schools) which are in Gaziantep city center. Survey forms have been dispensed to 257 educators by using simple, random sampling method and 35 of them have not been included in the assessment due to reliability issues. Therefore, surveys applied to 222 educators (192 teachers, 22 assistant manager and 8 manager) have been included in the analysis.

Data Collection Tools
Participants are given surveys for desired information to be used in our research. Participants are asked to perform assessment in 5-point Likert scale for answers to be given to questions in the survey.
School Personnel Empowerment Scale developed by Short and Rinehart (1994) has been adapted to Turkish by Toremen, Karakus and Savas (2011). The scale which has been prepared in 5-point Likert type consists of 6 subdimensions (decision making, professional development, status, personal competence, independence and impact) to be 32 items. Researches have calculated reliability coefficient (Cronbach Alpha) of the survey as 0,870. 5 dimensions have emerged by means of factor analysis. It has been revealed that independence dimension will not take place in this adaptation.
For measuring entrepreneurship, the survey form which has been developed and tried by Naktiyok (2004) has been used. Entrepreneurship has been measured by means of 28 expressions which have been developed related to intraorganization factors thought to expedite the entrepreneurship. It consists of five dimensions (entrepreneurship scale, support on taking risk, support on rewarding, strategic behavior and managerial support and resource utilization). The reliability coefficient of the survey as a whole has been calculated as 0,93 (Cronbach Alpha).
To measure organization culture, organization culture scale which has been developed by benefiting from Organization Culture Analysis (OCAI) model of Cameron and Quinn (2011) which has been used by Demir (2013) in his thesis has been used. 24 Likert type questions in the scale are related to organization culture dimensions (clan, entrepreneur, market-oriented, hierarchy). Reliability level (Cronbach Alpha) of the scale belongs to the organization culture has been found as 0,828.

Data Analysis
In the analysis of data collected by measuring tool, SPSS 2.0 statistical packed software has been utilized. While in the first part of the research, data related to demographic features have been presented by frequency method, correlation analysis and regression analysis have been used on expressions in second, third and fourth parts.
Correlation coefficient has been calculated to determine mediation effect of organization culture in the impact of personnel empowerment to entrepreneurship in education personnel. When investigating personnel empowerment and organization culture, independent variables, on entrepreneurship, dependent variable, demographic variables such as gender, age, seniority have been put under control and multiple regression analysis has been used. The model of the test is mediation effect of organization culture in impact of personnel empowerment on entrepreneurship.
In this research, mediation effect of organization culture has been investigated in regression of organization culture's mediation effect level in impact of personnel empowerment on entrepreneurship in education personnel. Baron and Kenny (1986) has defined mediation effect concept as in correlation of two variables between each other, the situation of a third variable to be mediator. To be able to talk about mediation role of a third variable in mediation effect model, existence of some certain conditions are required. These conditions are explained below in figure 1.

Figure 1. Baron and Kenny Mediation Effect
When we have a look at the model in figure 1, it is required to have a third variable nearby two variables to be able to talk about mediation effect in a research. These variables are coded as (Y) Predictor, (K) Predicted and (A) Mediator. Baron and Kenny (1986) defended existence of certain conditions to prove mediation effect in regression analysis. These conditions are; 1. Y to predict K significantly 2. Y to predict A significantly (1) (2) European Journal of Psychology and Educational Research 23 3. Y to predict A and K by taking its impact under control 4. There should be a significant decrease in Y to predict K by taking under control A's impact or the correlation in this relationship should not be significant statistically.
In case Y to predict K becomes of no significance in the fourth step, while A is called full mediator variable, if there is significant decrease in Y to predict K, A is called partial mediator variable (Frazier, Tix and Barron, 2004). In partial mediation effect, it can be said that as well as Y predicts K directly, it predicts indirectly over A. In mediation effect model, impact of Y on K by disregarding A in fact is sum of direct and indirect impacts.
Notwithstanding, while it is seen that there is positive correlation on the intermediate level between the decision making dimension of personnel empowerment and support on risk taking dimension of entrepreneurship when compared with other dimensions (r=0,597, p<0,000), it is seen that there is a positive weak correlation between status dimension of personnel empowerment and support on rewarding dimension of entrepreneurship (r=0,267, p<0,000). In Table 3, in impact of personnel empowerment on entrepreneurship, in the conducted hierarchical multiple regression analysis with regards to prediction of mediation effect level of organization culture, it has been determined that personnel empowerment significantly predicts entrepreneurship (β=0,665; p<0,001). After adding organization culture to the model, impact of personnel empowerment on entrepreneurship (β =0,235; p<0,001) decreases. When organization culture is added to the model, it is seen that there is decrease in personnel empowerment to predict entrepreneurship.
When explained variance is regarded, organization culture explains 71,2% of prediction of entrepreneurship by personnel empowerment (R 2 =0,712). Therefore, decrease of entrepreneurship ways of education employees to be significant shows that organization culture is an interim variable. In the Sobel test which has been conducted after entering some data in Table 3 into MedGraph-I software for significance assessment of mediation effect stated in Table 4, it seen that mediation effect of organization culture is significant on p<0.001 level. When analysis results performed for determination of mediation effect are evaluated; total effect of personnel empowerment on entrepreneurship is β =0,726. When organization culture is controlled, direct impact of personnel empowerment to entrepreneurship is β=0,235. The difference between, β=0,491 results from mediation effect of organization culture as in indirect effect. The model showing mediation effect is shown below as Figure 2. In the model figure, variables' level of predicting each other is indicated on one-way arrow. Standardized beta coefficients in regression table are indicated nearby arrows.
As seen in Figure 2, organization culture has partial mediation effect in prediction of entrepreneurship ways by personnel empowerment ways of educators. According to data in Table 4, (Z=9,188, p<0,001), it can be said that personnel empowerment directly impacts entrepreneurship ways of educators however at the same time impacts indirectly over organization culture also. As a result of conducted analysis, it can be expressed that personnel empowerment is effective on entrepreneurship ways of educators both directly and indirectly.

Conclusion, Discussion and Recommendations
Personnel empowerment and its effects are studies which are rarely encountered in research as they are a relatively new concept in educational methods. It has been determined in a study of the relevant literature, that similar studies are conducted in management. As a result of this study performed on education area, it has been concluded that personnel's entrepreneurship ways are developed by empowerment and their level of entrepreneurship varies depending on the cultural structure the organization has.
As a result of this research, in conducted multiple regression analysis, it has been determined that personnel empowerment predicts entrepreneurship significantly. Correspondingly, it is seen that personnel empowerment has positive impact on entrepreneurship aspects of education employees. These results correspond with many conducted research findings (Bowen and Lawler, 1992;Ogut, Aygen and Demirel, 2007). Another result which emerges from the findings of our research is that there is a more outstanding correlation between the decision making dimension of personnel empowerment and support on risk taking dimension of entrepreneurship when compared to other dimensions and it is seen that this correlation is positive and on an intermediate level.
It has been determined that as long as decision making aspects of education employees empowers, their risk taking aspects increases in authorization utilization as being entrepreneur. In similar conducted studies, it is seen that risk taking which is main dimension of entrepreneurship can only be constituted by empowered individuals and personnel who bears decision making authorization (Baird, 1985, Lumpkin, 1996, Knight, 1997, Antoncic and Hisrich, 2003. Akgemci and Cavus (2008), use the statement Employee empowerment is the decentralization of decision-making process in the organization, enabling administrators to provide more discretion and more autonomy; these findings support the outcome of our study. When the staff is given the right of decision making and to practice, routine can be avoided and creativity can be increased. It has been observed in research that creative outputs increase by employee empowerment in the organization's level.
In the research conducted, while the staff increased their control on their job, entrepreneurship and creativity will increase (Martins, 2003).
In another result in regression analysis of our study, it was found that there is a weak positive correlation between support dimension of entrepreneurship regarding awarding and status dimension of entrepreneurship were found to be. According to this assessment; we can conclude that there is a medium size relationship between support dimension of entrepreneurship regarding awarding and status dimension of entrepreneurship. While the status of education staff increases, there seems little to be gained in supporting the entrepreneurship aspect by rewarding employees. When it is expected that rewarding employees will encourage them to be more entrepreneurial, this behavior should not be ignored by managers as we see in similar studies. Hisrich and Peters (1998), determine that Entrepreneurs trying to form a new initiative, deserves absolutely to be rewarded in return of work and labor. If the reward system does not work sufficiently effective or is not operating, this situation will be reflected negatively in the educational organization.
After organizational culture is added to the model, the effect of employee empowerment on entrepreneurship, although not positive and significant, shows decline. Organizational culture has influenced entrepreneurship in a positive direction, but the impact rate of employee empowerment was reduced. To influence the entrepreneurship of employees in a specific organizational culture and get to know the culture in an environment where educators locate and success can be reached if empowerment is performed in this direction. This results are similar to some of the research findings. Honold (1997), If the employees will be empowered as one of the approaches that promote entrepreneurship in an organization, first of all organizational culture must be evaluated, if the culture is not appropriate, a challenging process which needs patience must be entered or this application should be canceled. In Warti's (2009) study similar expressions of Bonen and Ostroff (2004) to those results were In fact, the organizational climate which can be considered as co-function of organizational culture, discusses how common perception of individuals regarding what is awarded and what is punished is affected. In another study, Zahra (1991) described organizational determinants of entrepreneurship and the results of our study are supported.
When all the data in the research results are evaluated, mediation effect of organizational culture was seen in the prediction of entrepreneurship through empowerment of employees. It was found that the educators' empowerment aspects affect their entrepreneurship aspect positively and significantly. Employee empowerment directly affect entrepreneurship aspect of personnel significantly and indirectly affected by the partial mediating effect of organizational culture. How successful employee empowerment is applied in the organizational structure of the schools, organizational culture of education employees will develop to that extent therefore entrepreneurial aspect of the education staff will also increase to that extent. Thus it is seen that organizational culture is an intermediate variable in reduction of aspects of entrepreneurship of education staff. There are studies in terms of assisting these results. In Caliskan's study (2011) the role of motivational behavior in improving organizational performance, it was determined that confidence to employee, a leader member interaction, job satisfaction elements included in employee empowerment being one of the motivational behaviors; are related with organizational performance, innovative behavior and entrepreneurial behavior, it increases organizational performance, innovative behavior and entrepreneurial behavior positively and significantly. Akin (2010), in the study called the direct and indirect effects of employee empowerment detection, organizational climate perception and creative personality aspects on the on the creative output at the organization level showed that creative organizational climate perception which can be considered as co-functioning like organizational culture has a significant mediation role between creative personality traits and with creative output s at organizational level.
Today, with the increasing competition and rapidly changing environmental conditions resulting in significant opportunities and threat that training organizations faced, they become more durable by providing maximum benefit of their employees, by enhancing ties of employees with their jobs and workplaces. Empowerment efforts will increase the efficiency of the decision making process in educational organizations, and thus they will be able to adapt quickly to changing environmental conditions. Because of this emerging innovation, empowerment should be done devoted to the culture that exists in schools. Thanks to this compliance under which employees who developed entrepreneurial aspects (Bakan, 2004).
As a result of the studies, some suggestions were given to educational practitioners and researchers. The main recommendations in the light of the data obtained from the results of the research are as follows: As education managers, teachers and educators increase entrepreneurial aspects by the focus on empowerment of educators and this is expected to be beneficial to educational outcomes for all outputs. Education practitioners perform activities towards empowerment, their employees when they take into account the characteristics of the existing organizational culture in the organization, can develop a better entrepreneurial aspect. It is expected when employee empowerment is used effectively, it will facilitate the achievement of organizational objectives. As a result of these studies, it is expected entrepreneurship will increase with the emerged synergy, therefore, it is likely to increase in the power of education. Central and provincial education managers can contribute to employees during in-service training by giving staff development, entrepreneurship and organizational culture interaction seminars.