The Relationship between Administrative Empowerment and Continuous Improvement: An Empirical Study

This study aimed to identify the impact of administrative empowerment on applying continuous improvement in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority. To achieve this, the researcher developed and evaluated a questionnaire and distributed it to a sample of 400 employees. A set of (321) copies of the questionnaire was retrieved, while (9) copies were rejected due to lack of information. The researcher used statistical methods (descriptive and analytical) to answer the study questions, test, and analyze its hypotheses. The results of the study showed that the application of administrative empowerment represented by its dimensions (Sharing Information, Autonomy and Freedom of Action, Reinforcement, work teams) impacted continuous improvement in the dimensions of PDCA in terms of dimensions (Plan, Do, Check, Act) In Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority. This indicates that the administrative practices, instructions, and guidelines of the researched organization aim to achieve an increase in continuous improvement with a "high" positive degree. The study recommended establishing a center to train the employees to use the system. In addition to the need to make the required changes in the organizational structure by selecting experienced employees' work teams to execute jobs more. Finally, the study concluded that there must be a long-term commitment to continuous improvement and applying more administration tools.