The Level of Management by Objectives (MBO) Implementation and Its Relationship with Job Creativity: A Field Study on a Sample of Employees in Iraqi Media Institutions

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between the application of Management by Objectives (MBO) and the level of job creativity among employees working in Iraqi media institutions, within the spatial context of television and radio stations in Baghdad. The research adopts the descriptive-analytical method and employs a questionnaire as the primary instrument for data collection. The study sample consisted of 250 employees representing various media and administrative departments. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), relying on means, standard deviations, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient to examine differences and determine the nature of the relationship between the study variables.

The findings indicate that the level of MBO application in Iraqi media institutions is moderate with a tendency toward the positive. Job creativity also recorded a moderate level, with clear strengths in the dimensions of adaptability and self-development. The results revealed statistically significant differences according to selected professional variables, particularly administrative position, years of experience, and type of institutional ownership. Moreover, the study confirmed the existence of a moderate positive correlation between the application of MBO and job creativity.

The study concludes that the implementation of MBO in Baghdad’s media institutions is still partial and not fully institutionalized, and that it is largely influenced by employees’ job roles, their accumulated professional experience, and the organizational structure of the institutions. Although job creativity is present, it remains constrained by organizational and contextual factors shaped by the political and professional environment governing Iraqi media during the period of the study.