Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of job security on organizational maturity through knowledge sharing mediation. The research method was descriptive-correlative. The statistical population of the study was all faculty members of University of Kurdistan in the academic year of 2020-2021 that 190 faculty members were studied by stratified random sampling through questionnaires of job security (Neysi, 2002), organizational maturity (Spides, 2007) and knowledge sharing (Bohlool, 2013). For data analysis the Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were used with SPSS21 and Smart PLS softwares. Results showed that job security has a positive and significant effect on organizational maturity; job security has a positive and significant effect on knowledge sharing; knowledge sharing has a positive and significant effect on organizational maturity; and job security has a positive and significant effect on organizational maturity mediated by knowledge sharing. Therefore, it can be concluded that when faculty members feel a good job security, they share their knowledge with others, which results in the desired organizational maturity of the university.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Organizational growth in universities and institutions of higher education under the influence of changes and developments, such as the introduction of advanced information and communication technologies in higher education, rapid growth of knowledge and the resulting changes, the need for universities to be accountable to society, financial constraints of higher education systems, public and global Higher education, the competition of higher education institutions, has become particularly important. Senior managers of higher education have found that if universities and institutions of higher education and their faculty members have a good level of growth and development, then we can expect that the other university resources will be used well, and continuous quality improvement in various activities will take place. In fact, addressing the issue of organizational maturity has evolved from a choice to an obligation for universities, because in this way, the professional growth of faculty members happens better and faster, and organizational growth has increasingly become a key mechanism for the improvement and development of the university (Gharouneh, Mirkamali, Bazargan Kharazi, 2014). Therefore, proper management of organizational growth is a vital and mandatory issue for all universities and institutions of higher education, including the University of Kurdistan, and identifying the factors affecting its organizational growth will be very important. According to the mission of Kurdistan University, its faculty members are considered as the expert force and the core of the university in performing professional responsibilities. Considering the competitive environment of domestic universities in attracting students and introducing their capabilities, the relatively new organizational structure of Kurdistan University, and the composition of young people in the organizational structure of that university, it is necessary to study the factors affecting organizational growth. Job security of faculty members of Kurdistan University can be related to the organizational growth of that university, but since this relationship is not completely linear and direct, other factors may play a mediating role in this regard. In this study, the mediating role of knowledge sharing is discussed. Therefore, the main issue of the research is whether job security has a positive and significant effect on the organizational growth of Kurdistan University with the mediating role of knowledge sharing?
Theoretical framework
The term organizational maturity was first used in 1957 by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton in the group's Psychoanalysis Magazine, and today many organizations have used organizational maturity to increase the efficiency, productivity, and health of their organization (Seyedi & Latifi, 2016). Organizational growth is a process in which the performance of employee's organization is improved and is basically based on the process of training and changing the values and attitudes of managers and employees of the organization (Jukić, Pluchinotta, Hržica & Vrbek, 2022). Organizational maturity can be considered at the micro and macro levels: At the micro level, organizational maturity contains information about people and personal interactions within the organization; at the macro level, it focuses on productivity information about strategy development, workforce coordination, and external factors (Karakaya & Yilmaz, 2013). In 2007, Spiders identified the dimensions of organizational maturity, including openness and transparency of the system, trust in others, feedback from within and without, partnership with others, cultivating and adopting, and a low level of organizational structure (Nikpour, 2019).
The issue of job security as one of the necessities of work dates back to the early 19th century, which became binding after the efforts of trade unions and finally with the passage of government laws employing employees with regard to job security and pre-determined criteria regarding the amount of work of individuals. During the 1970s and early 1980s, concerns were raised about the devaluation of labor. In the early 1990s, the trade union applied the idea of employment security in its reports, and finally the Security Flexibility Act was adopted with the aim of providing a higher level of employment security, especially for temporary agency workers. Also, from the beginning of the twentieth century, a new thinking about the nature of work was formed by considering the concept of job security, which was more emphasis on empowering employees in organizations (Keikha, Shahraki & Keykha, 2018). In the new concept of job security, organizations must become dependent on individuals; That is, organizations must provide the necessary conditions for empowering their employees in the professional dimensions, practical courage, experience, job satisfaction, behavioral, communication, thinking and work conscience so that employees can meet the professional and social expectations of the organization and have job stability in this regard (Babaei, Rasuli & Tagizadeh, 2015).
Although knowledge is a key capability and a vital resource, it is not enough to just have knowledge in the organization, but knowledge must be exchangeable. Attempting to share knowledge with others is a voluntary behavior (Hosseini Sarkhosh et al., 2016). Knowledge sharing is a process that involves both bringing and receiving knowledge (Entezari et al., 2016). In early studies, knowledge sharing was seen as a process of knowledge management. The benefits of knowledge sharing are achieved at both individual and organizational levels. At the individual level, knowledge sharing enables employees to improve their skills and experiences by working with others and sharing their knowledge and learning from each other, and to achieve professional growth. At the organizational level, it also has benefits such as creating a competitive advantage, optimal communication with customers, improving the performance of the organization by increasing efficiency, productivity, quality and innovation (Tavakoli et al., 2013).
 
Methodology
The research method is descriptive-correlative. The statistical population of the study includes all faculty members of Kurdistan University in the academic year 1401-1400 with a volume of 373 people (342 males and 31 females) by random-stratified sampling (by gender), and 190 Scientific faculty members (174 men and 16 women) were selected as the sample, based on Cochran's sampling formula. Three questionnaires of job security (Neysi, 2002), organizational maturity, and knowledge sharing (Bohlool, 2013) were used to collect information. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics of structural equation model were used to analyze the data using Smart PLS software.
Discussion and Results
Based on the descriptive findings, the mean and standard deviation of the research variables were as follows: Job security 3.76 ± 0.41, organizational maturity 3.45 ± 0.59 and knowledge sharing 3.89 ± 0.39. In examining the research hypotheses, it was found that: Hypothesis 1: Job security has a positive and significant effect on organizational growth. According to the findings, the value of job security β coefficient on organizational maturity is 0.47. Given that the value of T obtained is 13.57 and is greater than the standard value of 1.96, the research hypothesis is confirmed.
Hypothesis 2: Job security has a positive and significant effect on knowledge sharing. According to the findings, the value of job security β coefficient on knowledge sharing is 0.63.Given that the value of T obtained is 21.02 and is greater than the standard value of 1.96, the research hypothesis is confirmed.
Hypothesis 3: Knowledge sharing has a positive and significant effect on organizational growth. According to the findings, the value of knowledge sharing coefficient β on organizational maturity is 0.41. Given that the value of T obtained is equal to 11.57 and is greater than the standard value of 1.96, the research hypothesis is confirmed.
Hypothesis 4: Job security has a positive and significant effect on organizational growth with the mediating role of knowledge sharing. The Sobel test was used to test the hypothesis. According to the value of the indicators a) the value of the path coefficient of the independent variable on the mediator variable a = 0.63, b) the value of the path coefficient of the mediator variable on the dependent variable b = 0.41, c) the standard error of the path of the independent variable and the mediator Sa = 0.056, D) The standard error of the mediator and dependent variable path is Sb = 0.080, the value of z was equal to 4.66. Since this value of z was greater than the value of 2.58, the indirect effect of job security on organizational maturity mediated by knowledge sharing (β = 0.25) at a level less than 0.01 is significant.
Conclusion
Overall, the findings of this study showed that job security of faculty members, both directly and indirectly and through the mediation of knowledge sharing has a positive and significant effect on organizational growth. Considering the positive effect of job security, it is suggested to the top managers of the university that by delegating authority and maintaining the job independence of faculty members, observing justice and non-discrimination, providing appropriate facilities for preventing occupational accidents, providing appropriate facilities for using insurance, retirement Empowering them through in-service training, using their constructive opinions, suggestions and beliefs in organizational decision-making, and accelerating the process of transforming formal-definitive employment status can enhance faculty members' sense of job security. Also, considering the positive effect of knowledge sharing on organizational growth, the following suggestions are made to university senior managers: Introducing individual and organizational benefits of knowledge sharing, expressing the need to promote the university and not lag behind other universities to faculty members through regular knowledge management meetings and Knowledge sharing, creating an atmosphere of trust in the university for the exchange of knowledge and personal information.