Knowledge of the Importance of Behavioral Management Skills of Agricultural Extension Officials in Iraq and Their Relationship with Some Variables

This research chiefly aimed to determine degree of knowledge of the behavioral management skills of agricultural extension officials in Iraq as well as the importance of those skills, and to determine the relationship between knowledge of the behavioral management skills of agricultural instructional officials in Iraq and the studied independent variables. The survey methodology has been used in conducting the research. The questionnaire form has been designed to fulfill the research’s objectives. The required adjustments were been made in April 2019 by a group of experts in this field. Statistical methods such as arithmetic mean, standard deviation and correlation coefficient were applied. The study was included all agricultural Extension officials (Division and Section Officer) in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Training, agricultural extension officials in Iraqi directorates of agriculture and officials of extension centers (145 official) Whereas, 20 officials have been excluded in order to verify the reliability of the research scale. The most notable results have been 48% of the surveyed extension officials with knowledge of the importance of behavioral management skills ranging from medium to low. The results showed that there is a positive correlation at the probability level 0.01 between the degree of knowledge and each of the independent variables (extension training, the degree of motivation of achievement, and the degree of knowledge in extension communication). There is a positive correlation at the probability level 0.05 between the degree of knowledge and the independent variable of job satisfaction, whereas there is no correlation between degree of knowledge and independent variables (indicative experience, number of years of education, multiple sources of information, and degree of benefit from training). The researchers are recommending to; increase behavioral management skills training for extension workers in order to develop their skills. The extension workers selection should base on the experience, high level of education, high skills in counseling communication, team formation, time management, possess the motivation of achievement and high job satisfaction.


Introduction and research problem
One of the main pillars working to improve Iraqi rural communities is agricultural extension. Iraqi agricultural policy focuses on making a big push to develop these societies. Therefore, it requires a future vision to build an effective agricultural extension a board which depends on the implementation of extension tasks for extension workers with high capabilities and skills.
Chiefly an effective agricultural extension work requires the administrative and operational measures that strengthen the organizational structure. This leads to contribute to the creation of an appropriate working environment which will drive to a rapid systematic treatment of managerial functions and tasks entrusted to the extension organization [1].
Extension management could be represented in strategic decision making; ranging from a minimum of providing data and information to senior management, and a maximum of proposals in the form of implementation plans and programs which make consultation or advice compulsory for other departments. Depend on these plans and programs the decisions -making could be taken [2]. The successful agricultural extension system is the result of a successful administrative system. This agricultural extension which can combine the extension process of the modern management and the educational skills that association's researchers and farmers [3].
The role of the agricultural extension is not only confined to transfer and to get the extension message, but also to help the farmer to understand and correctly apply the new techniques. This is done by the successful extension management supervised by a manager who has an understanding of managerial behavior. The manger can lead the extension work properly through the right skills and behaviors to raise motivation and ability for employees and to communicate at all levels of the organization. Additionally, successful manager should have ability to communicate with other organizations to achieve better interaction with the workers and work as one team. The correct decisions of the manager depend on the goals that were set for the agricultural extension and the performance of the agricultural extension workers in achieving their goals [4]. In these days, modern extension management is able to develop a scientific strategy based on the Knowledge, experience, and values and a high awareness of its tasks. To achieve this, all parties working in Ministry of Agriculture from different countries should be participated as well as creating leaders and choosing the right assistants and raising the efficiency of the human element [5].
The Director of Agricultural Extension at any level of the organization should perform management behavior by understanding and knowing the successful management skills so that he can manage the elements of the agricultural production system, which includes selecting the appropriate production elements and deciding how to combine them, [6]. Additionally, there are some factors such as efficient management of agricultural production elements, and strategies to increase Agricultural production, factors affecting the management of agricultural activity, methods of adapting modern technologies in the field of serving the basic agricultural activity in the work area, along with the coordination with research centers and agricultural agencies specialized which diagnose problems and needs that hinder or affect agricultural production in the work area [7].
The managerial conduct of the manager plays a major role in the reform of the institutional organizations, including the definition and accuracy of goals, policies and controls of work, performance schedules, organizational structure, organizational relations, clarity of responsibility and authority, and the degree of coordination that characterizes the organization, supervision, incentives, appropriate decision-making and control [8].
The officials of the Agricultural Extension Service as official professional leaders are the cornerstone of the success of extension work, through the performance of the extension tasks to be carried out efficiently and effectively. The success of the extension service in achieving its objectives and tasks depends on the efficiency, skill and ability of these professional leaders to perform their tasks and roles effectively, [9].
The strength of any work in any institution requires the search for individuals having basic elements suitable for the job and to accurately determine the skills, attributes and abilities that must be characterized by the individual. This individual who is assigned to perform the job in order to achieve the functions and responsibilities of that function with the efficiency and effectiveness, there are demands for the job lie in education experience, skills, personality traits, tendencies, attitudes, motivations, social, personal and physical qualities, [10].
Management behavioral skills, are the skills that the manager should acquire and then seek to transfer to the staff, such as communication, planning, organization, and other necessary skills, [11] Management skills can be defined as the "manager's ability to understand the nature of his/her work, and to carry out his/her own and appropriate activities". The process of achieving organizational objectives, requirements and needs of employees, and defines management as "qualities should be characterized by the manager"; [12]. Time management, leadership and impact, team formation and management, problem solving and decision-making, and interpersonal skills. Also, there are other skills: 1.1. Intellectual skills Include the ability of the manager to think abstractly in an objective way and the vision of the institution with a comprehensive, perspective integrated into its relationship with the surrounding environment.

Human skills
Include the ability how to deal with individuals and groups in a manner that it leads to promote cooperation and motivates them to achieve individually and collectively.

Technical skills
These skills linked to the ability to deal with material things and processes and the ability to use the means, tools and procedures for the completion of work. This is done through specialized knowledge and outstanding ability in performance, [13].
The reality of the work of agricultural extension in the Republic of Iraq is described as weak -below the level it should be -against the desired goals.
Wazzan [14] reported that Iraq has suffered from food shortages and increasingly and continuously since the early eighties of the last century to the present day.
The prevalence of high-production technologies in Iraq is also weak (FAO, 2002). Agriculture has consistently suffered from poor or low productivity in the plant and animal fields, and the low level of modern technologies used [12].
Through the foregoing and after reviewing some of previous studies and researches that which were dealt with the administrative skills of the extension system. They were found that agricultural officials and extension workers did not attend much in these studies dealing with cognitive behavior in management skills. Therefore, this research conducted to highlight this group of agricultural extension workers in the agricultural extension system Also, it refines and improves their administrative skills in order to benefit the agricultural extension system to achieve its goals, and successful job performance [15]. This is done by answering the questions, what is the degree of knowledge of behavioral management skills for agricultural extension officials in the Iraq, As well as the impact of independent variables on the degree of knowledge of these skills?

Objectives of the study
1. To identify the degree of knowledge of behavioral management skills of agricultural extension workers in Iraq. 2. To identify the degree of importance of behavioral management skills for agricultural extension officials in Iraq for each of the studied skills. 3. To determine the relationship between the knowledge of behavioral management skills of agricultural extension officials in Iraq and the independent variables studied (extension training, number of years of service, number of years of education, multiple sources of information, degree of benefit from training, degree of achievement motivation, degree of knowledge of extension communication, and degree of job satisfaction). 4. To identify the regressive relationship between the studied independent variables and the degree of the respondents 'knowledge of the importance of the studied behavioral management skills.

Research Hypotheses
1-There is a significant correlation between the degree of knowledge of the behavioral management skills of agricultural extension officials in Iraq and the independent variables studied (extension training, number of years of service, number of years of education, multiple sources of information, and degree of benefit from training, degree of achievement motivation, degree of knowledge of extension communication, degree of job satisfaction).

Study methodology
The survey methodology has been used in conducting this study, which comes within the framework of descriptive studies. This methodology is useful in describing the reality of phenomena, as it is suitable for obtaining accurate and detailed information, exploring its weaknesses, identifying its causes and proposals for treatment and predicting the future of such phenomena [16].

Population & sample of the research
The study has included all agricultural extension officials (Division and Section Officer) in the Agricultural Extension and Training Department, agricultural extension officials in the Iraqi directorates of agriculture. Also, the study includes the officials of the extension centers (145 officials), and 20 officials have been excluded for the initial test from them to Verify the reliability of the scale. The research's sample consists of (125) extension officials.

Scale of the study
A questionnaire form has been designed to achieve the objectives of the research, [17] after being presented to a group of agricultural extension experts and experts in the college of administration and Economics and the College of Agriculture at the University of Baghdad. The required adjustments have been made in April 2019, and statistical methods such as mean, standard deviation, and simple and multiple correlations' coefficient has been employed. The dependent variable has been measured: the degree of knowledge of the respondent on the importance of each of the studied administrative behavioral skills have been measured by giving grades (1, 2, 3) on a graded scale (rarely, sometimes and always) for each of the 58 items of the five studied skills (Table 1). through the benefit of a lot, medium or few and it was given grades (3, 2, 1), respectively. 5. The degree of job satisfaction: This variable was measured by 12 items, including 6 negative and 6 positives on a scale (satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not satisfied) and scores were given for positive (3, 2, 1) respectively. And negative scores were given (1, 2, 3) respectively. 6. The degree of motivation achievement: This variable was measured through 7 items and through a scale (always, sometimes, rarely) and scores (3, 2, 1) were given respectively. 7. The degree of Knowledge of Indicative Communication: This variable was measured by 12 items with one score for a correct answer and zero for a wrong answer.

2.5.
Validity and Reliability of the study tool After the construction of items of the scale (questionnaire) were built in its initial form to ensure the internal reliability of suitability, clarity of the paragraphs, the integrity of the language and belonging to the field. For the reliability of the tool, the pre, test has been applied by distributing the questionnaire to Outside of the sample (n=20), the coefficient was calculated by the split-half method. The scale items divided into two individual items; the simple correlation coefficient was calculated using the Pearson equation. Then the coefficient of reliability was calculated using the Spearman-Brown equation that were about (0.91). Furthermore, the coefficient of reliability was calculated by the root reliability coefficient that were about  [18]. The research data was collected from the beginning February to April 2020.

Results and Discussion
First: To identifying the degree of knowledge of the behavioral management skills of agricultural extension officials in Iraq.
The results of the current study showed that the degree of knowledge of the behavioral management skills ranged from 91 to 147 degrees, with an average of 124.17 degrees, and a standard deviation of 13.79 degrees. According to the measure of behavioral management skills, which had a maximum score of 174 and a minimum of 58 degrees. 27% of the respondents were moderately knowledgeable, 21% of the respondents had low knowledge and 52.4% of the respondents had a high degree of knowledge. On the other hand, in the time management skill, there was 50% in a high class, with an arithmetic average of 27.74 a standard deviation score of 4.4 degrees, and with respect to the skill. In high class, the average percentage of respondents' knowledge was 49.6% with an average of 78.23 degrees with the standard deviation of 4.72 degrees. Similarly, the skill of forming and managing the team was 27% with an average of 23.8 degrees with a standard deviation.
The present study found that the level of problem solving and decision-making was 21.7% in a high class, with an average of 49.25 degrees with a standard deviation of 4.78, while the skill of dealing with others was 52% in a high class with an average of 92.25 degrees with a standard deviation of 25.5 degrees. The result showed that the degree of the knowledge of management skills for behavioral officials, agricultural extension workers tend to decline in the knowledge and the importance of these skills, as the study found that nearly half of the respondents (49.6%) knowledge degree ranged between low to medium (table 2). Second: To determine the degree of knowledge of the importance of behavioral management skills and items of the agricultural extension officials in Iraq.

A -Time management skill.
The degree of knowledge of respondents in the importance of time management skill ranged between 14-35 degrees, according to the measure of time management skill had maximum 39 and minimum 13 degrees. The items (setting goals and results to be achieved according to priorities) with a high degree of importance 41.2% of respondents' knowledge. The degree of knowledge of the respondents about the importance of time management skill according to the items has been to some extent important (Table 3). This indicates strongest in the time management of the respondents as skill shown by the paragraphs. Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need to intensify training courses to reduce this lack of knowledge.

B -Leadership and impact skills
The degree of knowledge of respondents in the importance of leadership skills and influence was ranged from 11 to 32 degrees. According to the scale of leadership skills and impact had the maximum 33 and the lowest 11 degrees; the items (involving subordinates in the identification and achievement of goals) had a high degree of importance 40.6% of respondents. The degree of knowledge of the respondents about the importance of leadership and influence skills by items were somewhat important which indicates strongest in the leadership and influence of the respondents as shown that skill by the items (Table 4). Therefore, this requires the selection of experienced and specialized officials and also to send a sense of progress and success in subordinates.

C. Team formation and management Skill
The results found that the degree of knowledge of the respondents in the importance of the skill that form and mange work teams ranged between 11-29 degrees. According to the measure of skill formation and management of teams reached a maximum of 30 and a minimum of 10 degrees. This came with an item (equality of members in their importance within the teams) degree of high importance as the percentage of respondents 'knowledge (39.3%) see Table 5. Therefore, the degree of respondents' knowledge of the importance of the skill of forming and managing teams according to the items was (somewhat important). Thus, it needs to improve communication and deepen links to achieve team unity. In addition, it requires the style of work which were depends on democracy the satisfaction of the employees and their conviction and cooperation.

D -Problem solving and decision-making skills
The results showed that degree of knowledge of the respondents in the importance of problem-solving skill and decision-making was ranged between 13-35 degrees. According to the problem-solving skill and decision-making scale, the maximum was 36 and the minimum was 12 degrees. As the percentage of respondent's knowledge was 37.9% as shown in Table 6.
To conclude that, the degree of respondents' knowledge important for problem-solving skills and decisionmaking. Thus, the respondent knowledge is needed for decision the actual implementation of the solution to a follow up and evaluation.

E. Interpersonal Skills:
The respondents' knowledge of the importance of the skill of dealing with others ranged from 12 to 34 degrees, according to the skill of dealing with others with a maximum of 36 and a minimum of 12 degrees ( Table 7). The proportion of respondent's knowledge was 38.7%. It is clear that the degree of respondents' knowledge of the importance of problem solving and decision-making skills according to the items was (somewhat important). Thus, it needs to use easy understandable and loved language. Third: To specify the relationship between knowledge of behavioral management skills of agricultural extension officials in Iraq and the studied independent variables (extension training, extension experience, number of years of service, number of years of education, multiple sources of information, degree of benefit from training, degree of achievement motivation, degree of knowledge in extension communication, and degree of job satisfaction).
The objective is to identify the correlations between the studied independent variables and the degree of the respondents' knowledge of the importance of the studied management skills.
The simple correlation equation of Pearson used to determine the correlation between the studied independent variables and the degree of the respondents' knowledge of the importance of the studied management skills. In addition to show a relationship with a positive correlation at the probability level 0.01 between the degree of knowledge and each of the independent variable's extension training, the degree of motivation of achievement, and the degree of knowledge in extension communication. Furthermore, the result found a positive correlation at the probability level 0.05 between the degree of knowledge and the independent variable degree of job satisfaction.
However, there was no relationship between the degree of knowledge and the independent variables indicative experience, the number of years of education, the multiplicity of information sources, and the degree of benefit from training. Thus, the first statistical hypothesis could be rejected for independent variables that have been shown to be significant by the dependent variable. The degree of knowledge of the importance of behavioral management skills, can't be rejected for the independent variables proved to be significant see Table 8. Fourth: To specify the progressive correlative gradient analysis of the relationship between the independent variables and the degree of knowledge of the respondents on the importance of studied management behavioral skills.
The contribution of each of the independent variables are to explain the difference in the degree of knowledge of respondents on the importance of management skills as a dependent variable was used the model for correlative analysis and gradual multiple gradual deviations (STEP-WISE), The results in the existence of five independent variables together contribute significantly to the variance in the dependent variable, where the value of the coefficient of determination (R2) and (F) calculated value were (0.610 and 30.556) respectively. There was a significant value at the probability level 0.01, which means that the five independent variables account for 61.2% of the variance in the dependent variable, including 41.8% for variable extension training 9.9%. The degree of knowledge related to the extension communication, and 3.9% for the variable of the degree of motivation achievement, 3.3% for the guideline extension experience variable, and 2.3 % for the multiple sources of information variable.
Accordingly, the second statistical hypothesis can be rejected for the independent variables that prove their significant contribution, whereas, we could keep it for the remaining independent variables whose significant contribution has not been proven (Table 9).  Table 9. The results of the gradual correlative regression analysis of the relationship between the independent variables and the degree of knowledge of the respondents on the importance of studied behavioral management skills. **Significant at the probability level 0.01 * Significant at the probability level 0.05

Conclusion and Recommendations
The results have shown a clear decrease in the knowledge of the extension officials on the importance of behavioral management skills. The researchers recommend that the selection of extension officials who have experience as well as a high level of education, has high skills in extension communication and team formation, time management. Moreover, they have a motivation of achievement and high level of job satisfaction.