Choi Sang Long

The role of change agent as mediator in the relationship between HR competencies and organizational performance

Human resource (HR) practitioners, as change agents, are responsible for easing the impact of changes in their organization and to protect employees against the side effects of these inevitable changes. Sometimes, the change helps to produce a significant increase in performance and the company can boost sales and production without additional cost. Several vital competencies that are reviewed in this paper include business knowledge culture management, effective relationship and human resource development skills. Based on the findings of this study, not all competencies are related to the role of change agent. HR practitioners who are unable to function as change agents will inevitably create a barrier against their becoming a well-integrated strategic partner. Therefore, the role of change agent also mediates the relationship between certain HR competencies and organizational performance.

Assessing Adoption of Project Management Knowledge Areas and Maturity Level: Case Study of a Public Agency in Malaysia

AbstractThe importance of project management maturity models has taken on greater significance in assessing an organization’s current capabilities. These models are used to assess the maturity of an organization and to ensure its efficiency and uniformity in delivering projects. In addition, these models are used to further improve the performance of the organization. The objectives of this study are to determine the degree to which project management knowledge areas have been adopted by one public agency in terms of project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communication, risk, and procurement and to assess the current maturity level of project management as perceived by project managers. A total of 65 project managers and project team members were selected as respondents for the study. Descriptive analysis was applied to answer the research questions and objectives. The study revealed that almost 90% of the respondents felt that understanding the nine project management knowledge ...

The relationship between training and organizational commitment among academicians in Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the question “what is the relationship between employees’ perception on training and employees’ organisational commitment?” using the widely accepted theories of three-component model of organisational commitment and training-related variables. Design/methodology/approach – This study utilises the survey methodology approach. The study design is an associational descriptive research designed to identify the relationship between employees’ training measured by five training variables (perceived availability of training, motivation to learn in training, perceived co-worker support for training, perceived supervisor support for training and perceived benefits of training) and employees’ organisational commitment measured by three organisational commitment components (affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment). The target population of this study consisted of academic staffs of one of the faculty in a public university in Malaysia. ...

Internal consultation skill and linkage with the critical strategic roles of HR practitioners in Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between the role of internal consultant and role of the HR practitioners in the manufacturing companies of Malaysia.Design/methodology/approach – Three main elements in the competency of internal consultation are measured. They are: knowledge in the area of project management; internal coaching ability; and the ability to be a solution provider.Findings – The HR practitioner needs to overcome many barriers to reach the ultimate goal of becoming a strategic partner in his or her organisation. The findings suggest that the HR executive that understands business strategy is more likely to develop HR processes and procedures that support the implementation of a business strategy and are therefore, better able to involve themselves in organisational development activities on a deeper level.Research limitations/implications – This study by its very nature is limited by virtue of its having been carried out only on manufacturing companies in J...

Knowledge management and total quality management: a reciprocal relationship

Purpose This research is an effort to conceptualize the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and knowledge management in a new way. While some researchers considered knowledge management as a facilitator of TQM other scholars concerned TQM as an antecedent for knowledge management. The purpose of this paper is to propose a reciprocal causation between TQM and knowledge management. Design/methodology/approach The main focus of literature review is focusing on common practices of TQM and knowledge management. In the next step, joint variance analysis method is used to reanalyze the results of the empirical studies linking TQM to knowledge management. This approach aims to divide the multiple correlation squared and demonstrate what portion is distinctly connected to predictor variables and what portion is on account of common variance among predictors. Findings The result indicates that nearly half of all explained variances in empirical studies that considered the relationship between TQM and knowledge management disregarding the criteria are accounted for the joint variance of TQM and knowledge management processes. Therefore a reciprocal causation between TQM and knowledge management can be formulated. Originality/value This research is one of the first studies which explores the diverse results of the relationship between TQM and knowledge management from a methodological perspective.

Is TQM practices still relevant?: A critical review

A successful company understands the powerful impact customer-defined quality can have on business. For this reason an organization or company want to maintain a level of quality that satisfy their customers at the appropriate time and price then that organization must follow some quality management techniques to fulfill those principles and planning. TQM is a comprehensive system approach that works horizontally across an organization, involving all departments and employees and extending backward and forward to include suppliers, clients and customers. However, the process of implementation of TQM may not be a smooth sailing process for some organizations. Organizations must have perseverance and undivided support from top management before embarking into this rigorous but yet challenging process.

Technology Management: Developing an Innovation Model for Research Universities in Malaysia

Institutions of Higher Learning in Malaysia had been viewed as the source for new innovation. Hence, few universities in Malaysia had been upgraded to the status of Research University to reinforce the nations New Economic Model via research, development and commercialization of new innovation. As such, Technology Driven innovation model that traditionally used by academic in Institutions of Higher Learning is now insufficient to support the innovation work within the scope and definition of Research University, this is due to it is lack of focus on commercialization element. Therefore, this paper aims to propose an innovation model devotes to Research Universities in Malaysia. In line with this, the paper reviews the important elements of innovation, followed by comparison of elements in corporate and academic innovation models. Finding from this paper suggested that building-up innovation competency in Research University requires an innovation model that integrates all innovation elements from holistic business points of view. The paper proposed an integrated innovation model based on Total Innovation Management paradigm. The proposed model has descriptive value in terms of studying, classifying and defining the important elements and relationships that govern innovation process and management aspects in Research universities within Malaysia.

Design of Experiment – An Integration of Fisher, Taguchi and Shainin DOE Methodology

Design of experiment (DOE) is the focal collective of quality technique and is widely used in Research and Development (R&D) organization to optimize product design parameters. There are three main DOE approaches that commonly adopted by R&D companies, which are the classical Fisher’s DOE, Taguchi DOE and Shainin DOE. This paper explores how these three main DOE approaches could be integrated to optimize product design parameters in a Research and Development company. The paper starts with enlightenment of the common DOE steps, follows by discussion of issues faced by the Research and Development company during the implementation of the three DOE approaches in product design. The paper subsequently illustrates how the three DOE approaches could be integrated as a new methodology for optimization of product design parameters. The integrated DOE methodology presented in this paper offers an alternative and effective way to conduct DOE in a dynamic product design and development environment.

Making the most of that all-important job interview: Employers who do their homework get the best results

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how employers can get the best results from job interviews. Design/methodology/approach – This paper considers the relative merits of structured interviews, behavioral interviews, experience-based interviews and situational interviews. Findings – This paper explains that each type of interview has its place, dependent on the type of job to be filled. Practical implications – It is revealed that proper preparation by employers can help them to get the most suitable candidates. Originality/value – This paper reveals how employers can learn to conduct effective interviews that produce reliable results.

Robust Design – A Case Study in a Research and Development Company

The paper aims to explore how organizations in the transition phase of co-location to multi-locations production environment applied Robust Design approach to accommodate the complexity of manufacturing and assembly operation in multi-location production environment. By using a single case study method on a home appliances Research and Development (R&D) Company, this paper examines the detail of design and operational transformations within the organization at pre and post implementation stage of Robust Design. The paper starts with enlightenment of issues faced by the company that drove the move to explore the application of Robust Design, follows by illustrations on how Robust Design concept is re-configured and executed across the product design process within the company. The paper subsequently reviews operational impact driven by the implementation of Robust Design, this is followed by discussion and recommendation for improvement. Result from the case study suggested that top management commitment is the key success factor for the implementation of Robust Design in Research and Development firm. In addition, the case study offers an alternative and effective approach to develop a robust system within design and development environment.