To be or not to be: paradoxes and dilemmas faced by middle managers in Malaysian public service during organizational change

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Safuwan Samah

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents of acceptance of change on Administrative Diplomatic Officers (ADO) from the Management and Professional Group in the Malaysian public service organizations.Design/methodology/approachA total of 400 respondents were selected from 6904 ADO who served in Malaysian public service organizations. Data for this study were collected using self-administered questionnaires to study the direct relationship of individual and environmental factors toward acceptance of change; and the impact of organizational support as mediator on the relationship of environmental factors on professionals' acceptance behavior on organizational change. The paper uses quantitative research design, and the hypotheses formulated for this study were tested using SEM AMOS.FindingsThe study revealed that organizational support, attitude toward change, subjective norms and social influences all have significantly direct effect on acceptance to change. In contrast, results showed that locus of control has no direct influence on dependent variable. The results of mediation model analysis suggested that organizational support partially mediates the relationship of subjective norms on acceptance of change.Research limitations/implicationsThe population of this study was only involved ADO as middle managers in Malaysia public service organizations. The author's choice of sample limits the generalizability of the results. However, the choice made was instrumental, convinced in reaching a good and rich set of data. It is thus enabled to obtain an ample understanding of the dynamics in the case.Practical implicationsPerceived organizational support should be crucial element taken by human resource development practitioners in Malaysian public service in ensuring that Management and Professional Groups smoothly adapted to organizational changes through subjective norms and social influence.Social implicationsPresent study is essential to provide empirical mapping of a hitherto unexplored acceptance of change within the predictor variables examined in this research. By providing a better understanding of public servants' acceptance of change through research variables, this may then improve their service to deliver government work plans and achieving goals.Originality/valueThe findings of this study extend the knowledge of acceptance of change behavior in the context of Management and Professional Group in Malaysia public service. The integration between selected individual and environmental variables toward acceptance of change behavior with mediating variable of perceived organizational support adds values to the body of knowledge toward understanding the process of acceptance of change behavior. The scientific contribution of this paper created an empirical evidence of unexplored area of acceptance of organizational change within the Management and Professional Group, highlighting that the middle managers in public sector organizations veritably believe they are responsible for their own success.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Safuwan Samah

Despite the number of transformation plans were implemented by public service organizations, there is still lack of studies concerns on the employees’ acceptance of change in the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to explore the direct influence of perceived organizational support and employee’s acceptance of change by middle managers in Malaysian Public Service organizations. A total of 400 Administrative and Diplomatic Officers (ADO) were selected by using random sampling method and data for this study were collected using self-administered questionnaires. This study employed descriptive and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation to answer research objectives. The findings discovered that acceptance of change and organizational support is significantly positive correlated. Though this investigation may add knowledge to the body of literature on acceptance of change behavior and perceived organizational support, future researchers are encourage to explore the variables on different level of officers in public service organizations as well as to conduct differential study comprise of both public and private organizations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Safuwan Samah

The study seeks to examine the influence of environmental-related factors among middle managers in Malaysian government organization. Specifically, this study seeks to determine the influence of subjective norms and social influence in public organizations on acceptance of change. Present study employed cross-sectional survey involving a sample of 400 Administrative and Diplomatic Officers (ADO) in Malaysian Public Service organizations. The findings highlighted that middle managers’ subjective norms in this study were significant in influencing acceptance of change but are not affected by their social pressure when changes are implemented. Practically, this investigation proffers essential effort in understanding the acceptance of change of middle managers in public service organizations. This study suggests ADO as change agents should be well informed and consulted to create social pressure among them to act in supportive ways of implementing planned change Theoretically, the results of this study append to the literature and to a certain extent provide better explanation of Theory of Reasoned Action and Social Cognitive Theory in the context of acceptance of change. The population of this study involved ADO as middle managers in Malaysian Public Service organizations thus the results cannot be generalized to other level of employees in public sector as well as private service organizations. A comparative study involving both public and private service organizations would be worth studying in future.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanni Yang ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
An-Ling Xiang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore factors influencing social media usage effectiveness of publishing-related entities and discuss the differences between publishing-related individuals and organizations in their usage of social media and the differences between commercial organizations and public service organizations (such as libraries). Design/methodology/approach This paper studied 546 publishing-related entities’ accounts on the leading Chinese social media and built a theoretical model for the usage of social media by publishing-related entities. Furthermore, it examined the influencing factors from two aspects: power of influence of an entity (entity influence) and the relational interaction of a publishing-related entity with its audience (interactive relationship). Findings The study found that for publishing-related individual users of social media, entity influence has a greater positive effect on the effectiveness of social media usage than on the effect of interactive relationship. For publishing-related commercial organizations, the entity influence and interactive relationship have equal impacts on the effectiveness of social media usage. It is also found that interactive relationship has a stronger positive effect on the usage effectiveness of social media, especially for publishing-related public service organizations. Originality/value This research fills the gap in the research of comparative analysis in the understanding of social media usage by individuals and organizations related to publishing activities. Moreover, it has tried to propose a theoretical model that can help promote the effectiveness of social media usages by various publishing-related entities and their business strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Asim Rafique ◽  
Yumei Hou ◽  
Muhammad Adnan Zahid Chudhery ◽  
Nida Gull ◽  
Syed Jameel Ahmed

PurposeInnovations are imperative for organizational growth and sustainability. This study focuses on the employees' innovative behavior, a source of organizational innovations, which has received substantial attention from the researchers. Based on the psychological empowerment theory, the study exposes the effect of the various dimensions of public service motivation (PSM) on employees' innovative behavior (IB) in public sector institutions especially in the context of developing countries such as Pakistan. Moreover, the study also investigates the mediating role of psychological empowerment (PSE) between the dimensions of PSM and IB.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the cross-sectional research design. By using random sampling, the adapted survey questionnaires were used to collect data from 346 faculty members of public sector universities located in provincial capitals of Pakistan. A partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) tool was used to assess the proposed hypotheses through SMART-PLS software.FindingsResults revealed that attraction to policymaking (APM), compassion (COM), self-sacrifice (SS) have a significant impact on employees' PSE and their innovative behavior, while the relationship of commitment to the public interest (CPI) with PSE and IB was found insignificant. Moreover, PSE partially mediated the relationship between PSM dimensions and employees' IB.Originality/valueThere was a scarcity of research on IB especially in public sector institutions such as academia. This study theoretically contributed to the literature by providing a refined picture in assessing the proposed relationship of the constructs. This is also one of the original studies that examine the relationship between the dimensions of PSM and IB.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-44
Author(s):  
Joe Duke II ◽  
Kechi A. Kankpang

Given the rampant headline revelations of widespread fraud perpetrated in Nigerian public service organizations in recent times, this study addresses a topical subject that commands urgent attention, understanding and intervention. Using a survey design and case approach, a cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 54 systematically selected public service organizations spread across the South-South geopolitical region of Nigeria. The study showed that the fraud risk reduction strategy deployed in Nigerian public service organizations is not effective in reducing the overall level of employee fraud. The study showed that auditor’s monitoring strength is low. It also found that the prevailing reward and compensation system does not facilitate reduction of incentive for employee fraud. These results point to a need to review, strengthen and make more dynamic and responsive the current fraud risk reduction strategy used. Key words: employee fraud, organizations, Nigeria.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyorgy Hajnal ◽  
Katarina Staronova

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to examine whether the incentivizing type of performance appraisal (typical of New Public Management) has indeed been superseded by a post-New Public Management (NPM), developmental type of performance appraisal in European Civil Services.Design/methodology/approachThe literature review lead to a unidimensional, twofold typology: incentivizing (NPM) and developmental (post-NPM) performance appraisal. The empirical basis of the research is two surveys conducted among top civil servants in 18 European countries.FindingsFirst, there are crucial discrepancies between performance appraisal systems in contemporary European central government administrations and current theorizing on performance appraisal. Contrary to our expectations developed on the basis of the latter, “developmental” and “incentivizing” do not seem to be two distinct types of performance appraisal; rather, they are two independent dimensions, defining altogether four different types of performance appraisal systems.Practical implicationsThe authors results give orientation to policymakers and public service managers to engage in designing or applying performance appraisal systems, in particular by identifying assailable presumptions underlying many present-time reform trends.Social implicationsCitizens and communities are direct stakeholders in the development of public service performance appraisal both as possible or actual employees of public service organizations and as recipients of public services.Originality/valueThe paper proposes a new fourfold typology of performance appraisal systems: incentivizing, developmental, symbolic and want-it-all.


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