Case Study v1

CASE STUDY Building public sector leaders of excellence in-collaboration with:

CASE STUDY EDITORIAL TEAM

BUILDING PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS OF EXCELLENCE

Editor-in-Chief Ismail Said Assistant Editor Diana Marie Content Editors Research & Development Centre Dzurina Razuan Hasriq bin Hadil Swinburne University of Technology Dr. George Ngui Kwang Sing Dr. Voon Mung Ling

PARTICIPATING AGENCIES

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

Graphic Designer Abdul Rani Haji Adenan Abas bin Rosli Andrea Lim Li Li Bibiana Lim Chiu Yiong Crispin anak Francis Diana Rafidah binti Majani Halizamina binti Haji Morshidi Jacob Ting Jee Teck Weng Lisa Ngui

Ng Siang Wei Ngui Kwang Sing Rodney Lim Thiam Hock Sharpini bin Daud Sitansu Panda Siti Awa Haji Suib Siti Rafeah binti Haji Abdul Rahman Voon Mung Ling William Rovina Nating

Swinburne University of Technology Jabatan Perkhidmatan Veterinar Sarawak Jabatan Pertanian Sarawak Majlis Perbandaran Padawan Pejabat Residen dan Daerah Sri Aman Pejabat Residen dan Daerah Bintulu Perbadanan Pembangunan Ekonomi Sarawak Perbadanan Kemajuan Perusahaan Kayu Sarawak Kementerian Pelancongan, Kesenian, Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan Negeri Sarawak Jabatan Peguam Besar Negeri Sarawak

2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published by: © Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service Sdn. Bhd. Km 20, Jalan Kuching-Serian, Semenggok, 93250 Kuching.

The Case Study Booklet is a publication by the Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission.

Kindly direct all feedback or inquiries to the Head of Corporate Affairs and Publications, Diana Marie at corporate@leadinstitute.com.my.

Table of

Contents TITLE

Page

Leadership in the context of Organisational Change: A Case Study of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Sarawak

7

Recruitment and Selection of Veterinary Officers in the Sarawak State Civil Service

15

The Relationship Between Work Characteristics and Work-Family Interfaces in Padawan Municipal Council

25

Relationship between the Perceived Leadership Styles and Job Satisfaction among Support Staff in Sri Aman Resident and District’s Office

33

Exploratory Study on OnBoarding Experience of New Recruits at Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak

39

Informal Mentoring In Public Sector - A Case Study And Implication Analysis

45

Attitudes Toward E-Training Adoption in Sarawak’s Civil Service

55

Employees’ Perceptions Towards Organisational Transformation: Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) Experience

63

Absenteeism: A Case Study in the Sarawak Civil Service

69

Use of Balance Scorecard in Managing Organisational Performance of Bintulu’s Resident and District Office: Issues and Challenges

79

References

85

MESSAGE YB DATUK AMAR JAUL SAMION State Secretary of Sarawak

Innovation and transformation are inseparable and have been be given serious commitment by the state government in the implementation of strategies to become a developed and high-income state by 2030. For the State Civil Service to make an impact to communities, it is imperative that we gain a good understanding of what citizens and other public sector ‘customers’ mean by value. Case study research by definition is well suited to present both critical and practical insights into the nature of the public sector environment and map skill acquisition for the civil service through the various localized context of the case studies. I take this opportunity to congratulate the Leadership Institute for meticulously assembling the case studies and their commitment to producing an important discussion resource for the State Civil Service. My sincere appreciation to Swinburne University, Heads of Departments and especially to the authors for their work in researching and producing the cases. I am optimistic that this collection of case studies will facilitate robust discussions to advance standards and best practices in the State Civil Service.

YB. Datuk Amar Jaul Samion State Secretary of Sarawak

INTRODUCTION YBHG. DATU DR. SABARIAH PUTIT

Deputy State Secretary Performance & Service Delivery Transformation

Conceptualized within the localized context, the idea to put together this compilation of case studies came upon mainly to understand the conditions of knowledge gained from each case that can be transferred to and applied in another case or context. Successful or otherwise, the case studies are intended to be used as teachable material, appropriate to the current operating environment within the State Civil Service that also integrate elements such as shared values and leadership traits.

The Leadership Institute and State Civil Service is proud to have partnered with Swinburne University on this series of public sector case studies and we hope that our partnerships will enable the community to maximize the impact of this work. As an organisation, we also want to ensure that authors can effectively share their work through more widely viewed mediums. With this first volume, we continue our commitment to producing an important discussion resource to raise the bar on the State Civil Service.

YBhg. Datu Dr. Sabariah Putit Deputy State Secretary Performance & Service Delivery Transformation

FOREWORD At the Leadership Institute this metaphor explicitly stands out for me; Building Leaders that Makes a Difference to Society and State, a narrative which has become the Leadership Institute’s call to arms. We are witnessing changes in the public sector and the rising publics’ expectations, where through this expedition we’ve worked with professionals and academia from all disciplines to explore new approaches and technologies, making correlations between competencies and the community of State Civil Service.

It is inevitable that governments and stakeholders mutually learn from sharing concrete experiences, best practices and challenges because by doing so the State Civil Service community can help each other to do more and do better, fostering greater success in empowering communities. Through this case study compilation, we want to know what has worked, what hasn’t, and everything in between. Our main focus was on getting to the heart of what is required to achieve our goals, and distinguishing between the essential steps to accomplish them.

We have received positive feedback on the way in which the case studies were carried out. Unique insights would enable us to drive disruptive and distinctive innovation in the public sector that are truly different. We will fulfil the aspiration of the state government in showcasing its successful story as teachable and stand as a benchmark for the public sector. The final contrast endures to be grounded between delivering what we have to do every day, and building the civil service of tomorrow.

I am particularly proud to mention that this achievement would not have been possible without the hard work, dedication and commitment of my team within the Leadership Institute and our Strategic Partners at Swinburne University. I am grateful to all of them for everything they have done to realise many of our shared goals and affirm our commitment to our stakeholders. Last but not least, the Leadership Institute is indeed profoundly beholden to the authors and their Heads of Departments with whom the permission for the publication of the case studies were made possible.

The coming year is likely to be no less demanding, and I look forward to our meeting its challenges together.

Mr. Ismail Said Chief Executive Office Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service

MR. ISMAIL SAID

Chief Executive Officer

LEADERSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: A CASE STUDY OF THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM, ARTS, CULTURE, YOUTH AND SPORTS SARAWAK

Authors: SITI AWA HAJI SUIB NGUI KWANG SING VOON MUNG LING

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

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Introduction Leadership has been described as a critical factor determining the success of organisational change initiatives. In the case of organisational mergers, leaders play important roles in redefining vision and mission, aligning the strategies of different entities, and communicating with subordinates in order to secure buy-in and support of new identities and direction.

Many studies have emphasized the importance of leadership to overcome the problems in organizational change in the public sector (Fernandez & Rainey, 2006; Stewart & Kringas, 2003; Hennessey, 1998). However, Philip and Schmidt (2004) argue that before leaders can lead, they need skills in empowerment, communication skills, and how to manage their people. When the Government introduces change in the public sector organization, the leader will have to prepare their employees to adopt and adapt to the new changes immediately. The leader needs to brief their employees about the changes that are going to be implemented to gain their buy-in of the new direction of the organization.

This case article highlights the findings from a leadership survey conducted at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Sarawak (MTACYS) following the merger of the youth and sports sections into the ministry’s portfolio of functions. The survey solicited responses from staff members on the leadership of the Permanent Secretary in fostering communication, motivation and commitment, during the period of change. Useful survey data from 123 staff of five offices was analysed.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Sarawak (MTACYS) MTACYS was established in 1985 under the name Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Since then, the Ministry was renamed five times before its current name.

The changes of the Ministry are as per the table below: YEAR

NAME OF THE MINISTRY

2017

Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports

2016

Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture

2011 - 2015

Ministry of Tourism

2009 - 2011

Ministry of Tourism and Heritage

2004 - 2008

Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism

1995 - 2003

Ministry of Tourism

1985 - 1994

Ministry of Environment and Tourism

Source: Administration Section, MTACYS, 2018

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After the Sarawak State Election in 2015, the Ministry of Tourism Sarawak (MOT) absorbed two functional units of the Ministry of Social Development Sarawak (MSDS), namely, the Culture Section and the Sarawak Museum Department. With this, it took on the name Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak (MTAC).

The responsibility of the Ministry became bigger as the focus was not only on tourism but also on culture and arts. The rationale of this merging was because of the relevancy of culture and arts to tourism. In 2017, the portfolio of the Ministry grew further by taking over the Youth and Sports unit from the Ministry of Social Development and Solidarity Sarawak (MSDSS) and was renamed Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Youth and Sports Sarawak (MTACYS). With the new portfolio, the number of offices operating under MTACYS grew from only one in Kuching, to twelve offices covering all divisions in the state. Likewise, its staff grew from 57 in 2016 to 351 by 2017.

In line with the new portfolio, MTACYS changed its vision and mission in order to align the functions of all units. The new vision of MTACYS is “Leading the Advancement of Sarawak’s Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports” and the mission is “To position Sarawak as a Premier Tourism Destination, A Showcase of Unique Arts and Culture, and A Centre of Excellence for Youth and Sports”.

By this merging, the employees from Culture, Arts, Youth and Sports Sections had to adapt and adjust their work culture immediately to suit work culture practised

by MOT. This merging also has created new leadership style by appointing a new Minister, two new assistant Minister in 2017 and new PS in early 2018. The changes in new environment in MTACYS, the employees had to adjust their current work culture to a new work culture to increase organizational performance of the MTACYS employees. Not only that, the employees also need to learn and adopt on how to perform their job base on the Tourism Minister and their Assistants directives.

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Theoretical Background Leadership Leadership has been defined by researchers based on a range of themes. These themes cover a leader’s ability to exercise influence, attain organisational goals, command managerial tasks, or transform followers’ behaviours.

Leadership is also described as interactions between leaders and followers during which the leader attempts to influence followers to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2016; Stogdill, 1974).

Furthermore, researchers have categorised leadership into one of four approaches based on Yukl’s (2010) classification of early studies on leadership: trait, behavioural, contingency and situational. Trait and behavioural approaches focus on describing the characteristics and behaviours of successful leaders. In contrast, the contingency and situational approaches emphasise the impact of the context where effective leadership occurs. Many studies also highlight personal influence factors, such as personality attributes and social traits, that differentiate leaders from non-leaders, and these include intelligence, initiative, effective information processing, responsibility and sociality.

However, leadership traits alone may not be sufficient to enhance leaders’ performance unless these translate into specific leadership behaviours. Therefore, the behavioural approach focuses on leaders’ actions and unique behavioural characteristics. Studies from Ohio State University revealed two independent dimensions of leadership, termed consideration and initiating structures. Consideration involves showing concern for subordinates, such as being friendly, supportive, showing appreciation for and recognising employee accomplishments. Initiating structures include planning and scheduling work, establishing communication networks, providing necessary supplies, equipment and technical assistance, and evaluating job performance.

Researchers also agree that leaders may adopt different leadership styles. Among the more prominent leadership styles are Burns’ (1978) transactional and transformational styles. Transformational is a

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leadership style that attempts to transform people by motivating and inspiring followers to accomplish more than what is expected of them (Bass & Riggio, 2006; Northouse, 2016). It is based on the idea that followers can rely on charismatic leaders, who always take followers’ needs seriously (Ahmad & Saad, 2019). Transformational leadership comprises four dimensions: idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualised consideration (Antonakis, Avolio & Sivasurbramaniam, 2003; Kirkbride, 2006). The first dimension, idealised influence, refers to the leaders who are consistent in their underlying ethics, principles and values, who consider others’ needs above their own and are willing to share risks with others (Bass, 1998a, 1998b; Bass et al., 2003). Inspirational motivation suggests that leaders communicate high expectations to their followers and inspire commitment to the organisation’s vision (Northouse, 2016). The third dimension, intellectual stimulation, supports creativity, and leaders’ attempts to change followers’ perspectives on problem-solving (Bass & Avolio, 2004; Bono & Judge, 2004). Individual consideration refers to a leaders’ ability to identify and meet a follower’s needs, based on his or her talents and knowledge (Shin & Zhou, 2003; Bass & Avolio, 2004).

Additionally, Simons, Friedman, Liu, and McLean Parks (2008) defined a fifth dimension, behavioural integrity, describing the extent followers perceive their leaders to act in accordance with their espoused values. Modern leaders are increasingly expected to be entrepreneurial, innovative, and committed to their values (Schon, 1963).

Transactional leadership focuses on a give-and-take relationship between leader and followers (Orazi, Turrini & Valotti, 2013; Sun & Anderson, 2012). Rather than meet the needs of their followers, transactional leaders (Northouse, 2016) exchange things of value with their followers to advance their own agendas (Kuhnert & Lewis, 1987; Kuhnert, 1994). Antonakis et al. (2003) categorised transactional leadership into contingent rewards, management-by-exception (active) and management-by-exception (passive). Contingent

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Organisational Change rewards is when leaders and followers exchange effort for specific rewards (Northouse, 2016). With managementby-exception, leaders monitor followers’ behaviour for mistakes or rule violations and actively correct the situation (Northouse, 2016), or passively measures performance after a problem arises or followers miss standards (Winkler, 2010).

The importance of leadership is widely discussed in public sector management literature (Wright, 2009), and studies show that many leaders of public organisations try to incorporate transformational leadership into their management style (Mohammad Yasin, Fernando, & Caputi, 2013).

For instance, Gennaro (2018) found that transformational leaders encouraged and motivated public employees to adapt to changes. The research suggests that transformational leaders are aware that unmotivated staff underperform and may result in public administration inefficiencies (Şahin, Gürbüz, & Şeşen, 2017). Additionally, Rasool, Arfeen, Mothi, and Aslam (2015) established that transformational leadership influenced doctors’ performance in public sector hospitals.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Lawler and Worley (2006) stressed that the ability to change in response to external changes makes a business unique and competitive in today’s business environment. Kuipers et al (2014) noted that public-sector organizations have come under increasing pressure to change due to greater external scrutiny, tighter budget, and technological advances. Changes often take the form of introducing new procedures or policies, reshuffling of staff, adoption of new technologies, and merging of functional units. Change initiatives usually aim to reduce cost and lead time, to bolster confidence and morale, or to exploit emerging opportunities.

The change literature distinguishes between incremental and radical change (Graetz, Rimmer, Lawrence, and Smith, 2002; Hayes, 2002). Incremental change occurs as a series of small adjustments or gradual improvements over time. The risk of staff resistance or misjudgments is lower as leaders can experiment with new ideas and address emerging problems. In contrast, radical or discontinuous change involves extreme changes that occur within a short time, altering existing processes, structure or systems. A radical change runs the risk of strong staff resistance, costly errors, and burn-out where staff becomes overwhelmed by new challenges.

Regardless of whether it is incremental or radical, a change may be initiated by the management as a proactive attempt to ensure survival in the long-run. Specifically, a strategic change involves the pursuit of new strategies that lead to substantial modification of the normal business activity, for instance, reengineering of operational processes, reorganisation of business or functional units through downsizing or mergers, and introducing of innovative technologies or products to capture new market opportunities (Caselli and Negri, 2018).

Lewin (1958) introduced a three-step approach to change, comprising of unfreezing, moving, and freezing. In the unfreezing step, a leader needs to convince the subordinates of the necessity of the change process to reduce resistance. This may involve helping them gain new perspective on their day-to-day activities, unlearn bad habits, and open up to new ideas. The moving step is dynamic as it entails subordinates taking on new tasks and responsibilities, learning new skills, and dealing with unfamiliar situations. Strong leadership is critical for setting directions, channelling resources and providing assurance of a positive outcome. Once subordinates are accustomed to a new work situation, it is important to make change permanent through the freezing step. Leaders need to standardise new processes, reward good behaviours or achievements, and institutionalise new knowledge so it is accessible by all relevant stakeholders.

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MTACYS Leadership Survey A survey on the impact of leadership on organisational change within MTACYS was conducted as part of a postgraduate-level study in 2018. The study aimed to determine how the leadership of MTACYS’s Permanent Secretary supports the change process following the merger of Youth and Sports sections with Tourism, Arts and Culture. The survey questionnaire solicited responses on staff perception of the Permanent Secretary’s leadership style, and the overall commitment, communication and motivation among the staff during the change period. A total of 123 valid responses were obtained from staff members across different offices, namely, Tourism and Youth; Sarawak Arts Council; Sarawak Museum Department; and Sarawak Sports Council. The total staff population of MTACYS at the time was 351 persons.

Discussion of Survey Findings The change at MTACYS is considered a strategic change as it was initiated by the Chief Minister with the express objective of streamlining the government agencies and bodies that contribute to making the tourism sector more vibrant. Once the directive was implemented, the Permanent Secretary, as the most senior ministry official, plays a critical role in managing the three steps of Lewin (1958)’s change process. He is responsible for communicating a clear and cohesive vision to all the staff, and present a thorough and inclusive plan for all in order to achieve the vision. Next, he needs to ensure the availability of resources and opportunities for building internal capacity, in terms of skills and manpower.

Equally important, the Permanent Secretary has to incentivise good behaviour and achievement through rewards and recognition.

The survey findings also indicate a significant positive impact of leadership on staff communication. Majority of the respondents opined that the Permanent Secretary has effectively communicated the change directive and the rationale to them. Moreover, the Permanent Secretary practices two-way communication which makes it easy for the staff to provide feedback and suggestions. The creation of social media group chat also makes it easier for staff to share information.

The survey findings further suggest a significant positive impact by leadership style on staff motivation during the change period. The respondents agreed that the Permanent Secretary has demonstrated commitment to creating a conducive work environment with minimal disruption from the change. Also, the Permanent Secretary has introduced new policies that encourage all staff to be involved in every section’s activities or initiatives. Staff members assigned with new responsibilities were given adequate training and mentoring. The respondents also rated highly the importance of inclusiveness in the workplace and availability of opportunities to express one’s opinion, as key factors affecting staff motivation during the change period. This reflects their desire to be engaged in the change process, particularly in matters that may affect their employment.

The study recommended for the Permanent Secretary to adopt a combination of transformational and transactional leadership styles in leading the ministry. A transformational leadership approach helps to enhance staff commitment and inspire them to perform better.

Transactional leadership complements this by rewarding goal achievement and good behaviours.

The survey findings indicate that the leadership style of the Permanent Secretary has a significant positive impact on staff commitment during the change period.

Although the change was immediate, it did not appear to affect staff commitment to their work.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Discussion Questions

Teaching Objectives

1.

The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case.

2.

3.

4.

5.

How would you describe your superior’s leadership? In what ways could your superior’s leadership be described as transformational or democratic?

Describe the key actions and behaviours of the person that you have experienced as your best leader?

Can you recall a recent experience of organisational change? What happened? In what ways did your superior communicate and facilitate the change process?

Are leaders morally obligated to serve the common good of the subordinates?

Think of a time when your leader successfully instils confidence and facilitate relationships among people in a team. What happened?

Teaching Note The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Case Summary This case article highlights the findings from a leadership survey conducted at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Sarawak (MTACYS) following the merger of the youth and sports sections into the ministry’s portfolio of functions. The survey solicited responses from staff members on the leadership of the Permanent Secretary in fostering communication, motivation and commitment, during the period of change. Useful survey data from 123 staff of five offices was analysed.

a) b) c) d) e)

Define leadership as a key organisational capability Discuss the trends that drive current interest in leadership Discuss the impact of leaders on the thinking, behavior and performance of they lead Identify strategies leaders use to impact others during periods of change Discuss the role of HR in nurturing leadership capability

Suitability for Use This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector. Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

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“

With all these techologies in mind, my vision is that they will shape the ways that industrial sectors design their service, products and processes and also the evolution of the global economic ecosystems.

I believe, with our strategies in hand and with the supports from the whole communities, Sarawak can be on the same par with developed countries.

“

The Right Honourable Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg Chief Minister of Sarawak

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF VETERINARY OFFICERS IN THE SARAWAK STATE CIVIL SERVICE

Authors: ANDREA LIM LI LI NGUI KWANG SING VOON MUNG LING

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

15

Introduction In 2016, a team of veterinary experts from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) evaluated the performance of the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak as part of a country-wide study. The experts concluded that the staffing shortage of veterinary personnel in Sarawak had reached a critical point. Indeed, 46 percent of Veterinary Officers (VO) positions in Sarawak were vacant, as compared to 15 percent in Peninsular Malaysia and zero percent in Sabah (PVS Evaluation Report Malaysia, 2016). The experts urged DVS Malaysia to conduct an in-depth analysis of the DVS’s current and future staffing needs, to prioritise the increase of Veterinary Officers (VO) in Sarawak, and to establish long term succession planning (Schneider, Barišić, and Zaari 2016). The purpose of this case article is to highlight the findings from a postgraduate-level study that explored the causes of poor recruitment of VOs in Sarawak state civil service. In the study, interviews were conducted with human resource officers of DVS Sarawak and veterinary graduates from selected public universities. The human resource officers were asked on the recruitment process and the major challenges of recruiting VOs. Interviews with veterinary graduates covered topics such as their awareness of VO recruitment by DVS and their perception of civil service. The study identified several major reasons for poor VO recruitment and recommended solutions to improve recruitment success.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak The civil veterinary services in Sarawak started in 1953 as an Animal Husbandry Branch within the Department of Agriculture Sarawak and was upgraded to a Division in 2000. In line with the separation of veterinary and agriculture services in other states of Malaysia, the Sarawak State Cabinet established the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak as an independent entity on 19th May 2016. The four core functions of DVS are to lead the socio-economic transformation of the livestock industry; to implement the provision of the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance (VPHO) 1999; to safeguard the State’s good animal health status; and to ensure regulatory compliance to the relevant Acts, Ordinances, and Rules.

In DVS Sarawak, the VO (Grade 41) is the entry-level position for veterinarians joining civil service at the Management and Professional group (The State Public Service General Orders 1996). The selection criteria for VO according to the scheme of service for VO in the Sarawak Civil Service are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Must be 18 years old and above, Malaysian citizen and residing in Sarawak.

Possess a Bachelor Degree in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Veterinary Medicine or Veterinary Science recognised by the government from local education institutions or equivalent.

Registered under Section 12(1) of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1974.

Pass the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Bahasa Malaysia subject with a minimum of Grade C.

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Recruitment of civil servants in Sarawak The recruitment of civil servants in Sarawak is under the purview of the State Public Service Commission (PSC). In 2004, the PSC Sarawak delegated the power to recruit technical staff from Grade 27, which is equivalent to Diploma holders and above, to the respective Department’s Director. However, the common user posts, for instance, in administration and finance, remains under the purview of PSC Sarawak (Surat Pekeliling Perj. Bil. 14/2004). In 2004, the online recruitment system for the State Civil Service was officially launched.

A five-phase recruitment and selection system was introduced by the Human Resource Management Unit of the Chief Minister’s Department in 2012 to recruit the best qualified and competent candidates who will contribute towards realising SCS vision to be a “World Class Civil Service” (SCS 10-20 Action Plan 2012). The five phases are as follows:

1. Academic and Co-curriculum Shortlisting Advertisement for vacant posts is through newspaper and the e-recruitment portal. Interested individuals are to apply online using the e-recruitment system. Shortlisting is done through the system by filtering the applicants that meet the criteria listed in the scheme of service, other traits and job experience necessary of the candidate.

2. Written Test The candidates shortlisted will sit for a written exam which include three parts; an English essay, a Bahasa Melayu essay and multiple-choice questions. This test serves to ascertain the level of language proficiency and understanding of the pertinent issues. Only candidates that pass this exam can proceed to the next stage.

3. Assessment Centre Here the candidates will be assessed individually and as a group by a panel of assessors chosen from among the heads of the agencies for the following competencies namely “behaviours, attitudes and values; cognitive skills, data mining skills; oral and communication skills; interpersonal and intrapersonal skills and global perspectives” (SCS 10-20 Action Plan p.112).

4. Psychometric Test Next is sitting for the e-psychometric test, a platform design in “collaboration with Bahagian Pengurusan Psikologi, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia to evaluate the candidate’s behaviour traits through individual and personality index and job preference index for right job placement” (SCS 10-20 Action Plan p.114).

5. Structured Interview A structured interview is the last and most critical phase because the results from this interview panel consisting of departmental heads and subject matter expertise “will form the basis for the final recommendations to the appointing authority” (SCS 10-20 Action Plan p.114).

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Staff Shortage There is an urgent need to find out the causes of poor recruitment of VOs in Sarawak. As compared to Sabah, Sarawak only have 13 VO posts while Sabah has 23. Out of the 13 positions, six are vacant. To further emphasise the criticality of this shortage of VOs in Sarawak, the landmass of Sarawak (124,450 square kilometres) is almost equivalent to the whole of Peninsular Malaysia (130,590 square kilometres) where there are 310 professional/ veterinary staff as compared to 8 veterinary officers in Sarawak (Department of Statistics Malaysia 2018; Nations Encyclopaedia 2018). The percentage of vacant post in Peninsular Malaysia is 15 %, Sabah 0% as compared to 46% in Sarawak (Table 1).

VETERINARY DEPARTMENT DVS

VETERINARY/ PROFESSIONAL STAFF FILLED POSTS

VACANT POSTS

Animal Health (SPS)-Federal

41

12 (29%)

Veterinary Public Health-Federal

135

24 (18%)

Laboratory Services-Federal

134

21 (16%)

Total for Peninsular Malaysia/Federal

310

57 (15%)

Director

0

1

Animal Health, Veterinary Public Health & Enforcement

1

1

Laboratory Services

1

0

Livestock development/station

1

2

Divisional Officer

4

2

Total for Veterinary Division Sarawak-State

7

6 (46%)

JPHPT Sabah-State

23

0 (0%)

Source: Adapted and updated from PVS Evaluation Report Malaysia 2016.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

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In this competitive market for talent, organisations need to develop and implement the best strategies to recruit and retain talented employees. Companies need to take advantage of contemporary recruitment methods such as Behavioural Event Interview (BEI), Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model, and NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP) to hire the best job and organisation-fit personnel.

The loss of fund, time, and energy and even an organisation’s reputation will be huge whenever incompatible candidates are hired because they perform poorly and adversely (Sindhu & Kaul 2017; Kurian, Ribeiro & Gomes 2016). Similarly, in 2016, Sutanto and Kurniawan found that recruitment is very time consuming and costly so decisions to hire the right employee is crucial. Every recruitment and selection repeated for the same post will cost the Sarawak State Government. Therefore, there is an urgent need to carry out research on the efficacy of an organisation’s recruitment methods (Sindhu & Kaul 2017).

Recruitment and Selection Recruitment is a method to attract the most suitable pool of applicants for a post in an organisation either from an outside source through advertisement or inside source by transfer or promotion. Selection refers to the procedure of choosing the right candidates with the best potential to perform well in the company. Here the evaluation of the candidates’ profiles (biodata, qualification, expertise) that best fit the vacant post specification is done.

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Lipschultz (2016) found that some recruitment and selection systems had technicalities which left out suitable candidates. He provided an example where employers were unable to pull up resumes from the online recruitment system where the searched keywords may not match the ones encoded in the system. Although novel recruitment strategies keep evolving albeit with its new issues, the internet remains compulsory for recruitment exercises (Girard & Fallery 2015). This study needs to address whether these technicalities are present in the current online e-recruitment system of the Sarawak State Civil Service.

Recruitment practices in Bangladesh have been politicised to meet the ruling political party agenda while the merit system has been disregarded leading to poor on the ground management as suitable staff could not be recruited (Md-Shariar & Rifat 2016). Similarly, in Malaysia, recruitment and educational programmes are influenced by the ruling political party and ethnic preference (Kuan 2015). Consequently, Kuan (2015) proposed for merit principles to take precedence in recruitment to enhance effectiveness in the public sector.

Ultimately, according to Md-Shariar & Rifat (2016), for Bangladesh to flourish, political intervention must be eliminated from the recruitment process to develop a sound and law abiding civil service.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Straineca (2015) reported that most young professionals prefer to work in private organisations which are trending with the modern society to public organisations which are seen as static and traditional. In addition to that, Fratesi in 2014 found that skilled staff in underdeveloped countries favour emigration to countries that offer better career opportunities. The high migration of health human resources from the Philippines has reduced the quality of health care services and the loss of human capital investment there. Lack of career opportunities, safety concerns and inadequate funding of the health system were the reasons for the migration (CastroPalaganas, Spitzer, Kabamalan, Sanchez, Caricativo, Runnels, Labonté, Murphy & Bourgeault 2017). These causes identified in previous research may be potential causes of the poor recruitment of veterinary officers (VO) into the DVS Sarawak which need to be verified.

Starineca (2015) advocates the public sector to enhance their Employer Brand (EB) activities to attract young professionals to join the civil service.

In 2016, Purohit and Martineau revealed that strategies implemented by the Indian government failed to resolve the severe lack of government medical doctors (MO) in the remote areas. The sluggish, inconsistent recruitment methods, lack of transparency in recruitment guidelines and job insecurity negatively impacted the recruitment success. Resolving these issues may attract more MOs to join the civil service, increase job satisfaction and employee retention (Purohit & Martineau 2016).

According to Kuan (2015), the recruitment strategies of the Malaysian government to entice a sufficient pool of suitable candidates to join the public sector is the determinant of building a strong, resourceful and competent workforce.

The Malaysian public sector has been carrying out passive recruitment strategies (Kuan 2015) as there is an ample pool of applicants where the number exceeded 30% of the required number (Kuan 2015). He found that job security was one of the main pull factors to join the civil service. Contrary to Kuan’s finding (2015), the Sarawak State Civil service has been facing challenges to recruit Veterinary Officers (VO) into the Department of Veterinary Services. Therefore, there is an urgent need to conduct an empirical research to understand the recruitment practices in the Sarawak Civil Service and determine the reasons for the poor recruitment of VO.

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Department of Veterinary Services Survey A postgraduate-level survey was conducted to analyse the causes of poor VO recruitment in the Sarawak Civil Service. The primary respondents were Sarawak-based veterinarians from both the private and public sectors, as well as Sarawak-born veterinarians who are working in other Malaysian states and overseas. In addition, responses from Human Resource Officers of DVS Sarawak and DOA Sarawak were also solicited. Target respondents were contacted through the Federal Department of Veterinary Services, Sarawak Veterinary Association, Malaysian Veterinary Council, and the veterinary faculty of University Putra Malaysia and University Malaysia Kelantan. A total of 22 VO respondents were recruited. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 14 respondents in Kuching while survey questionnaires were used to gather data from the remaining eight who were working in Peninsular Malaysia.

The study revealed that twelve (54%) out of the twenty-two respondents had applied for the VO post in SCS through various means, from applying directly to the Head of Veterinary Services Sarawak or Public Service Commission, to the online e-recruitment system. More importantly, out of the twelve respondents, only three (25%) are recruited

by DVS Sarawak. This proves that the recruitment success for VO is indeed low.

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Out of the ten respondents who did not apply, six (60%) did not know how to apply, suggesting low awareness of position vacancies and application method.

Presently, vacancies are advertised in local Sarawak newspapers and the e-recruitment portal only. As the technology of recruitment and selection will continue to evolve swiftly, employers need to identify and use the best-suited channels to reach the best-qualified job candidates. Another method is campaigning and engaging with Sarawakian veterinary students in the two local universities offering Veterinary Degree, namely, University Putra Malaysia (Serdang) and University Malaysia Kelantan. Several respondents also highlighted the difficulty of using the online e-recruitment portal.

Specifically, they need to use an old version of web browser Internet Explorer to assess the psychometric test. The online submission process is regarded as lengthy, rigid and cumbersome.

Majority of the respondents regard employment in the civil service as secure, and with access to a range of benefits such as retirement pension, free medical services and low-interest loan. Likewise, staff have the opportunity to further their studies or acquire new qualifications. Concerning the drawbacks of civil service, the respondents highlighted bureaucratic red tapes, slow promotion, risk of transfer, racial discrimination and lower pay than private practice as the main concerns.

Secondary data on recruitment exercises for VO (Grade GV41) conducted in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 was collected from HR officials of DVS and DOA. It is noted that prior to the years, although there was a vacant VO position in 2003, no recruitment was done for a period of nine years. Recruitment only resumed in 2012. In 2013, the successful VO candidate was only offered the job one

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year after applying. This is deemed too long and maybe a deterrent to future applicants. The recruitment exercises in 2015 and 2016 were unsuccessful as applicants failed to pass the written test (UPLB) and assessment centre phase. In all recruitment exercises conducted in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, the shortlisted candidates that meet the VO selection criteria were dismal, probably due to the specialised nature of veterinary medicine or the lack of qualified Sarawakians.

The study also collected secondary data from MVC, UPM and UMK on veterinarian registrations and graduates.

A total of 165 Sarawakian veterinarians are registered with MVC in 2018. Seventy percent of the registered Sarawakian veterinarians are Chinese, suggesting that more effort is needed to attract Chinese Sarawakian veterinarians into DVS Sarawak in order to fill vacant positions. In 2018, only ten percent of veterinarians in civil service are Chinese while 55 percent are Malays.

Also, more than half of the registered Sarawakian veterinarians age 40 years or younger, which suggest the importance of making a career in civil service more attractive to the younger generation.

Graduation record at UPM from year 2013 to 2017 show that an average of 85 veterinary students graduated every year. However, only four graduates are Sarawakians.

Likewise, out of an average of 37 veterinary medicine students who graduated annually from UMK (year 2014-2017), only one graduate was a Sarawakian. As UPM and UMK are the only local public universities offering veterinary medicine study, clearly there is a need to increase the number of Sarawakian veterinary students in both universities.

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Discussion Questions

Teaching Objectives

a)

The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case.

b) c) d) e)

What are the key policies and strategies that characterise recruitment and selection in the Department of Veterinary Services?

Do what extent does the Department of Veterinary Services able to exercise discretion in recruitment and selection?

What are the recent and emerging trends surrounding recruitment and selection in your organisation?

List and describe briefly the steps normally involved in recruitment selection within your organisation.

In what ways can recruitment and selection activities be strengthened to meet emerging human resources needs in the Department of Veterinary Services, as well as your organisation?

Teaching Note The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Case Summary The purpose of this case article is to highlight the findings from a postgraduate-level study that explored the causes of poor recruitment of VOs in Sarawak state civil service. In the study, interviews were conducted with human resource officers of DVS Sarawak and veterinary graduates from selected public universities. The human resource officers were asked on the recruitment process and the major challenges of recruiting VOs. Interviews with veterinary graduates covered topics such as their awareness of VO recruitment by DVS and their perception of civil service. The study identified several major reasons for poor VO recruitment and recommended solutions to improve recruitment success.

a) b) c) d) e)

Define recruitment and selection as core functions of human resource management Discuss the trends and challenges in recruiting for civil service Identify existing and new recruitment sources for civil service and discuss issues associated with their use Identify commonly used selection methods and concerns about their uses Discuss the metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of recruiting and selection activities

Suitability for Use This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector.

Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

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Have Clarity, Discipline and Consistency

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Simon Sinek Author of Leaders Eat Last

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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK CHARACTERISTICS AND WORK-FAMILY INTERFACES IN PADAWAN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

Authors: NG SIANG WEI NGUI KWANG SING VOON MUNG LING

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Introduction Balancing between work and family is a struggle for many in modern society as it is commonly assumed that individuals have a finite amount of time and energy and that work and family compete for these finite resources. Not only do individuals play multiple roles in each domain of life, but the interface between work and family creates role conflicts which are detrimental to psychological health and well-being.

Nevertheless, recent work-family literature suggests that the interactions between work and family may create positive spillovers, as the benefits received from one domain improves the quality of life in another. Referred to as work-family enrichment, researchers point out that some of the skills and values that individuals acquire at work can be applied to enhance the performance of family roles.

This case article highlights a study on the relationship between employees’ perception of work characteristics and work-family interfaces. It examines the role of role conflict, role ambiguity, and job autonomy as determinants of two interface outcomes, namely, work-family conflict and work-family enrichment. Based on survey data collected from 234 civil servants in Padawan Municipal Council, the study found that work role conflict and ambiguity may increase work-family conflict, while role ambiguity and job autonomy were positively related to work-family enrichment.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Padawan Municipal Council Padawan Municipal Council was established in 1956 under the Local Authority Ordinance 1948 (Cap 117). It was formerly known as Kuching Rural District Council (KRDC) and was elevated to a municipality on 1st August 1996. The Council administers an area of 984.338 square kilometres, which covers mainly the outskirt areas of Kuching city. In recent years, the area has witnessed rapid infrastructural and real estate development as the population of Kuching grows. The estimated population residing in Padawan stands at 350,000. As of 2018, the Council has a staff strength of 401.

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The Council’s Vision is “an efficient and sustainable Padawan municipality” whereas its Mission is “MPP is committed to advance the quality of life of the people by providing efficient municipal services and leveraging on community participation”. To realise the Vision and Mission, the management emphasises on developing people, products and services of the highest quality.

Strategic objectives for human capital development were formulated to serve as guidelines for effective Human Resource Management and Development.

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Work-Family Interface Work-family interface refers to the interaction between work and family life. Based on the dual notions that individuals have a finite amount of time and energy, and that work and family commitments compete for these finite resources, many studies have attempted to observe the consequences of work-family interfaces. Two commonly observed consequences are work-family conflict and work-family enrichment.

Work-family Conflict Work-family interfaces often require an individual to shoulder and manage multiple roles, be it at the workplace, in the family or a community. Conflict is bound to occur when one could not perform his/her roles well in the face of demands between work and family (Kinnunen, Rantanen, Mauno & Peeters 2013).

It is recognised that there is incompatibility between the domains of work and family that gives rise to role pressures (Greenhaus & Beutell 1985). Work-family conflict occurs as a result of work interfering with family (work-to-family conflict) or vice-versa (familyto-work conflict). Whichever direction the conflict may come from, it induces stress to the person concerned.

Kinnunen et al. (2013) pointed out that work-to-family conflict is more prevalent compared to family-to-work conflict. Past studies have shown that conflict in either of the directions is closely linked to a person’s satisfaction with job, marital and life apart from psychological as well as physical wellbeing of the individual concerned (Allen 2013).

The increase of dual-career families have gained attention of the importance of work-family conflict. Past studies discovered that job dissatisfaction is not the main reason individuals quit their jobs. They quit jobs because the time spent on job prohibited them from spending time 28

for their private life (Parsa, Self, Njite & King 2005).

According to Namasivayam and Mount (2004), workfamily conflict has been found as one of the major reasons for employees’ turnover in hospitality industry.

Furthermore, in the long run, work-family conflict will affect individuals’ job satisfaction and job performance (Ahmad 2008), other impacts such as job dissatisfaction and organizational commitment (Hill, Hawkins, Ferris & Weitzman 2001; Lambert, Pasupuleti, Cluse, Jennings & Baker 2006). Therefore, many past researchers have started to investigate the roots of work-family conflict in order to prevent the consequences of work-family conflict.

Work-family conflict comes in three forms namely time-based, strain-based, and behaviour-based conflict (Greenhaus & Beutell 1985). This shows the multifaceted issues and challenges that an individual might face in his/her attempt to balance both work and family roles. Individuals often find they are running against time to fulfill both their work and family roles.

Many are in dilemma when they found out that they have to fulfil their roles at the expense of either their working hour or family time. Strain-based conflict occurs when an individual experiences stress after a whole day work, and find him/herself being burdened with activities at home. On the other hand, behaviourbased conflict occurs when individuals find themselves in splitting behaviour resulted from their inability to adjust their behaviour due to the difference of demands in roles between workplace and home.

Work-family conflict has adverse effects on organisational outcomes such as lower performance, lower moral, and higher turnover rates (Kossek & Ozeki 1998). Besides, it also affects one personal life in areas like poor health outcomes (Frone, Russell & Cooper 1992), psychological distress (Major, Klein & Erhart 2002), anxiety disorders, mood disorders and substance disorders (Frone, Russell & Cooper 1997).

According to Ahmad (2008), job-related factors, familyrelated and individual-related factors may lead to workfamily conflict. Examples of job-related factors listed

by Ahmad (2008) are job type, job involvement, role overload and job flexibility; family related factors such as number of children; and individual-related factors such as locus of control and personality traits. This study mainly focuses on the job-related factors of work-family conflict in terms of role conflict, role ambiguity and job autonomy.

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Work-family Enrichment Similar to work-family conflict, work-family enrichment has also been conceptualized into two directions which are work-to-family enrichment and family-towork enrichment. According to Greenhaus and Powell (2006), work-family enrichment is the experiences gained by individuals from one role (such as work) which enhance their performance in other role (such as family).

both work and family exercises influence over one another. It is noted that both work and family generate certain resources which bring about enrichment when the resources acquired during activities promote better performance. The “resources” here refers to socialcapital, materials, psychological, and physical resources as well as skills, perspectives, and flexibility (Greenhaus & Powell 2006).

Longitudinal study by Lu (2011) have found that increasing of work-family enrichment level will increase job satisfaction. Hassan, Dollard and Winefield (2009) also found that work-enrichment enhance job satisfaction after conducted similar study by involved 506 employees from different organization in East Malaysia. Furthermore, Russo and Buonocore (2012) also reported work-family enrichment as significant predictor of job satisfaction and strongly related to work-related outcome. Work-family enrichment also has been found positively related to individual health (Allis & O’Driscoll 2008; Grzywacz & Bass 2003) and negatively related to chronic health problem (Grzywacz 2000).

Past studies on work-family enrichment revealed that positive behaviours and outcomes in the family environment are results of a supportive work environment (Nicklin & McNall 2013), certain job characteristics like flexibility or availability of resources (Carlson, Ferguson, Kacmar, Grzywacz & Whitten 2011) and personalities (McNall, Masuda, Shanock & Nicklin 2011; Michel, Clark & Jaramillo 2011). Hence, further studies are very much needed to gain insights on how these concepts affect individuals and their families. Past researchers had further investigated the predictors of work-family enrichment such as personal characteristics, various stressors and involvement in both work and family roles (Grzywacz & Marks 2000 as cited in Sabil & Marican 2011). It is very important to discover more ways to facilitate work-family enrichment. Hence, this study aims to study other factors of work-family enrichment in terms of role conflict, role ambiguity and job autonomy.

Work-family enrichment occurs when there is a transfer of experience or resource in a way that improves individual performance and feeling of well-being (Greenhaus & Powell 2006). It is bidirectional because

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Work Characteristics Researchers have also studied work characteristics that may affect the outcomes of work-family interface. Three important characteristics that have been widely studied are role conflict, role ambiguity and job autonomy.

Role Conflict Role conflict arises when an individual holds multiple roles, and the performance of one role makes it more difficult for the individual to fulfill the requirements for performing another role (Katz & Kahn 1970; King & King 1990).

Role Ambiguity Role ambiguity is concerned with uncertainty with what a person is responsible to do in a specific activity.

Role ambiguity usually arises when the responsibilities, expectations, and expected behaviours for a job position are not clearly defined (Singh & Rhoads 1991; Fisher 2001).

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Job Autonomy Job autonomy refers to the degree to which a job offers freedom, independence, and discretion to the person carrying out the work assigned (Marchese & Ryan 2001; Morgeson, Delaney-Klinger & Hemingway 2005; Parker, Axtell & Turner 2001; Dysvik & Kuvaas 2011; Humphrey, Nahrgang & Morgeson 2007). Specifically, it is referred to employee’s self-rule and independence in decision making (Hackman & Oldham 1976). A Job autonomy gives benefits to employees in areas such as the authority to make knowledgeable decisions and to find out solutions to problems personally (Wang & Netemyer 2002; Ben-Shemesh 2005). Besides, it also paves way for employee’s freedom to establish work and assessment procedures (Meyer 1987; Dee, Henkin & Chen 2000). Job autonomy has its setback too. This is because some individuals do not prefer an autonomous job as it demands a higher trust and responsibilities on the individuals (Langfred 2004). Nevertheless, studies have shown job autonomy improve employees’ performance and commitment (Marchese & Ryan 2001), as well as motivation and self-confidence (Hackman & Oldman 1980). In addition, job autonomy enables employees to make decisions for each stage of work without interference (Bakker, Demerouti & Euwema 2005).

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high role ambiguity experienced by the respondents implied the lack of clear instructions or supervision at work. This is also reflected in the high perceived job autonomy which suggests high levels of discretion in undertaking work roles.

Work-Family Interface Survey A postgraduate-level survey of civil servants at Padawan Municipal Council was conducted to evaluate their perception of their work characteristics and workface interfaces. Three work characteristics were measured, namely, role conflict, role ambiguity and job autonomy, along with two outcomes of work-family interfaces, namely, work-family conflict and work-family enrichment.

A total of 217 staff members responded to the survey, of which 78 percent were male and 22 percent were female.

In terms of ethnicity, 72 percent of the respondents were either Malay or Bidayuh, while Chinese and Iban made up 19 percent and 9 percent respectively. Almost 48 percent of the respondents have worked for more than 20 years while 17 percent have worked for 11 to 20 years, and 36 percent worked for 10 years or less.

Data on academic attainment shows that 42 percent of the respondents indicated MCE/SPM/SPMV as their highest qualification, 38 percent with LCE/SRP/PMR, 13 percent with STPM/Diploma and 6 percent with university degree.

Descriptive statistics from the data indicate that the respondents experienced moderate role conflict, but high role ambiguity. In addition, job autonomy in the workplace is high. The results suggest that the respondents do not encounter great difficulties in managing multiple work roles, either because the roles are in congruence with one another, or the respondents have sufficient resources to undertake all the roles. The

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With regard to the perceived outcomes of work-family interfaces, the respondents experienced moderate work-family conflict, and high work-family enrichment.

Together, the findings suggest low levels of negative interference between work and family, and on frequent occasions, positive spillovers from work to family and vice versa. In other words, the satisfactions and benefits obtained from one domain would enhance the experience in the other domain.

Statistical analyses of the relationships between the three work characteristics and two work-family interfaces yield interesting results. Foremost, the results indicate a significant positive relationship between role conflict and work-family conflict. Consistent with Razak, Yunus and Nasurdin (2011), the findings support the argument that role conflicts at work may absorb more of an individual’s time and energy, thereby increasing the likelihood of work-family conflict. Secondly, contrary to Tharmalingam and Bhatti (2014), there is a significant negative relationship between role ambiguity and workfamily conflict. The findings suggest that individuals would cope with uncertainties at work by devoting more time and energy to family, thereby, reducing the likelihood of work-family conflict. Thirdly, the results indicate no significant relationship between job autonomy and work-family conflict. The absence of a significant relationship may be due to the respondents experiencing moderate work-family conflict only.

Fourthly, work role conflict has a significant negative relationship with work-family enrichment. This would suggest that conflicts at work are detrimental to the transfer of benefits between work and family. Fifthly, the statistical results indicate that role ambiguity has a significant positive relationship with work-family enrichment. Lastly, the respondents’ perceived job autonomy has a significant positive relationship with work-family enrichment. The findings are consistent with Siu et al. (2010); Grywacz and Butler (2005)l and Ng, Ahmad and Omar (2014), suggesting that the respondents cope with uncertainties and discretion by devoting more time and energy to family life. This is potentially at the expense of productivity at work.

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Discussion Questions

Teaching Objectives

a)

The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case.

b) c) d)

What are the recent and emerging trends surrounding employee welfare and well-being that may affect your department/unit?

What are the key HR policies and practices in your department/unit that promote flexibility and work-life balance?

To what extent does your department/unit able to exercise discretion in implementing strategies to promote work-life balance?

In what ways can existing policies and practices be strengthened to meet emerging human resources needs in your department/unit?

Teaching Note The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Case Summary This case article highlights a study on the relationship between employees’ perception of work characteristics and work-family interfaces. It examines the role of role conflict, role ambiguity, and job autonomy as determinants of two interface outcomes, namely, workfamily conflict and work-family enrichment. Based on survey data collected from 234 civil servants in Padawan Municipal Council, the study found that work role conflict and ambiguity may increase work-family conflict, while role ambiguity and job autonomy were positively related to work-family enrichment.

a) b) c)

Discuss the benefits of work-life balance in the context of civil service Identify existing and new strategies for promoting work-life balance and discuss issues associated with their use Discuss the steps for implementing work-life balance strategies and the metrics for evaluating their effectiveness

Suitability for Use This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector.

Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PERCEIVED LEADERSHIP STYLES AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG SUPPORT STAFF IN SRI AMAN RESIDENT AND DISTRICT’S OFFICE

Authors: CRISPIN ANAK FRANCIS NGUI KWANG SING VOON MUNG LING

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Introduction The purpose of this case article is to highlight the findings from a survey on the preferred leadership styles of supportstaff in Sri Aman Resident and District Offices. A total of 40 support-staff participated in the survey. Data from the survey shows that staff members can distinguish three dominant leadership styles, namely autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire, with democratic being the preferred style. Moreover, staff members’ perception of their superior’s leadership style has a significant impact on their job satisfaction.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Sri Aman Resident and District Offices

Development). At the District level, the District Officer heads the office and supported by Administrative Officers. Overall, the Resident and District Officers are regarded as the central figures who plan, monitor and supervise development programs, as well as manage dayto-day administration of public offices in the division.

The Sri Aman Division covers an area of 5,466.25 km square, and comprises of two districts, namely Sri Aman and Lubok Antu. The Sri Aman district can be further divided into Lingga and Pantu sub-districts, while Lubok Antu encompasses Lubok Antu Town and Engkilili subdistricts. The total population of the division stood at 103,600 people (Sarawak State Planning Unit, 2016).

During colonial days, the Resident Office was the nerve centre of public administration as it handled the functions of various departments. Today, the office maintains its importance in managing socio-economic development in the districts, eventhough many functions have been decentralised.

Day-to-day operations at the Resident and District offices are maintained by Grade 1 to Grade 26 supportstaff, comprising of clerks, dispatchers, drivers, office cleaners, storekeepers, general workers and guards.

The support-staff report to the Heads of Department (i.e. Administrative Officers). Recently, the Heads of Department have noticed an increasing number of occasions where support staff have voiced their dissatisfaction with their work. Specifically, supportstaff are dissatisfied with their salary, job prospect, relationship with superiors, overtime claims, nature of work and communication with their Heads of Department. These matters were voiced at staff council meetings.

The Resident is the most senior member of the staff and holds legal power and authority to lead government agencies in the Sri Aman Division.

Assisting the Resident are the Deputy Resident and a team of Administrative Officers in-charge of different departments (i.e. Administration and Finance, Social and Event Management, and Strategic Planning and

The dissatisfactions among support-staff may undermine their effectiveness and productivity. More importantly, their work quality will affect their superiors and the overall performance of the Resident and District Offices.

In this regard, the Heads of Departments need to address the root causes of the dissatisfactions and bolster job satisfaction among support-staff.

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Leadership A significant amount of research has focused on organisational leadership and its impact on employee performance (Sakiru et al., 2013). Literature suggests that leaders play a crucial role in motivating employees, developing skills and providing a supportive work environment. Through ongoing interactions with employees, leaders exert their influence to achieve organisational goals (Yukl, 2009; Maaitah, 2018).

Effective leaders articulate a collective vision, give purpose, meaning and guidance, appeal to ideological values, and motivate followers (House, 1995).

Researchers distinguished three dominant leadership styles, namely, transformation, transaction and laissezfaire; and a leader may draw on any of the three when dealing with followers. The transformational leadership style is characterised by a focus on the higher-order intrinsic needs of followers, where the transformational leader seeks to motivate and inspire followers to accomplish above normal expectations. In contrast, a transactional leader exchanges something of value with followers who meet the leader’s needs. In other words, transactional leaders use rewards and punishments to gain followers’ compliance.

Transformational leadership comprises five dimensions — idealised influence behaviours, idealised influenced attributes, inspirational motivation, individualised consideration and intellectual stimulation. Foremost, idealised influence behaviours that followers regard as ideal role model behaviours. Second, idealised influence attributes refer to a leader’s personality, whether followers perceive a leader as confident, powerful and trustworthy. Third, leaders who exhibit individual

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consideration identify the needs of individual followers and treat each individual uniquely based on his or her talents and knowledge. Fourth, inspirational motivation is shown by leaders who communicate high expectations to their followers and inspire their commitment to the organisation’s shared vision. And fifth, transformational leaders foster the development of followers by creating an intellectually-stimulating environment that encourage ingenuity and innovative problem-solving.

While transformational leadership seeks to inspire and motivate, transactional leadership focuses on the exchange of rewards. The style consists of three dimensions, namely contingent rewards, managementby-exception (active) and management-by-exception (passive). Contingent rewards is an exchange process between leaders and followers that are used by leaders to reward followers for specific accomplishments or work outcomes. A leader obtains an agreement with followers on the required tasks and the rewards to be offered for task completion. Leaders who adopt management-byexception (passive) intervene when problems arise only, whereas management-by-exception (active) involves active monitoring of employees’ work to ensure that standards are met.

The laissez-faire leadership is also known as “handsoff ” leadership, where leaders do not intervene in the affairs of followers, provide little guidance, and avoid involvement in group and individual decision-making.

Often, followers are confused over their duties and responsibilities, and may even try to take over the leadership role.

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Leadership and Job Satisfaction Survey A postgraduate-level survey of support-staff at Sri Aman Resident and District Offices was conducted to evaluate their perception of Head of Department’s leadership style, and overall job satisfaction. Data collected from the survey were analysed to determine if the superior’s leadership style is related to supportstaff job satisfaction. A total of 40 support staff from the Resident Office, and Sri Aman and Lubok Antu District Offices participated in the survey. Leadership styles were measured using an adapted version of Bass and Avolio (1995)’s Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, which measures transformational, transactional and laissezfaire leadership styles.

The majority of the respondents are aged 41 to 50 years (33%), followed by those aged 21 to 30 years (26%), 31 to 40 years (23%), and lastly, those above 51 years (18%). The gender of respondents is fairly even, with 59 percent male and 41 percent female. In term of years of service, 51% of the respondents have worked for ten years or less in the existing office, 26% worked for 11 to 15 years, and 23% worked for 16 years or longer.

The range of scores for measures of job satisfaction indicates that support staff is generally satisfied with their work. In particular, they recorded high satisfaction with the rules and procedure, red tape, organisational goals, sense of pride and workload. Their satisfaction concerning fringe benefit and relation with co-workers is considered moderately ambivalent. In comparison, satisfaction with promotion, communication, relation with supervisor, and recognition is lower. There are no significant differences between gender concerning job satisfaction. Support staff with longer years of service have lower job satisfaction as compared to those with

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shorter years of service. Likewise, older support staff tend to have lower job satisfaction than younger ones.

Statistical analyses of the scores on measures of leadership styles indicate that support-staff can distinguish three major leadership styles, that reflect the descriptions of transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership. This implies that behaviours and actions of a Head of Department in a given situation tend to reflect one particular leadership style, and these are fairly consistent over time. In the present study, the styles were named as autocratic, democratic, and laissezfaire, to reflect the traits and behaviours associated with each style.

An autocratic leadership style is characterised by the provision of support and resources in exchange for hard work, clear delineation of roles and responsibility, a tendency to project power and self-confidence, and the ability to persuade and convince others. A democratic leadership style is characterised by a keen interest in developing subordinates, openness to new ways of improving work, attentive of details and assumptions, and behaving in ways that are respectful and favourable to subordinates. In contrast, a laissez-faire leadership style is characterised by failure to interfere until problems become serious and tendency to avoid making a decision.

Concerning the relationship between leadership styles and job satisfaction, the results from statistical analyses suggest that the democratic leadership style holds the strongest positive relationship with job satisfaction. In other words, support-staff are more likely to be satisfied with their job when the Head of Department practices a democratic leadership style.

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Discussion Questions

Teaching Objectives

1.

The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case.

2.

3.

4.

Describe the key actions and behaviours of the person that you have experienced as your best leader? Are you able to attribute these to a particular type of leadership style?

In what ways do effective leaders promote loyalty, commitment and satisfaction of subordinates?

Are leaders morally obligated to serve the common good of the subordinates?

Think of a time when your leader successfully instils confidence and facilitate relationships among people in a team. What happened?

Teaching Note The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Case Summary The purpose of this case article is to highlight the findings from a survey on the preferred leadership styles of support-staff in Sri Aman Resident and District Offices. A total of 40 support-staff participated in the survey. Data from the survey shows that staff members can distinguish three dominant leadership styles, namely autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire, with democratic being the preferred style. Moreover, staff members’ perception of their superior’s leadership style has a significant impact on their job satisfaction.

a) b) c) d) e)

Define leadership as a key organisational capability Discuss the trends that drive current interest in leadership Discuss the impact of leaders on the thinking, behavior and performance of they lead Identify strategies leaders use to impact others during periods of change Discuss the role of HR in nurturing leadership capability

Suitability for Use This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector. Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

EXPLORATORY STUDY ON ONBOARDING EXPERIENCE OF NEW RECRUITS AT DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY SERVICES SARAWAK

Authors: WILLIAM ROVINA NATING NGUI KWANG SING VOON MUNG LING

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Introduction Employers must manage the initial time period when a new hire joins the organisation carefully because the experience will affect the new hire’s commitment to the job. The literature suggests that a recruit will likely form a lasting impression of the workplace within the first six months of joining, and decide on whether to stay or look for a new job. Therefore, an employer should implement a meaningful and comprehensive OnBoarding scheme as part of its recruitment exercise.

New employee OnBoarding refers to the process of orienting new hires with the culture and structure of the organisation, as well as equipping them with the necessary skills and resources to carry out their assigned duties. OnBoarding can last up to twelve months and should involve the participation of peers and superiors.

This case article highlights the findings from an exploratory study on the OnBoarding experience of new staff at Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak. Focus group interviews with selected recruits revealed that while all agreed on the importance of training as part of the OnBoarding process, the respondents felt that they have not received adequate practical training.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak The Sarawak Veterinary Services started as an Animal Husbandry Branch of the Department of Agriculture in 1953 and was later upgraded to the Veterinary Division in 2000. The Division has a staff strength of 268 persons, comprising of Professional and Management (Grade 41 to 54) and Support Group (Grade 11 to 40) staff.

In 2016, the State Government decided that Veterinary Services should be an independent body detached from the Department of Agriculture. Consequently, the Department of Veterinary Services was officially established on 19th May 2016.

The Sarawak Government has enforced a policy that every recruit must be confirmed in their service within a probationary period (The State Public Service General Orders 1996). The State Public Service General Orders (1996), at Chapter 1, Part 2, G.O. No. 27, stated that an officer should be confirmed in his appointment if the superior (Head of Department) is satisfied that the service of the officer is satisfactory after he or she has: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Completed the period of probation; Successfully followed an Induction Course; Passed any of the compulsory public service examinations prescribed under these General Orders; and Fulfilled all other conditions in the scheme of service.

SCHEME OF SERVICE

The probationary period of a recruit is within one to three years, during which the recruit must successfully attend an Induction Course. The Induction Course is a programme to familiarise all new employees with the culture, norms, ethics, and sets of laws, rules, regulations and other related procedures of civil service in Malaysia. During the probationary period, the yet to be confirmed in-service employee must attend two parts of the Induction Course. These are the General Induction Course and Specific Induction Course (i.e.

Department Course). The duration for these courses varies according to a recruit’s scheme of service (Table 1). For the Professional and Management Group, the duration of the General Induction Course is up to 45 days, whereas, for the Support Group, the length can be up to 15 days. In comparison, the Specific Induction Course is up to 5 days for both Scheme of Service. At the end of each Course, recruits will sit for written examination that evaluates the attainment of the course’s learning objectives. The recruits are required to pass the examinations in order for their service to be confirmed (The State Public Service General Orders 1996).

DESCRIPTION

DURATION OF INDUCTION COURSE GENERAL

SPECIFIC

Professional and Management Group

The entry qualification for the scheme of service is at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent that is recognised by the Government.

Up to 45 days

3 - 5 days

Support Group

The entry qualification for the scheme of service is at least a Diploma qualification or equivalent that is recognised by the Government.

Up to 15 days

3 - 5 days

Table 1: Duration of Induction Courses based on Scheme of Service.

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In 2016, DVS Sarawak recruited 14 Veterinary Assistants (VA) to fill up the positions that became vacant as a result of staff retirements. These recruits were in the Support Group, and their Grade of Post is Grade 19. All of them underwent the General and Specific Induction courses, and were assigned to various sections and units at Headquarters (HQ) and Laboratory Centre in Kuching, and Divisional and District Veterinary Offices across Sarawak.

As part of the confirmation of in-service, all 14 VAs sat for a written examination. The results showed that those based in Divisional and District Veterinary Offices fared much better than those at the Headquarters. Specifically, the former achieved an average score of 75 percent whereas the latter only managed an average score of 55 percent. Following a review of the results by the top management, it was believed that the performance gap was due to VAs based at the Headquarters lacking exposure or opportunity for in-field practical training as compared with those at Divisional and District offices.

A focus group interview was conducted to explore the training experiences of VAs further. Ten VAs participated in the interview, with five from the Headquarters and five from Divisional Veterinary Offices. All of the VAs agreed that knowledge of Veterinary Sciences is important, especially when dealing with farmers and patients.

VAs who lack such knowledge may face difficulties in communicating with farmers or more senior staff on issues and cases.

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The VAs felt that they have not received adequate training. It was revealed that not all recruits had formal training in Veterinary Sciences or attended the Agriculture Institute at Semenggok Kuching. In other words, there is a mismatch between their qualification and the work that they are assigned to. On the job training is the main source of learning. But the training tend to be unstructured as the new recruits and superiors did not plan on the scope and type of learning activities before hand. Also, the limited training opportunity tend to be concentrate on a narrow range of tasks.

The VAs agreed that more comprehensive and welldesigned training is necessary for enable recruits acquire the skills for effective performance. Moreover, being competent serves as a confidence booster particularly in liaising with farmers and other stakeholders.

The VAs would like more exposure to practical work. They also want training that is relevant to their line of work and they want to be taught by those who are considered as experts. Also need to increase the frequency of training.

Technical training to be supplemented by training in basic office automation skills such as computer software management.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Discussion Questions

Teaching Objectives

1.

Effective OnBoarding prepares recruits to succeed in their new roles. In the context of your department/unit, propose strategies and activities to be implemented as part of the OnBoarding process in order to achieve the following: a. Clearly explain the importance of a role b. Teaching about organisational vision and strategy c. Teaching about group structure and culture d. Providing networking opportunities e. Soliciting feedback from recruits on their experience

The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case.

Suggest ways for evaluating the effectiveness of an OnBoarding programme.

This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

2.

Teaching Note

a) b) c)

Discuss the purpose and benefits of OnBoarding Discuss the trends that drive current interest in OnBoarding Identify strategies and activities that charactise a well-planned and professionally conducted OnBoarding programme

Suitability for Use

The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material

Case Summary

The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

This case article highlights the findings from an exploratory study on the onboarding experience of new staff at Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak. Focus group interviews with selected recruits revealed that while all agreed on the importance of training as part of the onboarding process, the respondents felt that they have not received adequate practical training.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector. Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

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“

Statistics are not just numbers, they are key ingredients in the formulation of the right plans and policies for the country.

This translates into greater well-being for the people.

“

YBhg. Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar Non-Executive Chairman Bursa Malaysia

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

INFORMAL MENTORING IN PUBLIC SECTOR A CASE STUDY AND IMPLICATION ANALYSIS

Authors: HALIZAMINA BINTI HAJI MORSHIDI SITANSU PANDA

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Introduction The nature and scope of workplace is changing. As a sequel to it, new workplace problems are emerging. There is nothing new pertaining to employee problems but the new facets of organisation life and its expectations should be addressed by an appropriate mechanism. It is in order to address, redress, support or report problems of employees attempting to provide long-term solutions. It should not only develop the employee but also gain momentum for better employee contribution. Organisations follow different HRD mechanisms in different forms like preventive, curative or interventional to develop employees and organisations (Rao, 2004). Mentoring is one such process which is followed for developing employees in in various personal and professional pursuits. This case study is developed to address many issues relating to ‘informal mentoring and its implications on employees’ working in Sarawak Public Service. The study shall provide inputs for formulating organisational policy guidelines and strengthening the employee developmental measures in future building leaders of excellence. A tentative template is developed based on the dynamics of mentoring exhibited by the employees. It shall pave the way for designing mentoring mechanism in new organisations, redesigning the mentoring mechanism in existence and inculcating importance of mentoring in organisational members.

Sarawak Civil Service Employees working under Sarawak Ministries, local body, State Government, Government Linked Companies (GLC) and agencies are considered as civil servants. The Sarawak Civil Service has vision to provide a world class civil service and mission to deliver excellent service through high performance teamwork. The Sarawak Civil Service works based on certain common shared values such as integrity, kind and caring, professionalism, sense of urgency and ownership, team spirit and result orientation. Sarawak Civil Services is for reaching people and enriching their lives through best services to people.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Mechanism of Mentoring Mentoring is a mechanism to develop employees in their career and improving their job performance. Knowledge management and retaining talent are key purposes of mentoring. The effective tools to cultivate talent management are mentoring, coaching and counselling. These three tools are a leader’s tool kits to develop others. Generally, the terms are not well-defined when applied to working with employees and are frequently used interchangeably. According to Minter & Thomas (2000), the manager or supervisor need to consider wisely the operating processes of coaching, counselling and mentoring on different situational assumptions in order to be able to implement the appropriate model with employees. Therefore, he pointed to the need to establish a common understanding of these three is very vital to help define and justify the effectiveness to the employees (Minter & Thomas 2000). Mentoring is of two types such as formal and informal.

History of Mentoring Research on mentoring has supported the significance of mentoring to career achievement, as a success story that is employees having a mentor is found to be associated with many indicators of success (Kammeyer-Mueller & Judge 2008; Underhill 2006, p.137). The concept of mentorship has existed over the last 2000 years and the references to the notion have continued to grow. The mentoring concept started back in ancient Greece as stated in, Homer’s epic, “The Odyssey”.

Mentor, the trusted friend of Odysseus was left in charge of Telemachus, Odysseus’s son during Odysseus’s odyssey. Mentor served as the protector, advisor, patron and ally to the father, Odysseus and his son (Graves 1974). Throughout the 2000s, the literature supporting the concept of mentoring has continuously been produced. Jossi (1997) stated that mentoring programs are popular in today’s organizations. Mentoring in developing a line of succession create more future leaders in an organization. It meets the goals; improves employees’ engagement, the management and staff relationships, and replace an aging workforce. It is an inexpensive way to achieve goals.

Organizations today view mentoring as a developmental, empowering, and nurturing relationship.

Mentoring and Relationship Building Mentoring is crucial and a relationship between the mentor and the mentee. Martin (2010) stated that a mentor who is a senior and more experienced person in the organizational hierarchy intends to provide continuing support and development to a less experienced individual that is a mentee by giving advice and guidance to cultivate performance based on individual developmental needs.

The mentoring relationship may not be the senior-subordinate relationship. The relationship may occur between peers and regularly between senior and junior officers (Thomas & Thomas 2015).

Piasecki (2011) informed that mentoring can be favourable for both the mentee and the mentor, generating positive organizational and developmental results. Effective mentoring can increase retention, morale, productivity and enhancing personal and professional development. Moreover, the mentor-mentee relationship creates a win-win situation for both that are involved (Piasecki 2011).

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Informal Mentoring as a Developmental Mechanism

Relational Mentoring Theory

Mentoring is a complex, interactive process occurring between individuals of differing levels of experience and expertise which incorporates interpersonal or psychosocial development, career and/or educational development, and socialization functions into the relationship. This one-to-one relationship is itself developmental and proceeds through a series of stages which help to determine both the conditions affecting and the outcomes of the process. To the extent that the parameters of mutuality and compatibility exist in the relationship, the potential outcomes of respect, professionalism, collegiality, and role fulfilment will result. Further, the mentoring process occurs in a dynamic relationship within a given milieu’ (Hester & Setzer 2013, p.8).

As a developmental relationship, it engrosses mutual growth, learning, and development in personal, professional, and career domains. The relationship between mentors and mentee may or may not be from the same organization or from the same field or chain of command (Ragins, 1997). The relationships may be informal and develop spontaneously, (Chao, Walz, & Gardner, 1992; Ragins & Cotton, 1999).

Relational mentoring theory emphasises the positive, mutual developmental experience of being in a connection, rather than exchanges of resources based on expected benefits.

Relational skills such as empathy, authenticity and vulnerability are highlights in relational mentoring (Fletcher and Ragins 2007). Allen and Eby (2007) stated that the feeling of belonging is a basic motivational factor to engage in mentoring relationships and a key need for both mentors and mentees is relatedness. Janssen, van Vuuren & de Jong (2016, p.509) affirm that relational mentoring theory has „motives such as human strivings for connection and the need to belong.

Relational mentoring also stresses the importance of seeing mentoring as a mutual relationship and incorporating a relational approach would view on the interaction between mentors and mentees.

There is extensive empirical evidence that mentee encounter an array of desirable work and career outcomes, including job and career satisfaction, organizational commitment, reduced turnover intentions, increased compensation, power, and advancement (Allen, Eby, Poteet, Lentz, & Lima, 2004; Noe et al., 2002; Ragins, 1999; Wanberg et al., 2003).

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Implications of Mentoring on Organisational Politics

Implications of Mentoring on Organisational Knowledge sharing

According to Vigoda-Gadot & Drory (2006, p.7), “organizational politics are important since these provide an understanding of the informal processes of conflicts and co-operations in organizations, and their impact on the employees’ performance”.

“Organizational politics is a means to overcome conflicts in organizations. Employees use their perception of organizational politics to make sense of the environment they work in” (Ladebo 2006, p. 256). Others argue that being politically skilled can facilitate organizational change and adaptation to the environment and these may improve an individual’s and the organization’s success (Ladebo 2006 p. 259; Vredenburgh & Shea-Van-Fossen, 2010, p. 41). Vigoda-Gadot & Drory (2006, p.337) claim that “political behaviour is positive when it serves the organization’s vision and objectives, develops teamwork and confidence, and is ethically well-balanced.” Cheema, Cheema & Ashraf (2008) stated that political skill can be innate or learned development. It is an interpersonal skill that and organizational politics is the combination of both personality and situation. According to Blass et al.

(2007, p.93) “mentoring in organizations tends to focus on ‘learning the ropes’, or understanding organizational politics”. Mentoring has been viewed as the most prospective way that employees are educated about politics in organizations (Ferris & Judge 1991). Furthermore, Perrewe, Young & Blass (2002) stated that political skill development is a critical function of mentoring.

Hamel and Prahalad (1994) agree that knowledge management towards building the learning organization, gains wealth through its intellectual or knowledge base asset which involves the formalization of experience into knowledge, and expertise that create new capabilities. Knowledge management manages on creation, transport, storage, distribution and knowledge sharing where members can acquire, share, create knowledge or apply it in their decision making activities It enables superior performance, and encourages innovation (Beckman 1999). Knowledge is the resources of organizations and acquiring, developing and preserving it is an investment and requirements for the organization. Finding the most successful methods in preservation and sharing of employees’ knowledge are the most important aspect of a knowledge management system in organization.

Employees “willingness to share their knowledge will give astonishing effect” (Benscsik, Juhasz, & Machova 2014).

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Organizational knowledge includes two forms of knowledge that are explicit and tacit. Knowledge sharing should serve both types of knowledge and the best method is to create a mentoring system sharing explicit and tacit knowledge at the same time (Fenyvesi 2010; Singh & Premarajan 2007). Explicit knowledge can be documented and shared through information technology (IT) and it is structured, fixed content, externalized and conscious (Duffy 2000; Martensson 2000; Haldin-Herrgard 2000). Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) stated that explicit knowledge can be expressed by words or numbers and it can be shared in different forms.

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Implications of Mentoring on Organisational Culture Culture were originally applied to geographically separated social groups. The common culture requires similar thinking, feeling and reactions learned and shared through symbols of a group of people. Traditional ideas and common values are the essential core of the culture (Kroeber & Kluckholm (1952). According to Martin (2002), organizational culture is defined as patterns of interpretation composed of the meaning associated with various cultural manifestations, such as stories, rituals, formal and informal practices, jargon and physical arrangements. According to her opinion organizational culture is seen differently by people this way it is more like a subjective phenomenon. Furthermore, it is not connected strictly to physical locations or to a certain group of people (Keyton 2005).

According to Wilson & Elman (1990, p. 85), in traditional societies, tribal folklore and fables which contains a “moral”, are passed down from generation to generation, mentors in corporate cultures can pass down organizational folklore and fables. The culturecarrying myths and legends may be passed along without mentors, but a mentoring program can reinforce the diffusion process. They also stated that mentors can be trusted sources and can put organizational myths in perspective in order to enlighten junior members as to their deeper meanings. This context-providing function can be especially important for myths which may reflect the less positive aspects of the organization’s culture,

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such as units with ruthless top management. Such negative myths are never written down, but are often joked about.

Wilson & Elman (1990) urged mentors are transfer agents of corporate culture. They also provide immediate practical services for their mentees such as informing their mentees of the best ways to navigate the subtleties of the organization’s informal political system. They act as a sounding board for idea providers with which a junior colleague might be hesitant to approach a supervisor, and even providing mundane advice about appropriate styles of dress, all fall within the purview of mentoring. The new recruits get benefits by mentoring.

The mentee to acquire information on organizational culture and the skills of the job and thus align these with the organizational goals (Dexter, Dexter & Irving 2011).

Mentoring provides a structured system for strengthening and assuring the continuity of organizational culture.

The existence of a strong corporate culture that provides members with a common value base and with implicit knowledge of what is expected of them and what they in turn can expect from the organization can be vital to organizational success and effectiveness. The mentoring system is also useful when the organization requires modification or redefinition of culture, especially during times of leadership succession‟. (Wilson & Elman 1990, p.89).

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Survey on Informal Mentoring The study was conducted to examine the role of informal mentoring on the employees of Grade 41 in the ministries in the Sarawak Civil Service. The association of informal mentoring with organizational politics, organizational knowledge sharing and organizational culture was assessed. The survey was administered among one hundred and thirty eight (138) employees in ministries. Eighty respondents constituting 77.9% of the total participants were complete in all aspects were analyzed. The positive effect of informal mentoring on organizational politics and organizational knowledge sharing is evident in the study. This outcome supports the basic motivational factors to engage in informal mentoring influencing organizational politics and organizational knowledge sharing. The relational mentoring theory confirmed that there are no exchanges of resources based on expected benefit which was supported by the self-determination theory, the theory of human motivation (Deci & Ryan, 2012) and the social exchange theory with reciprocity as important aspect that co-worker or the informal mentor willing to share the knowledge with the mentee (Emerson, 1981; Homans, 1974). The need-based approach is adopted in the study. The study found that both parties involved in mentoring process get benefit in terms of building relationship. The tacit knowledge shared between mentor and mentee through the process of socialization and internalization. The study negates any impact of informal mentoring on organizational culture.

The supports the contention that mentoring relationships provide fertile ground for personal learning and that in these relationships, protégés are knowledgeable in the ways of the game in organizations (Ferris, Frink, et. Al. 1996). Indeed, of the knowledge acquired in a mentoring relationship, understanding of, and skill building in, organizational politics may be the most salient. (Perrewe et al. 2002). Organizational politics is also linked with the issue of trust. Trust often affects the behaviour of individuals, and employees are more likely to be suspicious of the intentions of others if they work in a low trust climate (Othman, 2008: 45; Poon, 2003: 142; Zaleznik, 1971: 58).

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

The results demonstrate the usefulness of political skill as a means of neutralizing expected negative outcomes in political work environments. Subordinates who possess political skill see past negative workplace environments and focus on their goals. Individuals who possess political skill most likely view the political work environment in the same way as a necessary requirement to get things done. (Mintzberg 1983; Pfeffer 1981) Therefore, additionally, it is suggested that when making decision about who should be promoted to leadership positions, the ethics of individuals need to be weighted along with other important criteria. Although technical expertise and job experience are important criteria, an employees’ ethics which would shape their ethical leadership if promoted should not be dismissed as ethical leadership impact subordinate outcomes.

Conclusion Mentoring as a developmental mechanism is not new.

Such mechanism is applied to organizations of various nature and stature. Civil servants are expected to be more committed, enthusiastic and responsible to serve the society. Mentoring is an effective mechanism In order to develop the civil servants to work fulfilling the needs and expectations of all stakeholders in the society. The study on informal mentoring has strong implications on employee as well as organizational development. The entire success of informal mentoring depends largely on the traits of mentor and mentee. The authors of this case study developed template for effective mentoring mechanism having four aspects such as traits of a mentor, traits of a mentee, mentoring process and assessment of mentoring outcomes (Figure 1). This template is going to be very useful in designing mentoring mechanism for other organizations and drafting policy guidelines for future. The organization is thinking for strengthening such ‘informal mentoring’ as support system to develop employees.

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Discussion Questions

Nature of Case

1.

2.

Employees are asset for any organisation. Any difficulties/problems pertaining to their workplace should be dealt with appropriate mechanism. There should be support system for mental and physical well-being of the employees. Proper guidance, developmental initiatives, contribute better harmonious workplace relationship. It ultimately helps in excelling organisational performance. Any faculty support mechanism shall create long-term employee problems leading to jeopardize the organisational system. The case relates to the subject of human capital management.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

What are the key issues in this case?

What leadership traits you find in her who provided support to the specific employee?

What is the key factor for getting success in ‘informal mentoring’?

What qualities are required to become a ‘mentor’?

What are the challenges in ‘informal mentoring’?

Do you feel ‘formal mentoring’ should be implemented in organisation? Explain.

Do you feel ‘people attitude’ is important for achieving better workplace relationship? Explain.

Do you feel change should come within a person?

Explain.

Do you feel ‘mentee’ should be honest and disciplined to attain success in ‘informal mentoring? Explain.

Do you feel you have the expected qualities to become a mentor?

Do you feel all the experienced employees can become mentor for their junior colleagues?

Explain Design an ‘informal mentoring’ mechanism for your organisation.

Make a brief report regarding your experience relating to mentoring in your organisation.

Prepare a list of successful mentors in your or any other organisation known to you.

Give your important feedbacks regarding mentoring mechanism to your HR Department.

Case Summary The case relates to the Sarawak Civil Service, a public sector organisation providing services to people of Sarawak in various functional domains. The organisation strives to serve the society with commitment. The State Government declared to make the State to digitalize all of its services. In this direction, the employees work.

There are certain issues like workplace relationship, employee development, employee support system, career growth; team building, job competencies etc. need attention. Though developmental policy measures are there, still ‘informal support’ system works wonder for some employees. By nurturing such system, all the organisational members shall get benefit. The authors address such support system in this case.

Teaching Note The authors prepared the teaching note. It is essential for the users to provide an idea regarding the nature and context of using this case study. The importance of ‘informal mentoring’ is the focus of the entire case study.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Teaching Objectives The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case. a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i)

Importance of employee developmental mechanism.

Developing organisational culture.

Organisational politics for matured understanding among employees.

Boss-subordinate relationship.

Dynamics of workplace relationship.

Responsibility of employee Responsibility of leaders in organisation.

Importance of employee engagement Developing Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) in employees.

Suitability for Use

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and pragmatic issues of a public sector organisation.

Use of Board to Organise the Discussion a) b) c) d)

A small group (Group-I) or any two participants are asked to share their difficulties with one another.

Another group is asked to provide solutions to the above group (Group-I).

Generalize the interaction and take overall comments.

Engage some group of participants to design policy measures pertaining to ‘mentoring’.

This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also useful for the participants of any leadership development programme.

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“

The outcome of the HR Talent Management Initiative under the SCS 10-20 Action Plan will be a civil service manned by telented and wholesome individual that are professionally trained and developed, highly competent and very dedicated.

They would have the Capability, Capacity and Compassion the heart to serve rakyat and the government.

“

YBhg. Datu Dr Sabariah Putit Deputy State Secretary Performance and Service Delivery Transformation

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

ATTITUDES TOWARD E-TRAINING ADOPTION IN SARAWAK’S CIVIL SERVICE

Authors: DIANA RAFIDAH BINTI MAJANI BIBIANA LIM CHIU YIONG RODNEY LIM THIAM HOCK

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Introduction Information Communication Technology (ICT) is shaping today’s global economy. In Malaysia, the ICT industry is recognized as one of the main contributors to the nation’s economic growth (Malaysia Economic Planning Unit 2015). Hence, the Malaysian government is focusing its attention on the development and growth of infrastructure and environment of ICT to ensure the nation’s readiness to move forward into the information age and to attain developed country status.

As the largest state in the country, Sarawak is taking bold steps in venturing into the exponentially growing digital economy. Inspired by Chief Minister (CM) Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s call for a ‘Digital Sarawak’, the state is embarking on transformative initiatives to improve access to information, increase the state’s efficiency in digital resource management and improve service levels in public service departments through the development of digital-focused public sectors (Borneo Post Online 2017).

In tandem with these goals, the government’s strategy on human capital development in the public sector focuses on nurturing the workforce with relevant ICT skills to ensure that it is properly trained and kept abreast with

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progress in the technological age. To achieve this, the delivery of training and continuous education of the workforce must be expanded well beyond conventional methods of instruction, especially the utilisation of online teaching and learning tools, which has become a critical part of human resource development. In particular, electronic training, or e-training, has gained popularity as it allows simulated environments for learning in place of physically situated training sites (Ramayah, Ahmad & Hong 2012).

Despite the many benefits of e-training, its adoption poses a challenge for many organisations, especially those in the civil services. Research on e-training has produced mixed findings in that the application of technology has not always yield desired results (Ellis & Kuznia 2014). As organisations grapple with issues of feasibility and effective implementation of e-training in the Sarawak civil service, it is necessary to understand the nature of e-training, its benefits and challenges.

This case article sheds light on the importance of e-training adoption for human capital development to gear Sarawak’s civil service workforce towards the CM’s initiative to turn Sarawak into a digital economy.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

E-training and E-learning The key objective of training is to enhance job performance to create a productive workforce through the acquisition of relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes. Training has evolved over the years with the advent of real-time communication brought by ICT. E-training involves knowledge that is technically acquired, supported, and facilitated to economically increase performance at work and achieve organizational objectives (Loh, Lo, Wang, & Modh-Nor 2013).

E-training also refers to learning or training delivered through electronic means, usually involving the use of computers and other electronic devices to engage trainees. Technologically-mediated training experiences offer a bundle of benefits to organisations, including cost-effectiveness, easy to access, flexibility and diverse content availability (Ellis & Kuznia 2014). The demand for e-training has grown exponentially as organisations recognise its many benefits, including its global accessibility and reach, enhanced worker productivities and intellectual capacities and the permanent use of resources within the organisation (Loh et al. 2013).

The term e-training is usually used interchangeably with e-learning, as both refer to the delivery of learning using telecommunication and information technologies, such as the Internet or Intranet. However, since e-training is particularly focused on helping employee acquire

skills and knowledge needed for specific job tasks, it usually involves a shorter and specified period of time in which the learning should occur and incorporates explicit designs to enable achievement of specific work skills (Mohsin & Sulaiman 2013). Common types of e-training are Web-based training and video conferencing that enables e-training to occur anywhere and at any time (Ellis & Kuznia 2014).

An e-training program can be designed around two modes of electronic learning: fully online or blended learning. Blended learning is hybrid learning that combines and utilizes the strengths of both traditional face-to-face learning and digital learning (Garrison & Vaughan 2008). It has revolutionised the learning process as it enables employees to obtain learning experience in both online and brick-and-mortar environment.

The successful implementation of an e-training programme depends on the organisation’s ability to identify and understand the determinants of e-training adoption among employees. Adoption here refers to people’s perceptions of a particular technology or way of learning as new or innovative, coupled with their acceptance of it in through their decision to use it or to display new behaviours in relation to it.

Innovation Diffusion Theory One of the most popular theories used for studying adoption of information technology (IT) is the Innovation Diffusion Theory by Rogers (1995). This theory has been used to study individuals’ adoption of a diverse range of information technologies and e-learning environments. For example, Ng, Omar and Mohamed (2012) used innovation diffusion theory to assess and predict the adoption of e-learning system at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Generally, this theory explains that innovation is an idea, process or technology that is perceived as new to individuals within a social system

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( Jebeile & Reeve 2003). Diffusion is defined as the process by which the information about the innovation flows from one individual to another over a period within the social system (Rogers 1995).

Rogers (1995) identified five salient characteristics of an innovation which demonstrates satisfactory explanation of adoption. These characteristics include relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability.

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Relative Advantage

Complexity

Relative advantage is the degree to which people believe that the innovation is better than the existing technology in which its economic profitability, social prestige, and other benefits can be expressed. These attributes have been found to be the best predictors of the rate of adoption for a given innovation (Carter & Belanger 2005). Relative advantage specifies the strength of reward or punishment resulting from adoption of an innovation. For example, employees would be more inclined to adopt e-training when they think they can benefit from it or when financial incentives are used to support and encourage its adoption (Sahin 2006).

Complexity measures the degree to which an innovation is perceived to be difficult to understand, implemented or used. As postulated by Rogers (1995), an innovation that is less complex is more likely to be rapidly accepted by end users. Thus, if an e-training platform or process involves additional levels of knowledge that are perceived to be difficult, the degree of adoption among employees is likely to decrease.

Compatibility

Trialability

Compatibility is the degree to which an innovation is perceived to be consistent with the existing values, past experiences, and needs of potential adopters, or the extent to the innovation is perceived to be consistent with the existing technical and social environment (Rogers 1995). Thus, if people perceive an innovation to be incompatible with their needs, they are less likely to use it. This means that the prospects for adoption is greater if e-training can be well integrated into or coexist with employees’ existing values, past experience and work needs.

Trialability is the ability of an innovation to be put on trial without total commitment and with minimal investment (Rogers 1995). This means that an innovation is more likely to be adopted if potential users are able to experience using the innovation itself. Thus, when given chances to experience e-training, employees are more likely to adopt it, compared to those who do not have the opportunity to do so. E-training trials allow employees to learn by doing, which helps them to reduce their perceptions of uncertainty. The availability of e-training among civil servants suggests that most of them have trial e-training in the past.

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Observability

Attitudes

Observability is the extent to which the benefits of an innovation are visible to potential adopters (Rogers 1995). It refers to having an opportunity to observe someone else use it to ascertain its benefits and safety.

Such visibility helps to stimulate peer discussion and potentially boost the adoption rate among other potential employees in e-training. Similar to trialability, it is known that the state government has consistently provide services and assistance to civil servants in relation to promoting e-training.

Liaw (2004) explained attitude towards behaviour as the set of overall beliefs and evaluations regarding a behaviour held by an individual. In this case, employees’ attitudes can be taken as a dependent variable, since attitude has been proven to predict usage of innovation (Chau, & Lai 2003) As stated by Chau and Lai (2003, p.126), “when intention is poorly formed, attitude will thus have a direct effect on usage”. The concept of attitude towards technologies and innovation has been recognised as an important factor in adoption of innovations.

e-Pembelajaran Sector Awam (EPSA) E-learning can be considered an efficient means of expediting the learning process among the large number of civil servants dispersed at the various workstations and localities in the state. One of the government’s initiatives is the establishment of e-Pembelajaran Sektor Awam (EPSA). Started since July 2007, EPSA is a digital learning platform developed to promote continuous and lifelong learning for all civil servants at anytime and anywhere.

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Nevertheless, the extent to which the civil servants in Sarawak are adopting e-learning as part of their training is still unknown. Thus, focusing on the Sarawak Timber Industrial Development Corporation (STIDC), this case study deliberates on the application of e-learning and the adoption of EPSA platform (e-training) among civil servants in Sarawak. It discusses the determinants of e-training adoption and provides a better understanding of current trends in developmental efforts among civil servants in the state.

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Sarawak Timber Industrial Development Corporation (STIDC) Sarawak Timber Industrial Development Corporation (STIDC) was established in June 1973, as one of the state agencies under the Ministry of Urban Development and Natural Resources (MUDeNR). Following a holistic study on the forest inventory in Sarawak, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations recommended that STIDC be incorporated to provide technical expertise and effective management of resources in order to stimulate the planned expansion of wood-based industries throughout the state. Over the past 45 years, STIDC has performed outstandingly in ensuring that the timber industry is able to sustain its role as one of the major contributors of revenue for Sarawak.

STIDC budgets and spends approximately RM1 million each year in human capital development in a variety of training programmes such as in-house training, external training and on-the-job training. As it is a strategic part of the state’s initiative in digital economy transformation, there is an opportunity to apply extensive usage of digital learning platforms to improve the levels of ICT skills, knowledge and competencies among state civil servants across the state.

To date, STIDC has 414 employees working at six offices at various locations in Sarawak, with the Human 60

Resource Development and Quality (HRDQ) Section responsible for formulating strategies on human capital and organisational development in the organisation.

Its core responsibility is the strengthening of staff competency, which focuses on enhancing their skills, knowledge and attitudes through continuous training and learning programmes.

In 2017, 131 public programmes and 41 in-house training programmes were successfully organised in STIDC. However, e-learning was not introduced until early 2018, when HRDQ together with a training provider designed ‘Blended Learning’ or e-learning methods specifically to accommodate the learning process for 40 employees from management and professional groups involved in the Talent Management Pool programme.

E-training implementation in the state government is still in the infant stage. Nevertheless, as an established and highly reputable state agency, STIDC has the potential to become a leader in adopting e-learning platforms and e-training programs. The following section presents a postgraduate study into e-training adoption among civil servants in STIDC, with an objective of understanding employees’ attitudes in digital learning and effective e-training diffusion in the organisation.

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Survey Findings To gain insights into e-training adoption in STIDC, a research study focused on three constructs in Rogers’ (1995) framework was implemented in March 2018. A quantitative research approach was applied, involving self-administered questionnaires and Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) techniques to analyse the data collected.

Invitations to participate in the questionnaire survey were sent through email and internal memo to Head of Divisions and Head of Sections in STIDC Headquarters, as well as to employees in the Northern and Southern Regional offices. Respondents were given options to participate via either an online survey or through printed questionnaires. The online survey was developed to accommodate employees at the Northern and Southern Regional offices located in Sibu, Tanjung Manis, Bintulu, Miri, Limbang and Lawas. Out of 300 questionnaires distributed, 286 questionnaires were returned (representing a 69 percent response rate), comprising of 156 printed copies and 132 online responses.

The profile of respondents is as follows: in relation to gender, age and education background, the following

results are shown: 55.9 percent of the respondents are male, 51.3 percent of the respondents are from the age group of 50 to 59 years old, and most of respondents (27.9 percent) are diploma and technical certificate holders. It is noteworthy that a majority of the respondents (88.2 percent) had experience in using digital learning systems. Only 11.8 percent indicated that they have never been involved in e-training or use e-learning before.

The results showed that relative advantage and compatibility were key antecedents in e-training adoption in STIDC. In other words, relative advantage in terms of factors such as reduced cost, image enhancement and time savings had a positive influence on STIDC employees’ attitudes to adopt e-training.

Another major reason for participants to adopt e-training was its compatibility with their socio-cultural belief, past experiences and needs. Conversely, complexity of e-training was found to have a significant but negative influence on STIDC employees’ willingness to adopt digital learning programs. This negative relationship suggests that complex and difficult features in e-training platforms can impede the adoption of digital learning among civil service employees.

Conclusion The adoption of e-training is essential for civil sector employees to keep abreast of technology trends. The survey underscores the importance of relative advantage and compatibility as key determinants in affecting civil service employees’ attitudes towards e-training adoption in Sarawak. While technology is pushing the limits of e-learning environments, the study emphasizes the importance of communicating the benefits and relevance of e-training to these employees. Awareness or being informed about ICT upgrades can help change negative attitudes toward adopting e-training programs. Furthermore, if employees acknowledge the effectiveness of e-training, they are more likely to adopt it to improve themselves. The issue of complexity can be reduced by placing an emphasis on simplifying the process of e-learning and considering user-friendly digital tools to facilitate knowledge exchange between employees and trainers. As such, there is a need for a strong perception that adequate e-training platforms, good policies, incentives, appropriate information and assistance have been provided in the Sarawak civil service. This would ensure continual development with effective training in place for the betterment of the civil service and the state.

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Discussion Questions

Teaching Objectives

1.

The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case:

2.

3.

What characteristics of organisational culture in the civil service sector do you think account for these results?

Based on the results of the STIDC study, how can government organisations in the state improve the levels of staff adoption of e-training or e-learning programs? What challenges do you foresee?

Observability and trialabilty were not included in the above survey. If they were, how would you expect the results? Why?

Teaching Note The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Case Summary Despite the many benefits of e-training, its adoption poses a challenge for many organisations, especially those in the civil services. Research on e-training has produced mixed findings in that the application of technology has not always yield desired results (Ellis & Kuznia 2014). As organisations grapple with issues of feasibility and effective implementation of e-training in the Sarawak civil service, it is necessary to understand the nature of e-training, its benefits and challenges.

This case article sheds light on the importance of e-training adoption for human capital development to gear Sarawak’s civil service workforce towards the CM’s initiative to turn Sarawak into a digital economy.

a) b) c) d)

Discuss the trends that drive current interest in the use of technology to conduct training Discuss the benefits and challenges associated with e-training Identify strategies that can be implemented to support adoption of e-training Discuss the role of HR in developing digital readiness of civil service

Suitability for Use This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector. Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

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EMPLOYEES’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS ORGANISATIONAL TRANSFORMATION: SARAWAK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (SEDC) EXPERIENCE

Authors: ABAS BIN ROSLI JEFFREY JEE TECK WENG

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Introduction Organisational transformation refers to organisation ability to adapt to changes brought within and external from an organisation. Organisational transformation is crucial for organisation to remain competitive and relevant with competition. Such transformation mainly occurs due to technological adoption, merger, business expansion, maintenance of product quality and changes in leadership styles. Majority of organisations which undergo transformation due to (1) enhancing firms organisations and its operation, and (2) to strengthen corporate governance.

Organisational transformation is an on-going process where it required continuous effort, time and energy for organisation to remain relevant and significant in the market. As a result, employees of such organisations which constantly undergo organisational transformation are also required to maintain diligent and updated with the changes that take places, internally or externally.

While transformation historically result in positive

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changes to organisation and employees, in time of uncertainty, organisation transformation may also result in uncertainty employees. Among those negative impact include job insecurity and exhaustion or burn-out among the employees. In fact, majority of organisation transformation resulted in negative impact especially when resistant to change among employees are strong.

This case article highlights employees perceptions towards organisational transformation adopted by Sarawak Economic Development (SEDC) over the last 4 years (since 2016). It examines the role of employees perception towards job security, job satisfaction, and change in power as determinants of organisational transformation. Based on survey data collected from 128 employees from Sarawak Economic Development (SEDC), the study found that job security, job satisfaction, and change in power were positively related to organisational transformation.

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Sarawak Economic Development (SEDC) Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) is one of Sarawak State’s Statutory Body. It was established on 1 March 1972 with the aims to accelerate and develop the commercial, industrial and socio-economic activities in Sarawak, under the Perbadanan Pembangunan Ekonomi Sarawak Ordinance (Sarawak Cap. 35). Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) also comes under the purview of Malaysia Federal Government through Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) engaged in a diverse range of business and services in Sarawak, including, agriculture and food, tourism and hospitality, property development, mineral and mining, roads and infrastructure works. As part of the larger Sarawak State Government commercialisation arm, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) also assist Sarawak State Government in the development of local entrepreneurs and setting up of pre-school education centres throughout the state. The larger aim of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) in the recent years is assisting Sarawak State Government in transforming the overall Sarawak State’s economics and social landscape, while remain competitive within Malaysia and Southeast Asia region.

Job Security Job security in one of the area that the employees are concern of due to its effect in terms of their compensation, benefits and career development. Employees may perceive job security in a positive side or negative side because there is no guarantee that organisational transformation that the organisation embark on will be successful. Their job might become more secure after the transformation or in other hand, they might lose their job if the transformation is not successful.

Before the organisational transformation implemented in any organisation, job security is one of their concern because it can affect their life and they never know whether their job will be secure or not after the transformation.

Again, it depends on how the employees foresee the implications of the transformation to them either it gives positive impact or negative impact. Employees

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may feel insecure about their job and they might lose it if they think that their ability to perform are not to the standard that set by the organisation management.

If the employees cannot manage this perception at the minimum level, this job insecurity perception can lead to negative (or positive) reaction towards organisation transformation.

Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is one of the area that are concern by the employees when organisational transformation be implemented. In other words, it is the feeling employees may hold in regards to how good (or bad) in their job performance. Job satisfaction can be divided into two form, (1) extrinsic and (2) intrinsic. Extrinsic satisfaction refers to the feeling of immediate satisfaction as a result of compensation and benefits, working environment and the relationship with their colleagues. Intrinsic satisfaction refers to the psychological satisfaction that the employees get after performing their task.

Employees are generally more prone towards extrinsic satisfaction and the benefits associated with it during organisational transformation. However, most employees might not be aware of the intrinsic satisfaction that may also come forth as a result of organisational transformation. Such job satisfaction may and may not lead to negative (or positive) reaction towards organisational transformation.

Change in Power In the organisational context, power are closely related to the hierarchical position in the organisation.

Generally, when the employees have a higher position, he will have more power and authority compared to the support staff. Therefore, when transformation being implemented within an organisation, the power that the employees hold within their respective organisation may also change due. During organisation transformation process, employees that are affected (in term of devolution of power) may create negative perception towards organisation transformation, hence resulting in resistance to change.

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Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) Organisation Transformation Organisational transformation are crucial for Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to ensure they remain relevant and competitive within the current market, while continuously provide efficient and highquality services to Sarawak citizen as a whole. At the same time, organisation transformation is also crucial for Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) in order for them to remain profitable, sustainable and continue to grow in the long run. The organisational transformation that Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) focused on are on (1) organisational structure, (2) technology, and (3) performance appraisal system.

Transformation on the Organisational Structure Currently, the organisational structure that was approved by Malaysia Public Service Department ( JPA) was primarily based on the approved Establishment Warrant No. N59 Year 2014 and Establishment Warrant No. P6 Year 2015 respectively. Such organisational structure adopted by Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) are outdated and misaligned itself from the 5-Year Strategic Plan that the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) has been embarking since 2016. It also cannot support the new roles and functions of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) in expanding its businesses.

Besides that, some of the functions in the division are redundant and overlapping with each others. Therefore, there is a need for Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to implement transformation on the organisational structure to ensure that the new structure can support the operations both on commercial and corporate services sectors.

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Transformation on Technology Technology are crucial nowadays for any organisations.

Looking at the new era of technology and the direction of Sarawak towards digitalising its economy, it is necessary for Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to embark on the technology forefront especially in managing the employees and also in monitoring and evaluate the effectiveness of the programs and projects that the organisation embark itself in. With the current direction of the State to stay beyond competition with other states in Malaysia, as well as its peer in Southeast Asia region, it is crucial for Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to transform from manual based organisation to IT-based organisation.

Transformation on Performance Appraisal System From human resource perspective, one of the crucial component towards effect human resource management is performance appraisal. The performance appraisal system currently adopted by Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) is based on the system that was introduced by Malaysia Public Service Department ( JPA) in 1992. Such performance appraisal system are very much outdated and are not able to assist Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to encourage more meaningful employees and organisation engagement in a more objective and strategic manner (such as Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Based System). Therefore, there is a need for Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to implement transformation on the performance appraisal system front to ensure that the new system can better support the operations both on commercial and corporate front.

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Testing Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) Employees Views of Organisational Transformation Testing of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) employees views of organisational transformation was conducted using a causal research design. It utilized a single causal research design to identify the reaction of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) employees towards organisation transformation implemented by their respective organisation. Respondents are measure on their perception towards job security, job satisfaction and change in power and how it was related (positively or negatively) to organisational transformation. The survey instrument incorporated questions from existing measures and 6-point scales: 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). The sampling utilized a simple random sampling where a total of 128 participated in this study. The data collected from the surveys (questionnaires) were analysed using descriptive and bivariate analysis.

Key Findings

Conclusion

1.

Employees have different perceptions towards the organisational transformation, either positively or negatively. Organisational transformation is not an easy task because transformation may lead to failure in the short run. At the same time, organisational transformation is also a lengthy process which require detail planning and monitoring in the long run to be successful. As such, it is crucial for management to keep itself updated with the changes in the market while responding towards the changes brought forward. This will result in not just employees retention, but also brought about positive vibes and culture among the employees involved. This in turn will ensure an effective and smooth transformation embarked by respective organisations.

2.

3.

Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) employees perceived the organisational transformation implemented by their organisation as something that can positively affect their job security. As a result, these employees perceived that their job are more secured, hence retaining them to stay with the same organisation in the long run.

The findings shows that the higher Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) employees expect from the organisational transformation, the more positive will the employees behave and react towards the transformation initiatives. This can be seen in the high level of job satisfaction (both intrinsic and extrinsic) these employees acquire from the transformation exercise conducted by the organisation.

Within Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), majority of employees were given more authority or power in their day-to-day work. This resulted in employees gaining more authority hence resulting in positive perceptions the transformation exercise conducted by the organisation.

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Discussion Questions

Suitability for Use

1.

This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

2.

3.

Identify the recent trends that compel public organisations to review and transform existing strategies and practices?

What are the key challenges that confront public organisations in transformation programmes?

In what ways can the leadership solicit commitment of the civil service workforce to support transformation programmes?

Teaching Note The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Case Summary This case article highlights employees perceptions towards organisational transformation adopted by Sarawak Economic Development (SEDC) over the last 4 years (since 2016). It examines the role of employees perception towards job security, job satisfaction, and change in power as determinants of organisational transformation. Based on survey data collected from 128 employees from Sarawak Economic Development (SEDC), the study found that job security, job satisfaction, and change in power were positively related to organisational transformation.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector. Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

Teaching Objectives The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case. a) b) c) d)

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Discuss the trends that drive current interest in organisation transformation Discuss the impact of leadership and civil service workforce in the success of organisation transformation programmes Identify strategies that can be implemented to support the implementation of transformation programmes Discuss the role of HR in supporting transformation programmes

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ABSENTEEISM: A CASE STUDY IN THE SARAWAK CIVIL SERVICE

Authors: SITI RAFEAH BINTI HAJI ABDUL RAHMAN LISA NGUI

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Introduction Absenteeism has long been the vital issue confronted by employers and organisation. The studies of absenteeism continue to gain researchers’ attention and warrant further investigation because of its impact on expenditure and productivity in the public sectors (Steel 2003 and Pavithra, Barani, & Lingaraja 2017).

Globally, governments are always seeking ways and means to reduce their expenditure and one area that is receiving consideration is absenteeism issue which many claimed to have cost taxpayers millions of dollars annually (Barriex 2012; De Paola, Scoppa & Pupo 2014). As reported in the New Straits Times (2017) Malaysian employees lose 67 days a year to absenteeism or presenteeism due to poor health and fitness and the average yearly cost of health-related absenteeism and presenteeism per organisation is estimated at RM2.7 million.

This article highlights a case study on the demographic variables and factors influencing absenteeism among Sarawak civil service public officers. This is a quantitative research using absenteeism data and records gathered from the Sarawak Public Service Commission’s office from 2013 to 2017. The result demonstrated that public officer’s marital status and length of service have a positive relationship with absenteeism while gender and work type of public officers are not related to absenteeism. Besides, the most common factor contributing to absenteeism is family issue. This was followed by workplace issue, financial stress and health issue.

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The Sarawak Public Service and the Issue of Absenteeism The Sarawak Civil Service (SCS) consists of over 14,000 employees across 87 state government agencies. It seems that absenteeism is a genuine problem of SCS. It involves not only heavy expenditure and loss of productivity but it also has negative influence on the morale and performance of the civil servants. Looking at the data collected from 2013 to 2017, absenteeism emerged as the top issue and recorded the highest number of cases among the eight types of disciplinary cases committed by the SCS public officers. Out of the total 189 disciplinary cases, 130 cases or 68.8% are due to absenteeism.

TYPES OF DISCIPLINARY CASES BY YEAR NO.

TYPES OF DISCIPLINARY CASES

YEAR (NUMBER OF CASES) 2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

TOTAL CASES

1

Absenteeism

20

45

18

27

20

130

2

Drug Abuse

4

2

2

5

5

18

3

Breach of Trust

1

0

0

14

0

15

4

Criminal Offence

6

1

0

3

3

13

5

Dishonesty

1

1

0

2

1

5

6

Negligence

0

0

0

0

5

5

7

Insubordinate

0

0

0

1

1

2

8

Power Abuse

0

1

0

0

0

1

32

50

20

52

35

189

Total of Cases:

Source: Sarawak Public Service Commission’s Annual Report (2013-2017)

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The Significance of Research In Malaysia, there is a dearth of study on absenteeism phenomena particularly within the Sarawak civil service sector. Secondly, the research findings could provide insights to the Sarawak government and help to target their resources more effectively in managing employees’ absenteeism.

Absenteeism and Types of Absenteeism Absence in this study refers to non-attendance of an employee to be present for any length of time where he is needed to execute his work for whatever reason, including long and short-term incapacity, as defined by Martochhio and Jimeson (2003), Patton & Johns (2007), Pizam & Thornburg (2000), Munro (2007) and Banks, Patel & Moola (2012).

Absenteeism could be categorised into voluntary (avoidable) absenteeism and involuntary (unavoidable) absenteeism. Unavoidable absenteeism is beyond the control of the employee such as falling sick, injury, transportation or family problem. Avoidable absenteeism means that an employee chooses to be absent on any given day without permission or any reasonable reasons (Steers & Rhodes 1978; Hackett & Robert 1985).

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Causes of Absenteeism: Financial, Family, Health and Workplace Issues According to Bevan and Hayday (1998), four main causes of absence are well-being and régime, mindset and pressure, workplace and domestic relationship factors. Peirce, Frone, Russel and Copper (1996), Joo & Garman (1998) and Garman, Camp, Bagwell, Baffi and Redican (1999) found that financial stress was associated with higher level of absenteeism at workplace. Besides, family commitment such as looking after children and ageing parents as well as marriage conflict are usually the main reasons. McHugh (2001), Bennett (2002) and Steers and Porter (1987) mentioned health problem, illness and impairment as the primary causes while O’Reilly (2000) stated genuine sickness as the main reason. As for Goldberg and Waldman (2000) and Gellatly (1995), job satisfaction and commitment would lead to reduced absenteeism. A satisfied worker will put in more determination to do his/her best including to be present at work as compared to an unsatisfied employee who would have all the excuses to be absent from work (Steers and Rhodes, 1978).

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Demographic Variables: Gender, Marital Status, Length of Service and Work Type Gender

Length of Service

Farrell and Stamm (1988), Scott and McClellan (1990) and Markussen, Roed, Rogeberg, & Gaure (2009) concluded that as compared to male workers, female workers are more prone to absenteeism with higher number of absence days regardless of whether they are married or single, having children or not. In contrast, Globerson and Ben-Yshai (2002) showed that female teachers has fewer absence days as compared to their male colleagues.

Evans and Palmer (1997) stated that long term tenure with an organisation may increase employee’s loyalty resulting in a reduction of absenteeism. Compton (2001) found that working experience is positively related to non-attendance of work. In contradiction, Hoque & Islam (2003), Adebayo & Nwabuoku (2008) and Senel and Senel (2012) argued that higher level of absenteeism is related to tenure. As for Kohler & Mathieu (1993) and Price (1995), they found a negative relationship or not at all between absenteeism and number of years in the organisation.

Marital Status

Type of Work

Westhuizen (2006), Cohen & Golan (2007), Adebayo and Nwabuoku (2008) and Borda and Norman (1997) found that there is a positive relationship between marital status and number of children on absenteeism.

Brits and Reese (1982) argued that absenteeism among single males are higher in comparison to married men while single ladies have lower absenteeism relative to married women. In contrast, Robbins, Odendaal, & Roodt (2003) indicated that married employee has lower absence level as compared to their single counterpart.

Type of work or occupational level is also related to absenteeism. The blue-collar employees as compared to white-collar workers tend to have elevated level of absenteeism because they are performing routine job that is not challenging and not involved in decision making (Arsenault & Dolan 1983; Brooke & Price 1989; Chadwick-Jones, Nicholson & Brown 1982; Edwards & Scullion 1982). Love, Holmgren, Toren, & Hensing (2012) revealed that white collar workers have few sickness absence days.

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Research Methodology: Sampling and Data Analysis This quantitative research has a sample size of 97 public officers and focused only on SCS public officers who were involved in absenteeism from 2013 until 2017. The information was collected on an aggregate basis from records and annual reports of the Sarawak Public Service Commission and statistical records of the State Human Resource Unit.

Discussion Demographic Characteristics and Absenteeism Out of 97 responses, 89.7% were males and 10.3% were females. 76.3% of married officers and 47.4% of the public officers who have a tenure between six to ten years reported absenteeism.

59.8% of the blue-collar public officers engaged in absenteeism. Using Chi-Square analysis, there was no significant association between gender and work type and absenteeism respectively.

However, it was found that a significant relationship exists between marital status (p<0.01) and length of service (p<0.05) and absenteeism respectively.

Factors that influence Absenteeism Cause The four main factors listed by the SCS officers as their absenteeism causes include financial stress, family issues, health issues and workplace issues. Out of 97 participants, 37.1% cited family issues as the main cause for absenteeism while workplace issues became the second crucial reason with 28.9%. 17.5% participants indicated financial crises while another 16.5% chose health problem.

As mentioned by Steers and Rhodes (1978), family commitment such as looking after elderly parents and children and the marriage conflict is one prominent issue that may limit a public officers’ motivation to be present at work. The workplace issue is the second main factor influencing absenteeism in the SCS. As pointed out by Sagie (1998), job dissatisfaction or poor organisational commitment manifest itself in absenteeism and other negative attitudes including being late and poor personal discipline. The third reason is financial stress that brings a lot of emotional and physical stress (Hendrix, Steel, & Shultz 1987; Jacobson, Aldana, Goetzel, Vardell, Adams & Pietras 1996; and Peirce, Frone, Russel and Copper 1996). The fear of being chased after by money lender or financial institution caused the officers to stay away from work. The last reason is the health issue. The present study found a high incidence of sickness among public officers without the support of official medical certificate. This might be a withdrawal symptom from employee due to job-related tension as mentioned by Muschalla and Linden (2013).

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Comparison of Demographic Characteristics with Absenteeism Cause The application of cross-tabulation analysis on the demographic characteristics and absenteeism cause of SCS officers aimed to identify the major factor motivating SCS officer’s absenteeism with regards to their demographic characteristic. From the analysis, for both male and female SCS public officers, whether single or married, the major factor that influenced absenteeism was family issue regardless of occupation level and length of service. This finding is consistent with Andrews and Withey (1976) and John and Ugoani (2015) who claimed that family and work are the two most crucial elements of life for most adults. The failure to balance between these two domains may result in an elevated level of absenteeism and turnover, loss of productivity and lack of organisational commitment (Schultz & Henderson 1985; Fernandez 1986).

Although there are more males being recruited than females as shown by the recruitment statistic of State Human Resource Unit, the statistical insignificant results showed that both male and female SCS public officers have the similar tendency to commit absenteeism. This is at odd with other studies (Farell & Stamm 1988; Scott & McClellan 1990; Markussen, Roed, Rogeberg, & Gaure 2009) which showed that women are more prone to absenteeism whether single or married, having children or not.

(Borda & Norman 1997; Westhuizen 2006; Adebayo & Nwabuoku 2008) that claimed the major contributor to absenteeism phenomena is employee who is married and holds a lot of responsibilities.

Besides, this study managed to confirm the hypothesised relationship between the length of service and absenteeism. Experienced public officers have more tendency to be absent as compared to those who are new or their work experience is equal to or less than five years of service. The finding is in line with studies of Compton (2001), Hoque & Islam (2003) and Adebayo & Nwabuoku (2008) which indicated that employee who has a longer tenure with an organisation tends to engage in absenteeism.

Finally, when it comes to absenteeism behaviour both blue-collar and white-collar groups demonstrate the same tendency to commit absenteeism regardless of the nature of their work or their participation in management decision. This result contradicts the finding of Rentsch and Steel (1998) which revealed white-collar employees are more committed and hence have less absence days as compared to their blue-collar colleagues with higher educational background.

Secondly, there is a significant difference between single and married SCS public officers in their absenteeism behaviour. The statistic showed that married officers (76.3 %) were more involved as compared to a single officer (23.7%). This situation is in line with studies

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Significant Implications for Policy Makers

Conclusion

This study of absenteeism among Sarawak civil service public officers could contribute to the state government planning under SCS 10-20 Action Plan (Service Modernisation & Quality Unit, 2014). As the Sarawak state government is embarking on its transformation journey, one of the shared values is integrity which is closely associated with ethical behaviour and code of behaviour of employees.

The study presented a detailed investigation of the absenteeism phenomena among public officers in the Sarawak civil service apart from health and education sectors. The research findings showed that marital status, length of service and family issues are related to absenteeism. Besides adding new knowledge to the absenteeism literature, the findings are expected to assist the Sarawak civil service sector in managing absenteeism occurrence more effectively. A clear attendance policy and expectation should be set and policy makers might consider to reward and recognize good attendance.

Last but not least, effort to improve workplace morale, employee engagement and job satisfaction should also be enhanced.

This study highlighted the importance of creating a positive awareness in the organisation on absenteeism in order to reduce the occurrence of non-attendance among employees. Thus, it may be useful for the SCS to revise and strengthen the policies and procedures specifically related to absenteeism management. It is important for top management in the SCS to ensure ethical standards pertaining to absenteeism are closely monitored and guidelines are clearly communicated to public officers at all levels.

Besides, employee support (assistance) programmes can be introduced to help workers manage issues that are outside of work scope. The activities could include legal and financial advice, employee workshops, wellness program, mentor and coaching programme. It is crucial for policy maker as well as human resource manager to assist an employee to strike a balance between work and family to enhance productivity of organisation.

Furthermore, every effort in creating a positive and happy environment at the workplace should be intensified as positive work culture contributes to job satisfaction and commitment that would reduce absenteeism among employees.

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Discussion Questions

Teaching Objectives

1.

The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case.

2.

3.

4.

What is absenteeism? What are the different types of absenteeism?

Identify and explain the main causes of absenteeism.

Do demographic characteristics contribute to absenteeism?

How does absenteeism affect the workplace and how can it be prevented or reduced?

Teaching Note The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Case Summary This article highlights a case study on the demographic variables and factors influencing absenteeism among Sarawak civil service public officers. This is a quantitative research using absenteeism data and records gathered from the Sarawak Public Service Commission’s office from 2013 to 2017. The result demonstrated that public officer’s marital status and length of service have a positive relationship with absenteeism while gender and work type of public officers are not related to absenteeism. Besides, the most common factor contributing to absenteeism is family issue. This was followed by workplace issue, financial stress and health issue.

a) b) c) d)

Discuss the impact of absenteeism on organisational performance Identify the HR policies and practices for managing absenteeism in public organisations Identify underlying organisational and individualrelated factors that influence absenteeism Discuss strategies or remedies for addressing absenteeism at work

Suitability for Use This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector. Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

USE OF BALANCE SCORECARD IN MANAGING ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF BINTULU’S RESIDENT AND DISTRICT OFFICE: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

Authors: SHARPINI BIN DAUD JACOB TING

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Introduction Performance management which has great importance in transforming institutional strategies into results is viewed as a strategic management tool in public sector nowadays. Therefore, it is gaining greater importance to establish an effective performance management system that will help public administration organisations reach their visions and strategic targets. It works as a dashboard too, providing an early warning of potential problems and allowing managers to know when they must make adjustments to keep the performance of various departments on track.

Literature Review Performance management is crucial on public administration due to emerging approach and view (Bryson, Crosby & Bloomberg, 2014). This can be seen in the examples of public value management introduced

by Stoker’s (2006) and the New Public Service by Janet and Robert Denhardt’s (2011). Bryson, Crosby & Bloomberg (2014) in their research denoted that the government is expected to become a navigator, implementer or executor, and collaborator on all public values which the public have the rights to it. Therefore, in addition to this, public sector organisations has to set changes on their approach, objectives, and action.

It has to be noted that the BSC was developed by Kaplan & Norton (1992) as a performance management tool based on four perspectives which are customer perspective, learning and growth perspective, financial

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perspective and internal process perspective. In view of that, the Sarawak Civil Service (SCS) had adopted Balanced Scorecard (BSC) in managing organisational performance of various civil services departments since 2015. The BSC system was implemented in SCS gradually from its implementation in state ministries, state departments and then introduced to all Resident and District Office.

The inspiration of this study is to analyse the use of BSC as the organisational performance management and measurement tool in Bintulu’s R&DO as it has been implemented for three years from 2015 to 2017.

The study would be beneficial as it will provide an interpretive research based on live experience of the users and the management can look forward to further evaluate and improve the BSC system.

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The Organisation: Bintulu R&DO The state of Sarawak is divided into twelve (12) divisions for the ease of administrative functions as Sarawak have a large geographical area which are challenging and complex in terms of accessibility. Each of the divisions is headed by Resident Office as the chief of divisional administrator. Bintulu is one of the divisions with the total area of 12,166.21 km² and the population of 284,971 (Malaysia Statistic Department, 2016).

Bintulu division is divided into three districts namely Bintulu District, Tatau District and Sebauh District.

Bintulu’s Resident Office is led by the Resident as the head of department while each district is led by a District Officer. Bintulu R&DO consists of Management Services Section (responsible for administrative and finance), Social Planning and Development Section (responsible for community socio-wellbeing and social intervention programme), and Strategic Planning and Project Implementation Section (responsible

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

for monitoring development project and strategic planning of divisional development). In the district offices, they also provide statutory functions such as registration of business license as well as registration of child adoption and probate of properties. Bintulu through Samalaju Industrial Park is the key location for energy-intensive heavy industries under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). Besides, Bintulu is also known as the petroleum and gas industry hub. Bintulu division is also one of the highest major contributors (40%) of Sarawak State Gross Domestic Product in 2010 (Master Plan Study for Development of Jepak-Kuala Tatau-Samarakan Area, Bintulu Division, Sarawak Interim Report 2). This becomes the niche of Bintulu division in order to balance the socio-economic development of the community as an industriallydeveloped division.

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Findings

Conclusion

Performance management is important as it is an evidence of achievement, aiming at monitoring and improving performance, as part of motivation and for the organisation’s directions and guidelines. These have been highlighted by Radnor & Lovell (2003) on customer based performance improvement and as evidence of performance levels achieved by the organisation.

The case study is aiming at improving effectiveness of performance appraisal which will the possibility in leading to a good employee performance, improved customer satisfaction and a good governance for the state civil department concerned. It will throw light to the human resource problems significantly and suggest some solutions in better impacting employee performance.

Apart from that, findings were also focused on the issues, problems and challenges as well the success factors of BSC implementation in Bintulu’s R&DO, where most respondents stressed on the subject matter of reporting system, ineffective communication and absence of information sharing in regards of BSC. Besides, the respondents also voiced out on demotivation as one of the challenges to implement BSC successfully. This is due to the fact that there is no incentives and rewards given and that can link with the BSC. Most of the issues and challenges were discussed by Northcott & Taulapapa (2012) in their research.

This case study will open ways to the reliable sources that can be accessed to get factual information on the result oriented employee performance, and performance appraisal techniques to help the said department to undergo positive transformation. This can be achieved through the development of a structured framework or guideline on how to shift the use of BSC to manage organisational performance and not constraining itself to just measuring employee performance only. With the development of the framework, it can be utilized as a valid and primary guideline for most organisations in particular the public sectors.

Finally, the findings also emphasized on the recommendation to improve the implementation of BSC in Bintulu’s R&DO. Among the suggestions highlighted were to enhance the commitment from the top management especially the line managers in implementing the BSC. The importance in improving the clarity on the performance measurement, the strategy as well as the action for BSC are also being accentuated.

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CASE STUDY BOOKLET

Discussion Questions

Teaching Objectives

1.

The following objectives should be addressed in discussing this case.

2.

3.

4.

5.

To what extent is BSC an effective tool in analysing and monitoring employees’ performance?

What are some of the apparent challenges encountered in implementing the BSC system?

In what way(s) can BSC be used for providing incentives and giving out rewards for the employee?

To what extent is BSC considered to be a valid performance measurement tool?

BSC look at stakeholders’ satisfaction, utilization of budget, community engagement, interagency collaboration, training and development enhancement, shared values internalisation and HR data accuracy rate enhancement. Are there anything that have not been measured in the current system? What other measurement criteria can be included?

Teaching Note The purpose of this teaching note is to assist users in facilitating discussion on key topics covered in the case and relating these to another context.

Case Summary This case article highlights the findings from a case study on the implementation of Balanced Scorecard (BSC) in Bintulu’s Resident and District Office (R&DO). Insights on issues surrounding the implementation of BSC were obtained from relevant stakeholders including BSC Coordinators, Strategic Objective Owner and the Key Performance Indicator Owner. From this research, it was implicated that there is much to plan and done before BSC can be implemented successfully. It was realize that BSC usage in Bintulu’s R&DO is more on performance measurement only and not performance management.

Finally, it was hopeful that the management of Bintulu’s R&DO can make continuous improvement in implementing BSC.

CASE STUDY BOOKLET

a) b) c) d) e)

Define Balanced Scorecard as a performance management initiative Discuss the trends that drive current interest in Balanced Scorecard Discuss the respective roles department/unit leaders and subordinates in implementing the Balanced Scorecard initiative Identify the issues and challenges surrounding the implementation of Balanced Scorecard Discuss strategies for supporting the implementation of Balanced Scorecard

Suitability for Use This case is useful for any undergraduate/graduate business management programme imparted by any university. It is also suitable as a supplementary learning tool for any training programme on human resource management in the public sector.

Sources and Methods of Collecting Case Material The case is developed based on the real-life incidents and practical issues of a public sector organisation.

Guideline for use The session facilitator to provide an overview of the focal topic in the context of contemporary organisations, including those in the public sector. Participants can then be divided into smaller groups to go through the case and discussion questions.

The session facilitator may assign certain groups to identify major issues and challenges with regard to existing policies and pratices, while other groups to propose how these can be addressed effectively.

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Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that the impact lasts in your absence.

“

“

Sheryl Sandberg COO Facebook

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