Investigation of Malaysian higher education quality culture and workforce performance

• Published in: Quality assurance in education Vol. 20; no. 3; pp. 289 - 309
• Main Authors: Mohd Ali, Hairuddin, Borhandden Musah, Mohammed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01.07.2012
• Subjects: Chief executive officers; Church Related Colleges; Comparative Analysis; Corporate culture; Educational Quality; Employees; Empowerment; Factor Analysis; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Investigations; Islamic Culture; Item Analysis; Job Performance; Job Satisfaction; Malaysia; Paradigms; Performance Factors; Performance Technology; Program Validation; Psychometrics; Quality Assurance; Quality circles; Quality control; Quality management; Questionnaires; Researchers; School Culture; Studies; Teacher Motivation; Teacher Surveys; Teaching; Teamwork; Total quality; Total Quality Management; Workforce; Malaysia; Malaysia; Workforce performance; Higher education; Quality culture; Psychometric properties
• ISSN: 0968-4883; 1758-7662
• DOI: 10.1108/09684881211240330

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the quality culture and workforce performance in the Malaysian higher education sector. The study also aims to test and validate the psychometric properties of the quality culture and workforce performance instruments used in the study.Design methodology approach - A total of 267 academic staff from the International Islamic University Malaysia completed the survey questionnaires. A principal component analysis (PCA) technique was performed to extract the underlying factors, followed by the application of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test factorial validity of the constructs.Findings - The analysis yielded a nine-factor-indexed quality culture construct, while the workforce construct constituted two factors. The findings of the study postulate statistically significant correlation between quality culture and workforce performance.Practical implications - The findings of the study suggest that a quality culture initiative can be used effectively in the context of the Malaysian higher education sector to enhance academic staff performance.Originality value - The results are important since there have been few published studies on quality culture that examine its effects on academic staff performance in the Malaysian higher education sector.