Transactional leadership as a moderator between self-leadership strategies and innovative behavior

Leadership in organizations is important in shaping workers’ perception and increase employee work performance. There are several types of leadership style that are important in affecting employee work performance and one of it is transactional leadership. Transactional leadership, in contrast to transformational leadership, is based more on reinforcement and exchanges approach. Previous studies that explored about the transactional leadership effect in terms of direct effect or moderating effect relating to organizational behavior such as innovative behavior are scare. Innovation is a complex process and not happened in a vacuum situation, interaction between each of the organizational members is very important. Addressing this issue, this study proposes that transactional leadership moderates the relationship of self-leadership strategies (behavior-focused, constructive thought pattern, natural reward and physical vitality) with innovative behavior. In a field study with 485 engineers from Electrical and Electronics (E&E) manufacturing in Malaysia, this study showed that behavior-focused strategies, constructive thought pattern strategies, natural reward strategies and physical vitality strategies of self-leadership positively related to innovative behavior when transactional leadership is high. Transactional leadership positively and significantly moderates the relationship between each of self-leadership strategies with innovative behavior. The finding contributes to the enrichment of innovative behavior concept by including the transactional leadership as moderator in helping the researcher to explore on how leadership differences contribute to difference research outcomes

The moderating effect of transformational and transactional leadership to the relationship of selfleadership strategies on innovative work behaviors among engineers

Innovative work behavior has gained considerable attention in the organizational behavior literature. In the literature, factors that can give influence to employee innovative work behavior are discussed by prominent theoretical theory such as Diffusion Innovation Theory. However, research on an integrated framework that covers personal predictors of innovative work behavior is still limited specifically in Malaysia. This research incorporated the components of an individual’s behavioral (behavior-focused), cognitive (constructive thought pattern and natural reward) and physiological (physical vitality) approach as self-leadership strategies that serve as predictors of innovative work behavior. Therefore, the research investigated the effect of self-leadership strategies on innovative work behavior. In addition, it also extended the existing innovative work behavior theoretical model by investigating transformational and transactional leadership as the moderator in the relationship between self-leadership strategies and innovative work behavior. This research utilized quantitative approach where questionnaires were distributed to 745 manufacturing engineers in Malaysia as the research population. 485 completed questionnaires were usable for data analysis. IBM Statistical Package for Social Science 19 statistical program was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that behavior-focused, constructive thought pattern, natural reward and physiological strategies significantly affected innovative work behavior. In terms of moderation effect, only transformational leadership moderated the relationship between each self-leadership strategy with innovative work behavior. Overall, this research expanded the Diffusion Innovation Theory by incorporating self-leadership strategies as the personal component and studied the role of transformational and transactional leadership as the moderator for innovative work behavior. The findings of the study may help organizations to increase employees’ innovative work behavior by improving employees’ self-leadership strategies and applying transformational leadership style at the workplace

Debate-Based Learning and Its Impact on Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

This study aims at understanding the implementation of debate-based learning models on critical thinking skill of economic students in senior high school. This research was conducted in a senior high school in Malang particularly in SMA Laboratory UM. The study applied a classroom action research by comparing students’ critical thinking skills during research period. The level of critical thinking skill adopted Structure Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) Taxonomy which consisting of Prestructural, Unistructural, Multistuctural, Relational, and Extended Abstract Thinking Skills. The findings showed that a remarkable change of students’ critical thinking skills during cycles. The average of post-test score between cycles increased by 11.9 percent. In addition, the level of students critical thinking skill was dominated by Prestructural, Unistructural, Multistructural then it move noticeably to the greater level which is Multistructural, Relational and Extended Abstract. From these results,it can be concluded that the implementation of debate-based learning can stimulate students’ learning activities and critical thinking skills.Keywords: Debate-Based Learning, Critical Thinking, Students’ Activitie

Hubungan tekanan kerja dan pengurusan bilik darjah dalam kalangan guru sekolah rendah di Daerah Klang

Tekanan kerja dalam kalangan guru sekolah rendah sering menimbulkan isu kepuasan bekerja dan prestasi kerja. Kajian tinjauan ini mengukur tahap tekanan kerja dan tahap keberkesanan pengurusan bilik darjah dalam kalangan 856 guru-guru sekolah rendah di Daerah Klang, serta menentukan hubungan antara kedua-dua pembolehubah. Soal selidik telah digunakan sebagai instrumen dan data telah dianalisis secara deskriptif dan inferensi menggunakan korelasi Pearson. Dapatan menunjukkan guru-guru berpendapat mereka menghadapi tekanan kerja yang tinggi. Guru-guru juga berpersepsi bahawa mereka mempunyaia keberkesanan pengurusan bilik darjah yang sangat tinggi secara keseluruhan. Kajian juga mendapati terdapat hubungan positif signifikan yang kuat antara tahap tekanan kerja dan tahap keberkesanan pengurusan bilik darjah (r=.785, N=856, p<0.1). Dapat disimpulkan bahawa guru-guru sekolah rendah di Daerah Klang berpendapat tekanan kerja yang tinggi tidak menjejaskan kualiti kerja mereka secara negatif. Implikasinya, punca tekanan kerja yang tinggi dalam kalangan guru perlu dikaji agar ianya dapat diatasi contohnya dengan cara mempelbagaikan tugas dan tanggungjawab dengan menggunakan berbagai-bagai instrumen dan kaedah alternatif, peralatan dan bahan bantu mengajar, serta menggunakan strategi dan kaedah pengurusan taktik menyelesaikan masalah secara berkumpulan agar guru-guru dapat memperoleh kepuasan kerja yang lebih tinggi seterusnya menyumbang kepada kualiti kerja yang lebih baik

Transformational Leadership and Safety Management in Malaysia Vocational Colleges

This study was an attempt to highlight the role of lecturers’ transformational leadership in determining safety management within the context of Malaysian Vocational Colleges. The research is quantitative research design which the sample consists of 302 final year students from eight different Vocational Colleges in Malaysia. An adapted questionnaire was used for data collection and it contained 100 items purposely constructed to assess lecturers’ transformational leadership and student’s safety management. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software to measure the analysis of Pearson correlation, linear regression and multiple regression. Results of the analysis revealed that lecturers’ transformational leadership is significantly and positively related to safety management. In addition, the study also revealed that student’s safety management has been affected 48.2% by lecturers’ transformational leadership practice. Overall, the research result can impact lecturers in the Vocational Colleges to review and enhance their leadership and provide a better understanding of transformational leadership behavior toward safety performance, safety training and safety climate that promote high-quality of safety management among students in future

Effect of behavioral, cognitive and physiological strategies of self-leadership on innovative work behavior

Drawing on prior literature of personal antecedent on innovative behavior, the purpose of this research is to study empirically the influence of individual self-leadership strategies on their innovative behavior. As existing studies mostly explore the behavioral and cognitive approach of self-leadership strategies in influencing innovative behaviors, the aim of the current study is to investigate the physiological approach, called it as physical vitality-focused as a new form of self-leadership in affecting innovative behavior. Data were collected from 485 engineers as the respondents from 18 electrical and electronics (E&E) manufacturing companies in Malacca, Malaysia. Data were analysis by using IBM SPSS 19 statistical program. The results indicate that all the four of self-leadership strategies (behavior-focused, constructive thought pattern, natural reward and physical vitality-focused)were significantly and positively associated with engineer’s innovative behavior. However, for regression result, the analysis showed that only strategies that focus on behavior- focused and physical vitality have strong significant and positive path coefficients towards innovative behavior. For constructive thought pattern and natural reward strategies, both showed a small and insignificant positive relationship with innovative behavior. As a conclusion, engineers with higher self-leadership exhibit higher levels of innovative behavior at their workplace

Exploring Muslim consumers' confidence and awareness towards halal labeled manufactured food products in Sabah

This paper focuses on the Muslim consumers’ confidence and awareness towards halal labelled manufactured food products. A qualitative study was chosen as a research design to gather information about the Muslim consumers’ attitude on halal labels for manufactured food products in Sabah. Structured interviews were conducted with seven Muslim consumers. The interviews were then content analysed, and an inventory was formed. Findings of the study indicate that the Muslim consumers were confident with the halal labelled manufactured food products. The findings also show that the Muslim consumers were less aware of the authorities responsible for the certification of halal labels in Sabah. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the Muslim consumer attitude relating to the labels of halal food products. Moreover, this paper helps to emphasise some of the main issues that frame the current state of halal labelled manufactured food products in Sabah

Effect of lecturer’s transformational leadership on students’ employability: Malaysian technical and vocational education & training institutions

As the economy of Malaysian government has transformed from a typical economy to human capital economy, the demand for Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) institutions as a platform to develop human capital is also increasing. TVET based institutions in Malaysia are known as formal and informal learning sector which provide youthful people with the expertise and skills needed in the work sector. However, TVET-based qualifications and careers in Malaysia are perceived poorly and does not receive recognition in the workplace in terms of employability. These institutions cannot achieve their predetermined goals without effective leadership as the success and failure of the objectives depend on lecturers. Over the last three decades, transformational leadership has achieved legitimacy that has been showed to be an effective and influential enabler especially in developing employees’ attitudes and behaviours. Thus, the aim of present research is determining the role of lecturer’s transformational leadership in effecting students’ employability. This study was conducted in ten (10) Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) institutions located at Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. A total of 350 final year students were involved in this research which used the quantitative research design approach. Pearson correlations, linear regression and multiple regressions analysis were used to analyse the collected data. The findings indicated that lecturer’s transformational leadership significantly and positively correlated with students’ employability. In addition, the result also indicated that students’ employability can be affected by role of lecturer’s transformational leadership style. Based on the findings, it is indicated that lecturers must display an effective inspirational motivation, idealized influence, individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation which will then stimulate employability development among students especially in TVET institutions. © 2019, University of Malaya. All rights reserved

Exploring Muslim consumers’ confidence and awareness towards Halal labelled manufactured food products in Sabah

This paper focuses on the Muslim consumers’ confidence and awareness towards halal labelled manufactured food products. A qualitative study was chosen as a research design to gather information about the Muslim consumers’ attitude on halal labels for manufactured food products in Sabah. Structured interviews were conducted with seven Muslim consumers. The interviews were then content analysed, and an inventory was formed. Findings of the study indicate that the Muslim consumers were confident with the halal labelled manufactured food products. The findings also show that the Muslim consumers were less aware of the authorities responsible for the certification of halal labels in Sabah. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the Muslim consumer attitude relating to the labels of halal food products. Moreover, this paper helps to emphasise some of the main issues that frame the current state of halal labelled manufactured food products in Sabah

Self-leadership strategies on innovative work behaviors among government school teachers

Innovative work behavior has gained considerable attention in the organizational behavior literature. Research on an integrated framework that cover personal predictors of innovative work behavior is still limited specifally among Malaysia government scholl teachers. This research incorporated the components of an individual’s behavioral (behavior-focused), cognitive (constructive thought pattern and natural reward) and physiological (physical vitality) approach as self-leadership strategies that serve as predictors of innovative work behavior. This research utilized quantitative approach where questionnaires were distributed to 250 government school teachers as the population. 234 completed questionnaires were usable for data analysis. IBM Statistical Package for Social Science 22 statistical program was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that behaviour-focused strategies, constructive thought pattern strategies, natural reward strategies and physiological strategies significantly affected innovative work behavior of government school teachers. The findings of the study may help organizations to increase teachers’ innovative work behavior by improving teachers’ self-leadership strategies at the workplace