دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی توانمند سازی کارکنان و رضایت شغلی در شهری در مالزی: مدیریت تغییر سازمانی - امرالد 2017

Abstract

Purpose – The topic of employee empowerment and job satisfaction, and its implications for organizational change management, is underexplored in developing countries. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the two variables in the context of urban Malaysia as an emerging market. Differences in empowerment and job satisfaction in relation to organizational and socio-cultural environments were also assessed. The findings are then discussed in terms of their implications for organizational change management in Malaysia and other emerging countries. Design/methodology/approach – Using survey data gathered from 125 local employees working in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the effect of empowerment on job satisfaction was tested using correlation and regression analyses. ANOVA tests were used to determine differences in empowerment and satisfaction among sub-groups divided according to four factors in the organizational and socio-cultural environments, namely, form of ownership, job sector, type of industry and organizational hierarchy. Findings – The results demonstrate that employee empowerment has a strong positive effect on job satisfaction. However, significant differences in employee empowerment and job satisfaction between higher and lower levels of the organizational hierarchy raise concerns about organizational change diffusion and the sustainability of strategic changes. Research limitations/implications – Empirical evidences are provided for the generalizability of the theoretical link between employee empowerment and job satisfaction in the urban Malaysian context. Nevertheless, the findings have highlighted the need to further examine specific issues faced by employees in lower levels of the organizational hierarchy which affect their rates of empowerment and satisfaction in a rapidly changing environment. Practical implications – Implications on power relations between managers and their subordinates are discussed, as well as on succession and goal-sharing during periods of intense organizational change. Originality/value – By demonstrating the influence of organizational hierarchy on employee empowerment and job satisfaction in a non-western setting, this study has contributed new insights on the role of socio-culture and power relations in organizational change management.

8. Conclusion

The current study has attempted to investigate the relationship between employee empowerment and job satisfaction in the context of urban Malaysia, which is fast developing yet struggling with high employee turnover and brain drain. From the analysis, it is found that the theoretical link between empowerment and job satisfaction is indeed tenable in the urban Malaysian environment. This finding holds considerable implications for organizational change management in Malaysia since empowerment has the capacity to build employees’ self-efficacy which improves their productivity and innovativeness. It also suggests that empowerment is a powerful strategy for Malaysian organizations competing to retain talented employees in times of rapid change.

Nevertheless, the evidence shows that much greater empowerment and job satisfaction are enjoyed by senior managers than lower levels of the organizational hierarchy, particularly executives and management trainees. Such a disconnection between upper and lower levels of the organizational hierarchy is likely due to Malaysia’s traditionally high power distance culture, which is increasingly being questioned by younger employees working in fast developing urban environments. These findings help to explain Malaysia’s high rates of employee turnover and brain drain among young urban professionals, while presenting challenges ahead for management succession and the sustainability of organizational change.