The effects of quality management practices on academics' innovative work behaviour and performance in Malaysia higher education institutions

Cheah, Lee Fong (2024) The effects of quality management practices on academics' innovative work behaviour and performance in Malaysia higher education institutions. PhD thesis, UTAR.

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Abstract

The integration of innovation and quality management is critical for organisational success, notably in higher education where innovation underpins research, teaching, and knowledge dissemination. Despite extensive research on quality management and innovation in business, the exploration within higher education, especially regarding academic behaviour, is limited. This study addresses this gap by examining the impact of quality management practices on academic innovation and performance in Malaysian higher education. Built upon the fundamental principles of the general systems approach and socio-technical systems theory, this research investigates the influence of quality management practices on academics' innovative behaviour and performance from 14 local Malaysian higher education institutions that have achieved self-accreditation status. Employing a quantitative methodology, this study analysed data from 586 Malaysian academics through variance-based Structural Equation Modelling. The analysis provided empirical support for 12 out of the 18 proposed hypotheses. The results reveal a positive relationship between top management commitment, customer focus, and process management with academics' innovative work behaviour. In contrast, a negative relationship was found between quality control improvement and innovative work behaviour. This study underscore that academics perceive the impact of quality management as both positive and negative, which has a substantial influence on their innovative behaviour. Social quality management practices, while fostering innovative behaviour, do not directly enhance academic performance. Conversely, technical quality management practices show no significant effect on either academics' innovative work behaviour or performance. However, mediation analysis reveals that social quality management practices indirectly enhance academics’ performance by fostering their innovative behaviour. This study addresses a gap in the literature by linking Quality Management Practices (QMP) to individual-level innovation within Malaysian higher education, thereby broadening Total Quality Management (TQM) research to encompass academic behaviours. From a managerial perspective, this study offers valuable insights for policymakers and higher education leaders, highlighting the importance of prioritising key dimensions of quality management, such as top management commitment, customer focus and process management to promote academics’ innovation. Furthermore, this study suggests that higher education institutions should reassess and adjust overly rigid quality control measures that may inhibit creativity and innovation. Future initiatives should aim for the comprehensive integration of QMP, ensuring a balanced focus on both social and technical QMP to enhance academics’ innovation and performance.

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