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ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
―I hereby admitted that this work is my own except for the extracts and summaries in
which I have stated the source of the content‖
Signature : ……………………………
Writer‘s Name : FAIZAL ARIF REZA BIN MUSTAFAR KAMAR
Date :
iii
DEDICATION
Special for my beloved family,
Mustafar Kamar Bin Ujang, Norizan Binti Suhaimi
Norhafizzah Binti Mustafar Kamar, Norhaniza Binti Mustafar Kamar
&
Mya Aryanna Binti Noor Zaidi
Beloved friends and classmates,
Ezham, Nasrin, Amirul, Syafiq, Haanee, Zarma, Idzzaty, Arni, Qistina, Syahida
and Azizah
A million thanks for all the contribution and hardwor
In helping to finish the research, May Allah S.W.T
Bless you all.
Amin…
iv
APPRECIATION
Alhamdulillah, praise to Allah almighty because of His benevolence allowing
the writer to complete this research successfully.
A sound appreciation to the writer‘s parents Mustafar Kamar Bin Ujang and
Norizan Binti Suhaimi for their everlasting support morally and financially towards
the end of the research. Thanks to Norhafizzah Binti Mustafar Kamar and Norhaniza
Binti Mustafar Kamar for the times that they have given in commenting and
correcting any error made in the research.
A million thanks to the writer‘s dissertation supervisor, Madam Rashidah
Hanum Binti Abdul Wahab for her time in giving guidance and motivations in order
for the writer to completely finish the research. Not to forget, the dissertation panels,
Madam Hazlin and Sir Farhan for their ideas and contributions towards the end of
the research.
This appreciation acknowledgment is directed toward the employees of Ipoh
General Hospital and Ampang General Hospital for supporting this research and
allowing this research to be done at the respective organizations.
Finally to the writer‘s friends and classmates, thanks for the moral support
and comments throughout the period of the research. Ending the appreciation, a
million thanks to those who are directly or indirectly involve in the development of
the research.
v
ABSTRACT
Competence is the ability of an individual to do a job properly. A competency is a set
of defined behaviors that provide a structured guide enabling the identification,
evaluation and development of the behaviors in individual employees. Malaysia‘s
general hospitals have been outsourcing their support service for more than a decade
thus helping the hospital management in supporting their maintenance service of the
equipment and machineries. However, according to the structural policy report,
Malaysia has been put below par for the workers‘ productivity. This is because in the
modernization world, organizations are facing with a serious threat, lack of skills
worker in the company. Competencies of workers play an important part in
improving the organization core business performance. Therefore, this research has
taken a huge step in identifying the competencies needed for technical workers in the
healthcare maintenance service, the importance of competencies in the organization
and methods suggestion to improve employees‘ quality and performance.
Competencies are not something to be ignore as the will affect the organization
tremendously. The final result will help the organization to identify the strength and
weaknesses of the organization on employees‘ competencies thus providing the
knowledge for future research reference.
vi
ABSTRAK
Kompetens adalah keupayaan seseorang individu untuk melakukan kerja yang betul.
Kompetensi pula adalah satu set tingkah laku yang menyediakan panduan berstruktur
membolehkan pengenalpastian, penilaian dan pembangunan tingkah laku dalam
pekerja individu. Hospital besar di Malaysia telah mendapat penyumberan luar
perkhidmatan sokongan mereka selama lebih daripada satu dekad seterusnya
membantu pihak pengurusan hospital dalam menyokong perkhidmatan
penyelenggaraan peralatan dan mesin mereka. Walau bagaimanapun, menurut
laporan dasar struktur, Malaysia telah dimasukkan di bawah par untuk produktiviti
pekerja. Ini adalah kerana dalam dunia pemodenan, organisasi berhadapan dengan
ancaman yang serius iaitu kekurangan pekerja mahir dalam syarikat berkenaan.
Kecekapan pekerja memainkan peranan penting dalam meningkatkan prestasi
perniagaan teras organisasi. Oleh itu, kajian ini telah mengambil satu langkah besar
dalam mengenal pasti kompetensi yang diperlukan bagi pekerja teknikal dalam
perkhidmatan penyelenggaraan di hospital, kepentingan kecekapan dalam organisasi
dan cadangan kaedah untuk meningkatkan kualiti dan prestasi pekerja. Kompetensi
bukanlah sesuatu yang boleh diabaikan kerana ia akan memberi kesan yang besar
kepada organisasi. Penemuan kajian ini akan membantu organisasi untuk mengenal
pasti kekuatan dan kelemahan organisasi tersebut terhadap kecekapan kakitangan itu
sekali gus menjadi sumber ilmu untuk rujukan penyelidikan masa depan.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ITEMS PAGE
TITLE
i
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ii
DEDICATION iii
APPRECIATION iv
ABSTRACT v
ABSTRAK vi
TABLE OF CONTENT vii
LIST OF TABLE xi
LIST OF CHART xiii
LIST OF FIGURE xiv
CHAPTER 1
RESEARCH INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Problem Statement 4
1.3 Scope 8
1.4 Research Question 9
1.5 Research Objectives 10
1.6 Research Significant 10
1.7 Methodology
1.7.1 Phase I
1.7.2 Phase II
1.7.3 Phase III
1.7.4 Phase IV
11
11
12
13
13
1.8 Summary 13
viii
CHAPTER 2 COMPETENCIES AMONG TECHNICAL
WORKERS
2.1 Introduction 15
2.2 Competency 17
2.3 Types of competencies
2.3.1 Core competencies
2.3.1.1 UC Davis Career Compass Core
Competencies Model
2.3.1.2 Stage 1 Competency Standard for
Professional Engineer (Engineers
Australia)
2.3.1.3 State of California Competency
Model
19
20
26
38
49
2.4 Developing Competency Models
2.4.2 ICE Competency Framework
2.4.3 Main Theory: Iceberg Competency Theory
50
52
53
2.5 Building Competency Models 54
2.6 Competency Level Assessment 56
2.7 Summary 58
CHAPTER 3
HEALTHCARE MAINTENANCE SERVICE
3.1 Introduction 59
3.2 History of Maintenance 62
3.3 Asset Maintenance Evolution 63
3.4 Types of Maintenance
3.4.1 Corrective Maintenance
3.4.2 Preventive Maintenance (PM)
3.4.3 Predictive Maintenance (PdM)
64
66
68
69
3.5 Malaysia Healthcare Maintenance Service
3.5.1 Outsourcing
3.5.2 Advantages of Outsourcing
73
74
76
3.6 UEM Edgenta 79
3.7 Radicare (M) Sdn. Bhd. 82
ix
CHAPTER 4
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1 Introduction 83
4.2 Research Paradigm 84
4.3 Research Framework 90
4.4 Population and Research Sampling
4.4.1 Research Population
4.4.2 Research Sampling
94
94
95
4.5 Instrument
4.5.1 Questionnaires
96
96
4.6 Summary 101
CHAPTER 5
DATA FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
5.2 Respondents‘ Profile 102
5.3 Data Findings for First Objectives
5.3.1 Frequency and Percentage Analysis
5.3.1.1 Core Competencies
5.3.1.2 Competency by Education and
Practice
5.3.1.3 Competency by Law
5.3.2 Discussion
104
105
105
107
108
110
5.4 Data Findings for Second Objective
5.4.1 Mean Analysis
5.4.1.1 Importance of implementation of
Technical Workers Competencies in the
Organization
5.4.2 Frequency Analysis
5.4.3 Discussion
111
112
112
117
119
5.5 Data Findings for Third Objective
5.5.1 Mean Analysis
5.5.1.1 Suggestion in improving the
competencies level of employees in the
organization
120
120
121
x
5.5.2 Frequency and Percentage Analysis
5.5.3 Discussion
124
126
5.6 Summary 128
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
6.1 Introduction 130
6.2 Summary of research objective findings 130
6.3 Research Impact 134
6.4 Limitations and Suggestion 134
6.5 Conclusion 135
BIBLIOGRAFI
137
xi
LIST OF TABLES
NO. TITLE
PAGE
2.1 Communication description through behavioral indicators 27
2.2 Decision-making description through behavioral indicators 28
2.3 Leadership description through behavioral indicators 29
2.4 Principle of Community description through behavioral indicators 30
2.5 Problem Solving description through behavioral indicators 31
2.6 Quality improvement description through behavioral indicators 32
2.7 Service focus description through behavioral indicators 33
2.8 Stewardship and Managing Resources description through
behavioral indicators
34
2.9 Strategic Planning description through behavioral indicators 35
2.10 Teamwork description through behavioral indicators 36
2.11 Managing people description through behavioral indicators 37
2.12 Knowledge and Skill Base: Elements and Indicators 41
2.13 Engineering Application Ability: Elements and indicators 43
2.14 Professional and Personal Attributes: Elements and Indicators 46
2.15 The State of California Leadership Competency Model 49
3.1 The many reasons for maintenance work on a property 64
3.2 Maintenance philosophies and the description of each maintenance
types
65
3.3 Summary of merits and limitations of Corrective Maintenance
(CM)
67
3.4 Summary of merits and limitations of Preventive Maintenance
(PM)
69
3.5 Summary of merits and limitations of Predictive Maintenance
(PdM)
70
3.6 The types of maintenance and the description of the maintenance 72
4.1 Comparison between interpretivism and positivism paradigm
summary
88
xii
4.2 List of questions in questionnaire 97
5.1 Respondents‘ Information 104
5.2 Respondent‘s response on core competencies 106
5.3 Percentage of respondent response on core competencies 107
5.4 Respondents‘ response on competency by education and practice 107
5.5 Percentage of respondent response on competency by education
and practice
108
5.6 Respondents‘ response on competency by law and necessity of
certain competencies
109
5.7 Percentage of respondent response on competency by law and
necessity of certain competencies
109
5.8 Min Score Indicator for the variable Importance of implementation
of Technical Workers Competencies.
114
5.9 Interpretation for the item importance of implementation of
technical staff competencies in the organization
114
5.10 Importance of implementation of competencies for technical staff
in an organization
117
5.11 Min Score Indicator for the variable suggestion in improving the
competencies level of employees in the organizations
122
5.12 Interpretation for the items suggestion in improving the
competencies level of employees in the organizations
122
5.13 Frequencies of respondent response towards the suggestion in
improving the competencies level of the employees in the
organizations.
124
xiii
LIST OF CHARTS
NO. TITLE
PAGE
2.1 ICE Core Competencies model elements 52
2.2 Iceberg Competency theories (Spencer and Spencer, 1993) 53
4.1 Research Process 92
5.1 Importance of implementation of technical competencies in the
organization
116
5.2 Web charts of the mean score for the variables Suggestion in
improving the competencies level of employees in the organization
123
5.3 Percentage of Respondent Response towards the suggestion in
improving the competencies level of the employees in the
organizations
126
xiv
LIST OF FIGURE
NO. TITLE
PAGE
3.1 The Bathtub Curve was Presumed Applicable to All Machines 63
3.2 Types of maintenance framework objectives 73
4.1 Underlying philosophical assumptions 86
1
CHAPTER 1
RESEARCH INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
There has been growing concern about the competency need for adult at their
workplace. Changes in the nature of work raised concern of whether the adult fulfil
the require knowledge, skill and abilities to fit the current workplace system (Darr,
2007) and too much demand for talent workers hugely increases (Cortada, 1998).
This is due to the emergences of a ―new knowledge‐based service economy‖ which
differs from the industrial based economy. Walker (1980) stated that in the
knowledge based economy, human capital considered to be the most essential
resources for any organisation. Employee competency leads to the success of
organisation. There is no more lifelong employment, where employees expect to be
covenant forever. (Mustapha & Abdullahi, 2000). Employee retention will be based
on their competency.
Competency consists of knowledge, skill and abilities, or collection of two or
more these attributes which are considered building block for work performance.
Boyatzis (1982) defined competency as fundamental features of a person, determines
his superior performance at a workplace. ―Characteristics of someone that leads to
effective and outstanding performance‖ says Boyatzis (2004). Also, Spencer and
Spencer (1993) described competency as the mixer of component such as attribute,
skills, traits, knowledge and intention of a person which lead to the superior
2
performance in his/her job and the ability of person to employ his/her knowledge,
skill, attitudes and values to the ideal job perfection (New Zealand Qualification
Authority, 1997).
According to Lee (2003) competency characterize as knowledge, skill, and
attitude when person, team and organization the successful status. Not only that, it
also one of the most important aspects in all economies. We can also describe it as a
substitute of knowledge and skill, to be competent meaning that a person has attained
knowledge and skill which can be demonstrated at the workplace or in a test.
Knowledge can be best described as awareness, information in other words,
to be aware about the facts, concepts, theories, principles and guidelines (Marrelli,
2001; Mirabile, 1997). It may also be specific, concrete, more complex and hard to
assess (Lucia & Lepsinger, 1999) cited (Marrelli, Tondora and Hoges, 2005). While
on the other hand, skill can be described as the ability to perform either mental or
physical tasks with a benefit or specific outcomes (Marrelli, 1998). Competencies are
mainly driven from knowledge and skill but the approach of building competency
varies based on the field and area. It is considered relevant in many distinct research
fields (Barrie, 2006; Spencer & Spencer, 1993, Zegwaard, 2006).
The word competency is widely used in the world whether in the government
sectors or in the private sectors. The definition of competency is different for every
dictionary but the meaning of the word remains the same. According to the famous
encyclopedia in the internet, Wikipedia, competence is the ability of an individual to
do a job properly and competency is a set of defined behaviors that provide a
structured guide enabling the identification, evaluation, and development of the
behaviors or attitude in individual employees.
Another much easier interpretation of competency is that it is a cluster of
related abilities, commitments, knowledge, and skills that enable a person to do or an
organization to act effectively in a job or situation. According to the business
dictionary by Warren Buffet, competence indicates sufficiency of knowledge and
skills that enable someone to act in a wide variety of situations because each level of
3
responsibility has its own requirements, competence can occur in any period of a
person's life or at any stage of his or her career.
Another definition of competence according to the Cambridge Dictionary it is
the ability to do something or some job well whereas competency is an important
skill needed by a worker or an employee to do a job properly. However, for Collins
Dictionary, competence is the condition of being capable, and the state of being
legally competent or qualified in doing a given tasks. In layman‘s terms, competence
is the ability to do something well and effectively.
Finally, in the Merriam-Webster English Dictionary, competence is the
individual skill combined with knowledge and the ability or skill of an individual to
perform a task effectively and efficiently whereas competency is the quality or state
of being competent to do a certain task.
Based on the definition of competence and competency in the dictionaries
and encyclopedia, we can conclude that all the meaning is similar which is the ability
or skill of an individual to perform a given task with high efficiency, high
effectiveness and high precision.
The Occupational Competency movement was initiated by David
McClelland in the 1960s with a view to moving away from traditional attempts to
describe competency in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes and to focus instead
on the specific self-image, values, traits, and motive dispositions (i.e. relatively
enduring characteristics of people) that are found to consistently distinguish
outstanding from typical performance in a given job or role. It should be noted that
different competencies predict outstanding performance in different roles, and that
there is a limited number of competencies that predict outstanding performance in
any given job or role. Thus, a trait that is a "competency" for one job might not
predict outstanding performance in a different role.
Nevertheless, as can be seen from Raven and Stephenson, there have been
important developments in research relating to the nature, development, and
assessment of high-level competencies in homes, schools, and workplaces.
4
1.2 Problem Statement
The origin of the competency-based concept is derived from the research of
Harvard‟s behavioral psychologists, David McClelland in 1973 (McClelland, 1973);
and further developed by the management theorist, Richard Boyatzis in his book
―The Competent Manager: A Model for Effective Performance‖ published in 1982
(Boyatzis, 1982). McClelland‟s competency model focuses on the identification of
key human behaviors rather than school-based examination. Boyatzis‟s model
refines the McClelland model by describing competencies as the underlying
characteristics of an employee which result in effective and superior performance in
a job. These characteristics are traits, motive, skill, person‟s self-image, body of
knowledge and person‟s social role.
The development of competencies, in the 21st century, for managers requires
effective program design and teaching methods for learning (Boyatzis, Stubbs &
Taylor, 2002). They further explained that competencies need to be effective and
they can be explored through two dimensions; firstly, competencies as behavioral
manifestations of talent, and secondly, competencies in a holistic theory of
personality. In relation to logistician competency, logisticians‟ knowledge and skills
are perceived as important factors for logistics firms to stay competitive in the 21st
century (Chapman, Soosay & Kandampully, 2002; La Londe & Powers, 1993).
Furthermore, Crook, Giunipero, Reus, Handfield and Wiliams (2008) focused on two
types of knowledge and skills for logisticians: these were termed „broad skills and
knowledge‟ (communication, computer, understanding end customer, and project
management) and ―specialized supply chain skills and knowledge‟ (supplier
relationship management and coordination, material management, metrics, and
market knowledge). In terms of the relationships among the skills, knowledge and
competency, (Gammelgaard and Larson, 2001), separated them into general, context-
independent knowledge, experience-based and context-dependent knowledge.
The first competencies issue is based on the study made by Dimitri Sanga, a
professor and person-in-charge for the study of competencies issue in the Canada
5
transportation system. The first part of the article deals with a literature review of
recent studies on skills and competencies development in the Canadian transportation
sector. In the second part of the paper, he present a profile of the labour force in the
Canadian transportation sector using the 2001 census and in the third part, he analyze
issues emerging from various skills and competencies studies in relation to the
portrayed profile and identify problems and potential solutions.
The first part of the paper mentions that the most easy problem involving
competencies are shortage of skilled workers. ―The ageing demographic profile of
the transportation sector has recently raised concerns about potential skill shortages
in the industry. This was underlined in several studies including a Human Resources
Development Canada (HRDC, another Canadian federal department) sponsored one
that examined both general industry workforce data and disaggregated data by
occupation in the rail industry. The study concluded that the rail industry could find
itself moving from a surplus of skilled labour a decade ago to a position of
significant shortages over the next ten years. To alleviate this, the industry has agreed
on the imperative of recruiting and retaining a new generation of employees. The
study also stressed the need for improvements in the quality of jobs; attractive pay
and benefits; increased public awareness of the contribution of the railway industry
to sustainable economic growth; and more effective labour-management
relationships and improved working conditions.‖ (Dimitri Sanga, 2001).
―The shortage of skilled workers has also been expected in the aviation sector
as outlined in a national review of the forty-five key recommendations identified in
the 2001 Human Resource Study of Commercial Pilots in Canada sponsored by the
Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council (CAMC) and the Air Transport Association
of Canada (ATAC). When the original Commercial Pilot‘s sector study was
produced (before the events of September 11/01 and the ensuing industry
restructuring), there were strong signs that the demand for pilots was growing at a
faster pace than the supply leading to expectations of a shortage on a short-term
basis. At the same time, there were some concerns about long terms problems related
to new technologies requiring new pilot skills, regulatory changes and the
harmonization of licensing requirements and significant increases in pilot
proficiency. One of the recommendations from the study was the need for the
6
creation of a sector council to act as a vehicle for industry actions.‖ (Dimitri Sanga,
2001).
However, the second part of the paper explains that education and training
affect the competencies issues of the workers in the industry. ―As key inputs to the
supply of skilled workers, education and training of transportation professionals have
been seriously considered in all discussions relative to skills and competencies in the
transportation sector.‖ (Dimitri Sanga, 2001). In terms of education, universities have
been identified as the main source in the supply chain for transportation training as
most of the supply of professionals comes from civil engineering graduates (Haas,
Falkner and Tighe 2002).
In another study made by David Finegold and Alexis Spencer Notarbatolo in
the journal, 21st Century Competencies and Their Impact: An Interdiscipilanary
Literature Review, they mention that competencies are importance for employers and
employees in the 21st century. ―We find widespread consensus among policymakers
and researchers across the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) that all five of these general competency areas are important
for workers in the 21st century; however, there is surprisingly little evidence of the
relationship between these competencies and individual or organizational outcomes.
In contrast with the large literature on the economic returns to education, there are
few studies that directly assess the effects of competencies on outcomes, in part
because of the lack of common measures of these competencies.‖ (David Finegold
and Alexis Spencer Notarbatolo, 2010).
―The clearest evidence for the growing importance of these competencies in
the OECD countries comes from long-term shifts in the occupational structure. There
has been a decline in lower-skilled, manual labor, and a growth in knowledge work
and service occupations where these broad competencies are in greater demand. In
these occupations, possession of general competencies becomes a prerequisite for
securing employment. It is important to note, however, that many of the largest
service occupations, as currently defined in the US (e.g. home healthcare worker,
cashier), are considered low-skill jobs where there is limited opportunity or reward
for skill development. Future research is needed to demonstrate the relationship
7
between these competencies and outcomes, and to explore what mechanisms are
most effective in developing generic skills.‖ (David Finegold and Alexis Spencer
Notarbatolo, 2010).
An inadequately educated and trained work force is a major impediment to
business and growth. As mentioned above, one major reason why Malaysian SMEs‘
productivity is poorer than that of large domestic firms is the large number of
unskilled workers that they employ in labor-intensive industries across all economic
sectors.
There is a mismatch between labor supply and demand in Malaysia because
the labor supply lacks job readiness. The curricula of Malaysian universities,
colleges, technical schools and polytechnics have little industry perspective or up-to-
date industry knowledge. The quality of students has suffered.
Even though graduates in Malaysia face unemployment and
underemployment, SMEs often have trouble attracting and retaining workers because
they cannot pay such high salaries as larger firms. The talent pool in Malaysia has
also been dried out by the brain drain, as qualified and highly skilled workers flock
overseas to seek better career opportunities. SMEs have suffered more than large
firms.
SMEs‘ lack of interest in staff training has not helped matters. The ACCCIM
2012 survey of SMEs reveals that only 26% reported that they conducted regular
staff training courses, 50% that their training programs were irregular, and 24% that
they provided no training at all. There are various reasons for this. One, according to
33% of the respondents in the ACCCIM survey, was limited human resources – in
other words, sending employees for training disrupted business. Many employers
also feared their trained staff would be poached by other firms or that trained
employees would leave to join a competitor. SMEs widely perceive training as a cost
and fail to appreciate the long-term benefits of productivity gains. Many also fail to
realize that their employees need constant training and skills upgrading if they are
order to improve their capacity to innovate. Finally, the simple lack of relevant
8
courses is also a possible reason why SMEs show little interest in training (SME
Corporation Malaysia, 2012b).
Presently, the talent base of the workforce of Malaysia has lagged behind the
standard of high-income nations. The country suffers from a shortage of skilled
workers, weak productivity growth stemming from a lack of creativity and
innovation in the workforce, and an over-reliance on unskilled and low-wage migrant
workers (National Economic Advisory Council, 2010). Moreover, the statement has
been stressed out by the world bank saying ―Such difficulty has intensified as the
mismatch between skills needed by the labour market and those acquired by job
seekers has worsened. More than 40% of firms have reported vacancies for skilled
production worker positions, and the average time required to fill a vacancy is about
four weeks (World Bank, 2009b). The main reason given by the firms for this long
process is that the applicants did not have the required basic skills or the right
technical skills needed to carry out the jobs in question.
In conjunction to the above matter it is a firm to state that the competencies of
the workers affect the productivity of certain organization or company. The lack of
competent workers in the business has put Malaysia to one of the lowest production
country in Asia (Structural Policy Challenges for Southeast Asian Countries, 2013).
To stress on this matter, the intake of cheap labor and foreign workers from 3rd
world
countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Vietnam prove that the
regulation for special competency is not implemented by the private sectors. The lack
implementations of competencies in the working environment by an organization can
greatly reduce the productivity of work supplied by the workers.
1.3 Scope
The scope of the research is based on the increasing population of labor force
in Malaysia throughout the sectors which involves constructions, renovations,
services and other main production activities. Based on a statistic involve percentage
9
of labor force in Malaysia, there have been some incensement from the year 2014 to
2015. The number of foreign workers has increase by 1.5 million from the year 2014
to 2015. Based on the findings on previous research, labor force such as service and
construction are considered to be the main workforce in Malaysia. The purpose of
the study is to focus on the service sectors mainly maintenance service provider
companies.
To further the scope, this research have choose two (2) main hospitals as the
polution sampling. The hospital that were chosen is Ipoh General Hospital and
Ampang General Hospital. These hospitals are considered large hospitals and it is
under the government of Malaysia supervision. The difference between the two
hospitals is that they outsource their support service to two (2) major healthcare
maintenance service which are UEM Edgenta and Radicare. The background of the
companies will be discussed in chapter 3. Furthermore, to limit the respondent
sampling, only employees or staff who are directly involve with the maintenance or
technical work will be chosen for data collection. That include general workers,
technicians, management and administration.
1.4 Research Questions
Based on the research background and research problem statement, there are
three (3) questions need to be answered in this research. They are:
i. What are the type of competencies should a technical worker posses?
ii. What are the importance of competencies for a technical worker in an
organization?
iii. What are the suggestions to improve competencies‘ level of an
employee?
Based on these questions, three (3) objectives will be introduced and aims of
the research will be discussed in the next sub-topic.
10
1.5 Research Objectives
There are three (3)objectives which the researched need to achieved to fullfil
the research questions mention previously. They are:
i. To identify the type of competencies needed for a technical worker.
ii. To study the importance of competencies for a technical worker in an
organization.
iii. To provide suggestion in improving the competencies level of an
employee in the service.
1.6 Research Significant
The research significant can be see through how far can the research give
significant contribution in the aspect of knowledge, methodology and practical. This
research can contribute as one of the reference for the maintenance and technical
field as well as competencies. According to reports, Malaysia have become one of
the lowest production country in southeast asia because of the lack of skills and
trained workers. This research hopes to provide informations and input regarding
competencies of workers in order to increase the contribution towards further studies.
This research also hopes to provide information to technical staff or
management staff about the whearabouts of competencies level in the organizations.
Thus employees competencies level can be known through further development of
thi research and based on the model provided in the next chapter of the research. The
data collected in this research will help the organization to identify the strength and
weaknesses of the organization thus finding the best approach to improve the
organization competencies.
11
Other than that, this research hopes to find other organizations who involves
directly in the technical field especially healthcare maintenance service in order to
increased the knowledge of the organizations on the requirements of competent staff,
importance of competent staff and also the method to improve the staff performance.
Finally, in order for the research to be significant, it hopes to give the writers
knowledge about the theory and practices of competencies in the organization. This
research will also become a reference and information resource for any research
involving competencies in the future.
1.7 Methodology
There are two objectives to be achieved in this research in order to fullfill the
research question of the research. All of the objectives are related to each other
through literature review, practices and theoritical. The summary of the methodology
used will be discussed in this chapter while the full details of the methodology will
be discussed in Chapter 4. This research involve 4 phase of research framework in
order to achieve the objectives successfully.
1.7.1 Phase I
Phase I of the research allow the researcher to identify the suitable
research framework for the development of the research topic. This phase
involve the writer to pursue the knowledge of competencies and identification
of the reseach question based on the research background and research
problem statement. Other than that, the problem statement will require the
writer to identify the main problem involve in the researh.
12
1.7.2 Phase II
Phase II of the research involve identification and development of the
research objectives based on the research background and research questions.
In this phase, writer should apply the knowledge of competencies in order to
develop a set of objectives that can be successfully achieved at the end of the
research.
Other than that, this phase requires the writer to identify the suitable
research approaches and method for data collection. The respondents for the
data collection are also identified to improve the efficiency of the data
collection method and approaches based on the literature review. There are
two types of data collection method that are used in the research which are
primary data and secondary data.
i. Primary Data
Primary data is a set of data collected from the distribution of
questionnaires to respondents at the research population sampling
which involves in the research scope. This data is the main data of the
research in order to identify the types of competencies, importance of
competencies and method in improving technical workers
competencies. In order for the questions in the questionnaire to be
reliable, pilot study is used to improve the variables in the
questionnaires.
ii. Secondary Data
Secondary data is collected from reading materials such as literature,
journals, modules, documents, reports, speeches and other researched
done by previous researchers on the topic of research.
With the distribution of the questionnaire, this research are continued
to the next phase in the research framework that involves data analysis and
13
findings of data. This will help the writer to identify the factors in achieving
the objectives of the research.
1.7.3 Phase III
Phase III of the research framework involves data analysis using
SPSS software for questionnaires that were distributed to the respondents. In
this phase, methods for analysing data are identified in order to meet the
objectives of the research, this include developing tables and graph of data
collected. After that, a thorough discussion about the analyze data will be
included after all data have been analyze completely. The discussion will
involve knowledge of writer from literature review and model of theory.
1.7.4 Phase IV
Phase IV is the conclusion phase of the framework for the research topic. In
this phase involves the writer to provide recommendation and suggestion
related to improve the quality of research in the future. This phase will also
provide the information of research limitation for the next research to
overcome in order to have more significant contribution whether through
knowledge, practices or theory.
1.8 Summary
In order for an organization to have competent and skill workers especially in
healthcare maintenance service, several problems have been identified. However, the
problems does not come only from the technical workers but also from the
14
management of the organization itself. This statement will be supported and
discussed on the next chapter. Furthermore, in order to identify the types of
competencies, importance of competencies and the method for the organization to
improve the competency levels of the worker in the healthcare maintenance service,
a thorough research should be done to provide the data needed for the topic. This
research will involve the management and technical workers of the organization
because they are directly related to maintenance work in the field.
The next chapter will discussed about the literature review involve in this
research. This include a collection of modules, theories and journals from past
research about competencies and maintenance work in the field. The next chapter
will also provide the knowledge of competencies and the background as well as the
history of competencies theory through the eye of past researchers.
15
CHAPTER 2
COMPETENCIES AMONG TECHNICAL WORKERS
2.1 Introduction
Generally, competencies or in other words skills are important for either
employees or employers especially in the technical fields. Competencies are the
foundation of an organization as they ensure the sustainability and the performance
of the organization itself. To strengthen this thought, a competency is the capability
to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities required to
successfully perform "critical work functions" or tasks in a defined work setting.
Competencies often serve as the basis for skill standards that specify the level of
knowledge, skills, and abilities required for success in the workplace as well as
potential measurement criteria for assessing competency attainment (Bloom, 2010).
This statements clearly state that competencies are required for an organization to
succeed in the field.
In Malaysia, high demand for skilled workers becoming an issue as the
country is facing unemployment phenomena at a concerned level (MITI, 2005).
Based on the 2013 unemployment statistics, 424 600 (3.1%) Malaysians are facing
unemployment, however in 2014 the amount reduce to only 382 500 (2.7%)
(Department of Statistic Malaysia, 2014). The percentage may look small when
compared to other developed countries such as United States of America with 8.5%
of unemployment (Bureau of Labor Statistic, 2014), but the numbers of people
should not be ignore. Even more worrying, there are still 68,115 unemployed people
16
from graduated students as posted by Job Malaysia in 2014 (Malaysia Hall Report,
2014). This support the issue in which these unemployment are caused by the
inability for the workers to support the demand of skilled workers by the country.
Other than that, a high academic qualification does not promise any privileges in the
employment of new workers in the industry (Malaysia Hall Report, 2014).
In this chapter, the main focus of the research is to explain all the core
competencies, definition of competencies and the types of competencies needed by
an individual to be evaluated through his/her performance. Although there may be
some discussion on the definition, a summary will be written by researching further
on the journals and other writing materials that have been done before. For the first
part of the chapter, an explanation of the definition will be provided for the reader to
understand what it means by competencies and why is it important for an industrial
worker. The explanation will be justified by the literatures that have been collected
throughout the research and studies. The second part of the chapter is to explain the
types of competencies that have been researched and studied throughout the years by
researchers before. This is a progress to understand the overall competencies
including the core and technical competencies needed by an organization to ensure
that all works are 90% efficient.
The third part of the literature review is to identify and explain what is
exactly mean by Mechanical Engineering Maintenance Service including the
definition of Mechanical Engineering, Maintenance Service and the roles of a
technician in service provider companies. Other than that, this chapter will also
identify the core Mechanical Maintenance technician‘s works and the types of
service provided by the technicians including the maintenance of high value assets
such as boilers, clarifiers and heavy machineries. The fourth part of the chapter is to
define what are SME and the specifications of SME in Malaysia. Other than that, a
brief explanation will be provided between the differences between Malaysia‘s
definition of SMEs and global definition of SMEs.
The final part of the chapter, a summary will be provided to explain the
whole chapter and thus providing clear view on the whole research paper.
17
Furthermore, the explanation on the terms that will be used in the paper will be
justified through several literature studies and evidence through several writings.
2.2 Competency
According to the Washington State Human Resources competencies are
defined as the measurable or observable knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors
(KSABs) critical to successful job performance. Choosing the right competencies
allows employers to:
i. Plan how they will organize and develop their workforce.
ii. Determine which job classes best fit their business needs.
iii. Recruit and select the best employees.
iv. Manage and train employees effectively.
v. Develop staff to fill future vacancies.
Through other research, competence is the ability of an individual to do a job
properly. A competency is a set of defined behaviors that provide a structured guide
enabling the identification, evaluation and development of the behaviors in
individual employees. The term "competence" first appeared in an article authored by
R.W. White in 1959 as a concept for performance motivation.
Later, in 1970, Craig C. Lundberg defined the concept in "Planning the
Executive Development Program". The term gained traction when in 1973, David
McClelland, Ph.D. wrote a seminal paper entitled, "Testing for Competence Rather
Than for Intelligence".
It has since been popularized by one-time fellow McBer & Company
(Currently the "Hay Group") colleague Richard Boyatzis and many others, such as
T.F. Gilbert (1978) who used the concept in relationship to performance
improvement. Its use varies widely, which leads to considerable misunderstanding.
18
This is all the more true, that competence appeared in varied countries and varied
scientific contexts, with different meanings (Klarsfeld, 2000).
Some scholars see "competence" as a combination of practical and theoretical
knowledge, cognitive skills, behavior and values used to improve performance; or as
the state or quality of being adequately or well qualified, having the ability to
perform a specific role. For instance, life, management competency might include
systems thinking and emotional intelligence, and skills in influence and negotiation.
Competency is also used as a more general description of the requirements of human
beings in organizations and communities.
Competency is sometimes thought of as being shown in action in a situation
and context that might be different the next time a person has to act. In emergencies,
competent people may react to a situation following behaviors they have previously
found to succeed. To be competent a person would need to be able to interpret the
situation in the context and to have a repertoire of possible actions to take and have
trained in the possible actions in the repertoire, if this is relevant. Regardless of
training, competency would grow through experience and the extent of an individual
to learn and adapt.
Competency has different meanings, and continues to remain one of the most
diffuse terms in the management development sector, and the organizational and
occupational literature. Competencies are also what people need to be successful in
their jobs. Job competencies are not the same as job task. Competencies include all
the related knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes that form a person‘s job. This
set of context-specific qualities is correlated with superior job performance and can
be used as a standard against which to measure job performance as well as to
develop, recruit, and hire employees. Competencies and competency models may be
applicable to all employees in an organization or they may be position specific.
Identifying employee competencies can contribute to improved organizational
performance. They are most effective if they meet several critical standards,
including linkage to, and leverage within an organization‘s human resource system
19
Competencies provide organizations with a way to define in behavioral terms
what it is that people need to do to produce the results that the organization desires,
in a way that is in keep with its culture. By having competencies defined in the
organization, it allows employees to know what they need to be productive. When
properly defined, competencies, allows organizations to evaluate the extent to which
behaviors employees are demonstrating and where they may be lacking. For
competencies where employees are lacking, they can learn. This will allow
organizations to know potentially what resources they may need to help the
employee develop and learn those competencies. Competencies can distinguish and
differentiate your organization from your competitors. While two organizations may
be a like in financial results, the way in which the results were achieve could be
different based on the competencies that fit their particular strategy and
organizational culture.
Lastly, competencies can provide a structured model that can be used to
integrate management practices throughout the organization. Competencies that align
their recruiting, performance management, training and development and reward
practices to reinforce key behaviors that the organization values.
2.3 Types of competencies
Over the years performance management has progressed from personality-
and outcomes-based approaches that provided no constructive developmental focus
on behaviors- to approaches that recognize the need to provide individuals with
feedback on job responsibilities/objectives as well as competencies—or behaviors
(Harvard University).
Moreover, at the individual level this focus on competencies enables people
to take a proactive role in their own development by providing guidance in behavior
change efforts. At the organizational level the focus on competencies in performance
development/management enables us to align individual performance with values
20
and strategy while maximizing individual performance in the pursuit of specific
work-related objectives and behaviors (Harvard University). There are several types
of competencies according to several theories globally. In this chapter, we will
discuss those theories based on the research scope.
2.3.1 Core Competencies
Core competencies are specific qualities that a company's recruiters have
decided are desirable for employees to possess. During interviews and assessment
processes, core competencies are used as benchmarks that assessors use to rate and
evaluate candidates.
Based on the article written by Dominique Simon Rychen and Laura Hersh
Salganik, A Contribution of the OECD Program Definition and Selection of
Competencies: Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations: Definition and Selection of
Key Competencies, they mention that the concepts of competencies are socially
constructed notions that facilitate the understanding of reality while also constructing
it. Notions such as ―key competencies‖ and ―core skills‖ have become very
fashionable in social policy discourse. However, these terms often have very vague
meanings. Therefore, their clarification was considered a necessary prerequisite for
defining and selecting key competencies. Thus, in the study it is clear that key
competence is a variable throughout the world; therefore there are no definitions that
clearly state a certain numbers of key competencies.
They continue in the study saying that ―However, based on a recent
commissioned report10, we recognize that in social sciences there is no unitary use
of the concept of competence, no broadly accepted definition or unifying theory. In
fact, the meaning of such terms varies largely depending on the scientific perspective
and ideological viewpoints involved and on the underlying objectives associated with
their use, both at scientific and political levels.
21
UVic Co-op and Career has identified 10 core competencies that are valued
across all academic program areas and employer sectors. These core competencies
align with the UVic Learning Outcomes being applied across campus, reflecting the
important connection between academic study and the world of work.
The description of the 10 competencies by Uvic Co-op and career are as follow:
a) Personal management:
This means that you understand yourself and are conscious of the
implications of your interactions with others. You show this competency
when you:
• Act with honesty, integrity and personal ethics
• recognize your personal efforts and the efforts of others
• acknowledge diverse opinions and accept differences
• manage your personal health and emotional well-being
• take responsibility and demonstrate resiliency and accountability
for yourself
• plan and manage your personal time, finances and other resources
• assess, weigh and manage risk in the face of uncertainty
• recognize your strengths and areas for improvement
• adapt to new environments and cultures
b) Communication
This means that you‘re comfortable using a broad range of
communication styles, and you choose appropriate, effective ways to
communicate to audiences in diverse situations. You show this
competency when you:
• communicate in a respectful tone and manner
• listen actively and communicate effectively with others
• write clearly and accurately in a variety of contexts and formats
• listen and ask questions to understand other people‘s viewpoints
22
• communicate issues in a timely manner
• are aware of and responsive to verbal and non-verbal
communication styles
• recognize cultural differences in communication
• use effective cross-cultural communication skills
c) Managing information
This means that you‘re able to think critically and gather sort, store
and use information to turn data into knowledge. You show this
competency when you:
• research and interpret relevant information from a range of
sources
• review, retain and apply ideas
• demonstrate numerical literacy
• evaluate the validity and bias of information
• use gathered data to draw conclusions or to create new sources of
information that can be shared with others
• document your sources of information
• use appropriate technology to find and process information
d) Research and Analysis
This means that you use information from a variety of sources—
including personal experience and your own observations—to identify
options and solve problems. You show this competency when you:
• recognize the human, interpersonal and technical sides of a
problem
• access, analyze and apply knowledge and skills from various
disciplines
• think critically and strategically
23
• apply knowledge and skills from past experiences to new
situations
• assess situations and identify problems
• explore possible solutions in an innovative and creative way
• evaluate solutions to make decisions
e) Project and task management
This means that you plan, implement, manage and measure projects
and tasks in a timely and directed manner. You put this competency into
practice when you:
• plan and carry out projects with well-defined goals and outcomes
• determine appropriate implementation strategies, tools and
technologies
• adapt to changing work priorities and workplace practices
• use a range of assessment techniques to monitor a project or task
• establish priorities to meet deadlines
• carry out multiple tasks or projects at the same time
f) Teamwork
This means that you work cooperatively and collaboratively with
others to achieve collective goals. You show this competency when you:
• Work within the dynamics of a group
• show commitment to the team‘s purpose and goals
• accept and provide feedback in a constructive and considerate way
• share information and encourage others to do the same
• support and motivate the group to perform at its best
• recognize the role of conflict when appropriate
• build professional relationships
• show accountability to the team and follow through on your
commitments
24
• work effectively with different personalities across a variety of
social and professional situations
• consider diverse, cross-cultural perspectives and working styles
g) Commitment to quality
This means that you take pride in your work and strive for excellence
to achieve the best possible results. You show this competency when you:
• look for opportunities to improve your work practices
• generate ideas for improvement
• pay attention to the quality of your work
• persist when difficulties arise
• try innovative ways to get things done
• consider situations from new perspectives
• evaluate work results for effectiveness
h) Professional Behavior
This means you use sound judgment to meet or exceed workplace
guidelines, standards and expectations. You show this competency when
you:
• follow workplace policies (e.g. health and safety, equity,
harassment and confidentiality)
• recognize your rights and responsibilities
• abide by UVic regulations and federal and provincial laws related
to workplace policies and procedures
• abide by and respect the standards of practice recognized in your
field
• take responsibility to understand and adapt to workplace culture
25
i) Social responsibility
This means that you recognize how your beliefs, ethics and actions fit
within the context of a greater community. You show this competency
when you:
• know your personal convictions and strive to put them into
practice
• accept responsibility for your own actions
• show a respect for others‘ rights and diverse ideas
• demonstrate personal, professional and academic honesty
• choose ethical courses of action
• contribute to your local, national and international community
• build equitable relationships
• consider the broader implications of your decisions
• evaluate ethical aspects as part of decision making
• act responsibly in accordance with sound principles of
sustainability
j) Continuous Learning
This means that you acquire and apply new knowledge and skills in
all of your experiences. You show this competency when you:
• set and pursue personal and educational goals
• identify and access learning sources and opportunities
• show a willingness to continuously learn and grow
• learn from your mistakes and successes
• seek and accept constructive feedback from others
• stay current with techniques and technologies in your field
26
2.3.1.1 UC Davis Career Compass Core Competencies Model
Based on the description of core competencies from University of
Victoria, there are 10 core competencies for a worker or graduate students to
focus on, however, different organization have different core competencies.
For example, UC Davis Career Compass Core Competencies model state
that, there are 11 core competencies needed for a worker. The competencies
are:
i) Communication
ii) Decision Making
iii) Leadership
iv) Principles of Community
v) Problem solving
vi) Quality Improvement
vii) Service Focus
viii) Stewardship and Managing Resources
ix) Strategic Planning
x) Teamwork
xi) Managing People
Each core competency in this model has a brief descriptor as well as
several behavioral indicators. There are two levels within each of the core
competencies – operational and mastery. The mastery level builds upon the
operational level of each core competency. The model is intended to serve as
a flexible guide.
27
1. Communication
Shares information with and receives information from constituencies using oral,
written and interpersonal communication skills
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Builds and maintains effective
working relationships with customers
and colleagues
Leverages working relationships with
customers and colleagues to build
strong connections, cooperation and
collaboration
Receives information to seek and
understand differing perspectives
Actively seeks perspectives from
others to ensure inclusiveness and
understanding
Uses interpersonal skills to build
cooperative relationships
Models interpersonal communication
that invites participation and future
dialogue
Receives and learns from feedback Encourages feedback and uses it as a
factor when considering personal and
or organizational changes
Tailors and presents information to
diverse audiences using a variety of
communication delivery methods
(e.g., written, electronic, oral,
interpersonal)
Tailors and delivers high-level
presentations to diverse audiences
using a variety of communication
delivery methods (e.g., written,
electronic, oral, interpersonal)
Creates clear and concise written
communication
Creates impactful written
communication; improves others‘
writing through editing and feedback
process
Uses negotiation and mediation skills Facilitates management of
differences by addressing them
openly and encouraging mutually
beneficial resolutions
Table 2.1 Communication description through behavioral indicators
28
2. Decision Making
Makes sound decisions while demonstrating integrity
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Distinguishes relevant from
irrelevant information
Helps others distinguish relevant
from irrelevant information and
resolves discrepancies
Uses sound judgment and integrity to
make clear, transparent decisions
Models the use of sound judgment
and integrity to make clear,
transparent decisions regarding
complex and/or sensitive issues or
materials
Makes decisions based on relevant
information
Makes independent, critical decisions
based on relevant information
Makes decisions in a timely manner Applies solutions based on decisions
in a timely manner
Table 2.2 Decision-making description through behavioral indicators
29
3. Leadership
Inspires others toward a common vision and fosters trust and ethics
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Demonstrates individual leadership
skills (e.g., interpersonal,
communication, political acumen)
Models leadership skills and aligns
actions with shared values
Generates trust and credibility;
displays honesty, integrity and ethical
behavior
Exemplifies integrity and expects
honest, ethical behavior from others
Inspires others to act Inspires others to act and fosters a
climate of motivation
Employs political acumen skills Demonstrates a high level of political
acumen in all situations
Influences others Persuades and encourages others to
adapt to desired changes
Accepts responsibility for successes
and failures
Enables others to accept
responsibility for their own work and
creates a culture of accountability
Develops self Coaches and develops others
Recognizes and acknowledges
achievements of others
Recognizes and acknowledges efforts
as well as achievements of others
Table 2.3 Leadership description through behavioral indicators
30
4. Principles of Community
Demonstrates respect, equitable behavior and empathy for a diverse community
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Promotes and sustains a community
that acknowledges and celebrates
differences
Advocates for the UC Davis
Principles of Community in all
interactions
Creates opportunities for inclusion in
a variety of settings
Designs and advocates for inclusive
practices in all settings
Shows respect for people and their
differences
Advocates for deep understanding
and respect for the diversity of
cultures, values, perspectives and
beliefs
Works to understand the perspectives
of others and demonstrates empathy
Works to understand the perspectives
of others and encourages them to
provide their perspectives
Works to build mutual respect,
fairness and equity
Models and promotes mutual respect,
fairness and equity to foster a sense
of belonging Communicates in a
variety of media, information
regarding issues and problems
Table 2.4 Principle of Community description through behavioral indicators
31
5. Problem Solving
Identifies problems and seeks best solutions
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Identifies issues and problems Communicates in a variety of media,
information regarding issues and
problems
Gathers and organizes data related to
problems
• Exercises independent judgment in
gathering and organizing data related
to problems
Analyzes and synthesizes data to
generate potential solutions
Analyzes and synthesizes highly
sensitive and complex data to
generate potential solutions
Consults others during various phases
of the problem solving process
Mobilizes others during various
phases of the problem solving
process
Demonstrates creative and innovative
thinking to find best solutions
Models creative and innovative
thinking to find best solutions
Responds to challenges and problems
in a timely manner
Anticipates challenges and problems
and responds in a timely manner
Table 2.5 Problem Solving description through behavioral indicators
32
6. Quality Improvement
Strives for high quality performance and takes initiative to make improvements and
deliver results
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Sets and meets quality improvement
targets
Uses benchmarking and reviews best
practices to set and meet quality
improvement targets
Strives for efficient, effective, high
quality performance
Takes initiative and evaluates trends
to improve efficiency and
effectiveness resulting in high quality
performance in self and in the
organization
Delivers results by deadlines Manages timeframes and deadlines
Responds to difficult situations and
takes initiative to make
improvements
Displays resiliency and takes
proactive measures to make
improvements
Focuses on quality Ensures the delivery of high quality
results
Table 2.6 Quality improvement description through behavioral indicators
33
7. Service Focus
Values and delivers high quality, innovative service to all customers
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Seeks to understand organizational
business needs
Identifies and assesses organizational
business needs
Seeks to understand customer needs Identifies and assesses customer
needs
Responds to customer needs Models innovative ways to respond
to customer needs
Recommends solutions to customer
needs
Uses best practices to develop
solutions and respond to customer
needs
• Assumes shared accountability for
improving service delivery
Evaluates customer satisfaction and
uses the data to improve service
delivery
Table 2.7 Service focus description through behavioral indicators
34
8. Stewardship and Managing Resources
Demonstrates accountability, discretion and sound judgment in managing university
resources
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Exercises accountability in managing
university resources
Models accountability in managing
university resources in an open,
effective manner
Uses discretion and sound judgment Models the use of discretion and
sound judgment
Understands university values Embraces university values and
integrates them when managing any
resources
Understands and applies university
policies and procedures
Establishes and promotes university
policies and procedures
Manages resources Displays stewardship when allocating
and managing resources
Manages budgets Oversees budgets
Adheres to university safety
guidelines
Models and promotes behavioral
safety in accordance with university
safety guidelines
Manages risks Raises awareness in others about
managing risks
Table 2.8 Stewardship and Managing Resources description through behavioral
indicators
35
9. Strategic Planning
Uses a holistic approach to align priorities with overarching goals, and measures
outcomes of planning efforts
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Understands the ―big picture‖ and
vision of the organization
Champions the organization‘s vision
Aligns priorities with goals Establishes priorities and ensures
their alignment with goals
Measures outcomes Establishes methodology for
measuring outcomes; communicates
results
Seeks input from a variety of
constituencies
Seeks input from a variety of
constituencies and uses the feedback
to redirect efforts as needed
Considers alternative solutions Seeks, evaluates and implements
alternative solutions
Comprehends connections within
complex issues
Encourages others to appreciate
connections within complex issues
Creates budgets Oversees budgets
Implements change Manages change
Organizes projects and associated
time and priorities
Oversees project management and
implements strategies
Table 2.9 Strategic Planning description through behavioral indicators
36
10. Teamwork
Encourages cooperation, collaboration and partnerships
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Cooperates and collaborates Fosters cooperation and collaboration
in others through trust-building and
relationships
Is flexible Encourages and enables flexibility
Contributes to the team Facilitates and models teamwork
across the organization
Shares accountability Creates a culture of accountability
Works in partnership with others Fosters partnerships towards a shared
vision
Organizes effective teams Builds effective teams across
organizations and levels, inside and
outside own organization
Table 2.10 Teamwork description through behavioral indicators
37
11. Managing People
Coaches, evaluates and develops people; aligns performance with university goals
Behavioral Indicators – Operational
level
Behavioral Indicators – Mastery level
Recruits, selects and works to retain
employees
Facilitates the recruitment, selection
and retention of employees
Delegates tasks, sets performance
expectations and supervises work of
others
Delegates assigned tasks in alignment
with operational goals
Monitors and assesses work
performance
Coaches to maximize achievement of
performance expectations
Monitors and assesses work
performance
Models objective behavioral
feedback
Creates opportunity for employee
development
Champions employee development
for career growth and mobility
Table 2.11 Managing people description through behavioral indicators
38
2.3.1.2 Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineer
(Engineers Australia)
Other than the 2 modules of competencies from University of Victoria and
UC Davis Career Compass Core Competencies model, Engineers Australia have also
came out with the competency standard for professional engineers. According to the
standards, professional engineers are required to take responsibility for engineering
projects and programs in the most far-reaching sense. The responsibilities of the
engineers include the reliable functioning of all materials, components, sub-systems
and technologies used; their integration to form a complete, sustainable and self-
consistent system and all interactions between the technical system and the context
within it functions.
Moreover, Professional Engineers are responsible for bringing knowledge to
bear from multiple sources to develop solutions to complex problems and issues, for
ensuring that technical and non-technical considerations are properly integrated, and
for managing risk as well as sustainability issues. While the outcomes of engineering
have physical forms, the work of Professional Engineers is predominantly
intellectual in nature. In a technical sense, Professional Engineers are primarily
concerned with the advancement of technologies and with the development of new
technologies and their applications through innovation, creativity and change.
Professional Engineers may conduct research concerned with advancing the science
of engineering and with developing new principles and technologies within a broad
engineering discipline. Alternatively, they may contribute to continual improvement
in the practice of engineering, and in devising and updating the codes and standards
that govern it.
Professional Engineers have a particular responsibility for ensuring that all
aspects of a project are soundly based in theory and fundamental principle, and for
understanding clearly how new developments relate to established practice and
experience and to other disciplines with which they may interact. One hallmark of a
39
professional is the capacity to break new ground in an informed, responsible and
sustainable fashion.
Thus, Professional Engineers may lead or manage teams appropriate to these
activities, and may establish their own companies or move into senior management
roles in engineering and related enterprises.
a) Stage 1 Competencies
According to the Engineer Australia standard, the 3 stage 1
competencies are covered by 16 mandatory Elements of Competency. The
Competencies and Elements of Competency represent the profession's
expression of the knowledge and skill base, engineering application abilities,
and professional skills, values and attitudes that must be demonstrated at the
point of entry to practice.
There are 3 basic elements for the stage 1 competencies standard
which covers the responsibilities of professional engineers. The first element
is Knowledge and skill base, the second element is engineering application
ability and the last element is professional and personal attributes. The
descriptions of these basic elements are as follow:
i) Knowledge and Skill Base
Comprehensive, theory based understanding of the
underpinning natural and physical sciences and the
engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering
discipline.
Conceptual understanding of the, mathematics, numerical
analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences
which underpin the engineering discipline.
In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge
within the engineering discipline.
40
Discernment of knowledge development and research
directions within the engineering discipline.
Knowledge of contextual factors impacting the
engineering discipline.
Understanding of the scope, principles, norms,
accountabilities and bounds of contemporary engineering
practice in the specific discipline.
ii) Engineering Application Ability
Application of established engineering methods to
complex engineering problem solving.
Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and
resources.
Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design
processes.
Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and
management of engineering projects.
iii) Professional and Personal Attributes
Ethical conduct and professional accountability
Effective oral and written communication in professional
and lay domains.
Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanor.
Professional use and management of information.
Orderly management of self and professional conduct.
Effective team membership and team leadership.
The 3 elements of the 1 stage competencies standards by the
Australian Engineers are describe in the indicators of attainment table below.
41
ELEMENT OF
COMPETENCY
INDICATORS OF ATTAINMENT
Comprehensive, theory
based understanding of
the underpinning natural
and physical sciences
and the engineering
fundamentals applicable
to the engineering
discipline.
Engages with the engineering discipline at a
phenomenological level, applying sciences and
engineering fundamentals to systematic investigation,
interpretation, analysis and innovative solution of
complex problems and broader aspects of engineering
practice.
Conceptual
understanding of the,
mathematics, numerical
analysis, statistics, and
computer and
information sciences
which underpin the
engineering discipline.
Develops and fluently applies relevant investigation
analysis, interpretation, assessment, characterization,
prediction, evaluation, modeling, decision making,
measurement, evaluation, knowledge management and
communication tools and techniques pertinent to the
engineering discipline.
In depth understanding
of specialist bodies of
knowledge within the
engineering discipline.
Proficiently applies advanced technical knowledge and
skills in at least one specialist practice domain of the
engineering discipline.
Discernment of
knowledge development
and research directions
within the engineering
discipline.
a) Identifies and critically appraises current
developments, advanced technologies, emerging
issues and interdisciplinary linkages in at least one
specialist practice domain of the engineering
discipline.
b) Interprets and applies selected research literature to
inform engineering application in at least one
specialist domain of the engineering discipline.
Knowledge of contextual
factors impacting the
engineering discipline.
a) Identifies and understands the interactions between
engineering systems and people in the social, cultural,
environmental, commercial, legal and political
42
contexts in which they operate, including both the
positive role of engineering in sustainable
development and the potentially adverse impacts of
engineering activity in the engineering discipline.
b) Is aware of the founding principles of human factors
relevant to the engineering discipline.
c) Is aware of the fundamentals of business and
enterprise management.
d) Identifies the structure, roles and capabilities of the
engineering workforce.
e) Appreciates the issues associated with international
engineering practice and global operating contexts.
Understanding of the
scope, principles, norms,
accountabilities and
bounds of contemporary
engineering practice in
the engineering
discipline.
a) Applies systematic principles of engineering design
relevant to the engineering discipline.
b) Appreciates the basis and relevance of standards and
codes of practice, as well as legislative and statutory
requirements applicable to the engineering discipline.
c) Appreciates the principles of safety engineering, risk
management and the health and safety responsibilities
of the professional engineer, including legislative
requirements applicable to the engineering discipline.
d) Appreciates the social, environmental and economic
principles of sustainable engineering practice.
e) Understands the fundamental principles of
engineering project management as a basis for
planning, organizing and managing resources.
f) Appreciates the formal structures and methodologies
of systems engineering as a holistic basis for
managing complexity and sustainability in
engineering practice.
Table 2.12 Knowledge and Skill Base: Elements and Indicators
43
ELEMENT OF
COMPETENCY
INDICATORS OF ATTAINMENT
Application of
established engineering
methods to complex
engineering problem
solving.
a) Identifies, discerns and characterizes salient issues,
determines and analyses causes and effects, justifies
and applies appropriate simplifying assumptions,
predicts performance and behavior, synthesizes
solution strategies and develops substantiated
conclusions.
b) Ensures that all aspects of an engineering activity are
soundly based on fundamental principles – by
diagnosing, and taking appropriate action with data,
calculations, results, proposals, processes, practices,
and documented information that may be ill-founded,
illogical, erroneous, unreliable or unrealistic.
c) Competently addresses engineering problems
involving uncertainty, ambiguity, imprecise
information and wide-ranging and sometimes
conflicting technical and non-technical factors.
d) Partitions problems, processes or systems into
manageable elements for the purposes of analysis,
modeling or design and then re-combines to form a
whole, with the integrity and performance of the
overall system as the paramount consideration.
e) Conceptualizes alternative engineering approaches
and evaluates potential outcomes against appropriate
criteria to justify an optimal solution choice.
f) Critically reviews and applies relevant standards and
codes of practice underpinning the engineering
discipline and nominated specializations.
g) Identifies, quantifies, mitigates and manages
technical, health, environmental, safety and other
contextual risks associated with engineering
application in the designated engineering discipline.
44
h) Interprets and ensures compliance with relevant
legislative and statutory requirements applicable to
the engineering discipline.
i) Investigates complex problems using research-based
knowledge and research methods.
Fluent application of
engineering techniques,
tools and resources.
a) Proficiently identifies, selects and applies the
materials, components, devices, systems, processes,
resources, plant and equipment relevant to the
engineering discipline.
b) Constructs or selects and applies from a qualitative
description of a phenomenon, process, system,
component or device a mathematical, physical or
computational model based on fundamental scientific
principles and justifiable simplifying assumptions.
c) Determines properties, performance, safe working
limits, failure modes, and other inherent parameters
of materials, components and systems relevant to the
engineering discipline.
d) Applies a wide range of engineering tools for
analysis, simulation, visualization, synthesis and
design, including assessing the accuracy and
limitations of such tools, and validation of their
results.
e) Applies formal systems engineering methods to
address the planning and execution of complex,
problem solving and engineering projects.
f) Designs and conducts experiments, analyses and
interprets result data and formulates reliable
conclusions.
g) Analyses sources of error in applied models and
experiments; eliminates, minimizes or compensates
for such errors; quantifies significance of errors to
any conclusions drawn.
45
Table 2.13 Engineering Application Ability: Elements and indicators
h) Safely applies laboratory, test and experimental
procedures appropriate to the engineering discipline.
i) Understands the need for systematic management of
the acquisition, commissioning, operation, upgrade,
monitoring and maintenance of engineering plant,
facilities, equipment and systems.
j) Understands the role of quality management systems,
tools and processes within a culture of continuous
improvement.
46
ELEMENT OF
COMPETENCY
INDICATORS OF ATTAINMENT
Ethical conduct and
Professional
accountability
a) Demonstrates commitment to uphold the Engineers
Australia - Code of Ethics, and established norms of
professional conduct pertinent to the engineering
discipline.
b) Understands the need for ‗due-diligence‘ in
certification, compliance and risk management
processes.
c) Understands the accountabilities of the professional
engineer and the broader engineering team for the
safety of other people and for protection of the
environment.
d) Is aware of the fundamental principles of intellectual
property rights and protection.
Effective oral and
written communication
in professional and lay
domains.
a) Is proficient in listening, speaking, reading and
writing English, including:
comprehending critically and fairly the
viewpoints of others;
expressing information effectively and
succinctly, issuing instruction, engaging in
discussion, presenting arguments and
justification, debating and negotiating - to
technical and non-technical audiences and
using textual, diagrammatic, pictorial and
graphical media best suited to the context;
representing an engineering position, or the
engineering profession at large to the broader
community;
Appreciating the impact of body language,
personal behavior and other non-verbal
communication processes, as well as the
fundamentals of human social behavior and
47
their cross-cultural differences.
b) Prepares high quality engineering documents such as
progress and project reports, reports of investigations
and feasibility studies, proposals, specifications,
design records,
Creative, innovative and
pro-active demeanor.
a) Applies creative approaches to identify and develop
alternative concepts, solutions and procedures,
appropriately challenges engineering practices from
technical and non-technical viewpoints; identifies
new technological opportunities.
b) Seeks out new developments in the engineering
discipline and specializations and applies
fundamental knowledge and systematic processes to
evaluate and report potential.
c) Is aware of broader fields of science, engineering,
technology and commerce from which new ideas and
interfaces may be may draw and readily engages with
professionals from these fields to exchange ideas.
Professional use and
management of
information.
a) Is proficient in locating and utilizing information -
including accessing, systematically searching,
analyzing, evaluating and referencing relevant
published works and data; is proficient in the use of
indexes, bibliographic databases and other search
facilities.
b) Critically assesses the accuracy, reliability and
authenticity of information.
c) Is aware of common document identification,
tracking and control procedures.
Orderly management of
self and professional
conduct.
a) Demonstrates commitment to critical self-review and
performance evaluation against appropriate criteria as
a primary means of tracking personal development
needs and achievements.
b) Understands the importance of being a member of a
48
Table 2.14 Professional and Personal Attributes: Elements and Indicators
professional and intellectual community, learning
from its knowledge and standards, and contributing to
their maintenance and advancement.
c) Demonstrates commitment to life-long learning and
professional development.
d) Manages time and processes effectively, prioritizes
competing demands to achieve personal, career and
organizational goals and objectives.
e) Thinks critically and applies an appropriate balance
of logic and intellectual criteria to analysis, judgment
and decision making.
f) Presents a professional image in all circumstances,
including relations with clients, stakeholders,
Effective team
membership and team
leadership.
a) Understands the fundamentals of team dynamics and
leadership.
b) Functions as an effective member or leader of diverse
engineering teams, including those with multilevel,
multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural dimensions.
c) Earns the trust and confidence of colleagues through
competent and timely completion of tasks.
d) Recognizes the value of alternative and diverse
viewpoints, scholarly advice and the importance of
professional networking.
e) Confidently pursues and discerns expert assistance
and professional advice.
f) Takes initiative and fulfills the leadership role whilst
respecting the agreed roles of others.
49
2.3.1.3 State of California Competency Model
The State of California Leadership Competency Model is comprised of the
following Leadership Competencies. These competencies are defined as knowledge,
skill, ability or personal characteristic statements as shown below. Successful
behaviors which demonstrate these competencies at the various leadership levels are
available by reviewing the State of California Leadership Competency Model.
COMPETENCY DEFINITION
Analytical Thinking The ability to approach a problem by using a logical,
systematic, sequential approach
Change leadership The ability to manage, lead and enable the process of
change and transition while helping others to deal with
their effects
Communication The ability to listen to others and communicate in an
effective manner. The ability to communicate ideas,
thoughts, and facts in writing. The ability/skill to use
correct grammar, correct spelling, sentence and document
structure, accepted document formatting, and special
literary techniques to communicate a message in writing.
Decision Making The ability to make decisions and solve problems involving
varied levels of complexity, ambiguity and risk.
Ethics and integrity The degree of trustworthiness and ethical behavior of an
individual with consideration for the knowledge one has of
the impact and consequences when making decision or
taking action.
Fostering Diversity The ability to promote equal and fair treatment and
opportunity for all. The ability to effectively promote equal
opportunity in employment and maintain a work
environment that is free of discrimination and harassment.
The ability to demonstrate the knowledge of a supervisor‘s
responsibility for promoting equal opportunity in hiring
50
and employee development and promotion.
Interpersonal Skills The ability to get along and interact positively with
coworkers. The degree and style of understanding and
relating to others.
Personal Credibility Demonstrating concern that one be perceived as
responsible, reliable, and trustworthy.
Team Leadership The ability to effectively manage and guide group efforts.
This includes providing the appropriate level of feedback
concerning group progress.
Vision and Strategic
thinking
The ability to support, promotes, and ensure alignment
with the organization's vision and values. The ability to
understand how an organization must change in light of
internal and external trends and influences.
Workforce
Management
The ability to effectively recruit, select, develop, and retain
competent staff; includes making appropriate assignments
and managing staff performance.
Table 2.15 The State of California Leadership Competency Model
2.4 Developing Competency Models
Today, competencies are used in many facets of human resource
management, ranging from individual selection, development and performance
management to organizational strategic planning (Donna Rodriguez, Rita Patel,
Andrea Bright, Donna Gregory and Marilyn K. Gowing, 2002). To develop a
competency models a certain need to be considered before starting a new model.
The size of the organization should be considered in determining the job
analysis methodology. Larger organizations, like the federal government, should use
survey approaches to collect job analysis information to achieve sufficient
representation of the population, whereas smaller organizations or jobs with few
51
incumbents maybe adequately represented through focus groups (Donna Rodriguez,
Rita Patel, Andrea Bright, Donna Gregory and Marilyn K. Gowing, 2002).
There are two primary levels for use of competency models. The first uses
competency models for specific occupations to facilitate HR activities. The second
level uses competency models of occupational groups to maximize use of resources.
Once developed, these models can then be applied ―as is‖ or tailored to facilitate the
accomplishment of organizational objectives (Donna Rodriguez, Rita Patel, Andrea
Bright, Donna Gregory and Marilyn K. Gowing, 2002).
The model of competencies will be determined by a dual approach to develop
the model. This includes representatives of managerial group and staff will involve in
identifying the competencies required for different groups of support staff
(Manchester Metropolitan University competency Model)
52
2.4.2 ICE Competency Framework
Chart 2.1 ICE Core Competencies model elements
To add to the 4 core competencies, another element has been add up to
complete the framework. The last element is technical knowledge. Technical
knowledge is one of the operation function competencies needed to improve the
organization work quality. Other competencies include customer service and quality
and innovation. Functional competencies are the skills and behaviours specific to an
employee function within our organization (ICE Competencies framework)
CORE COMPETENCIES
Communication
Teamwork
Problem-Solving & Decision Manking
Professionalism & Integrity
53
2.4.3 Main Theory: Iceberg Competency Theory
The main theory for this research is using the Iceberg Competency theory
which is introduced by Spencer and Spencer (1993) (Chart 2.2). This theory divided
the iceberg into two significant parts, which are (i) visible or easy to see and hidden.
For the visible part, it is a technical competency needed to complete a goal at the
workplace. For example, if the individual is an education agent, he/her needs to
know or have the knowledge of new technologies and skills in spreading the
technologies to build customers potential, making decisions and solving problem on
their own (Rahim, 2010). Moreover, for the hidden part stands on lone concepts,
traits and motive which it has definite relationship with the behavior competency
which move someone to act on his/her work.
Chart 2.2 Iceberg Competency theories (Spencer and Spencer, 1993)
According to the theory, if this theory is seen through human perspective, it is
said that human competency can be pictured into a series of layer which is known as
the iceberg. The two iceberg layer which is usually related to this concept is on the
first layer of competency involved in the skills and knowledge of the work. The skills
and knowledge is a technical competency which is needed to comply with the work
Visible
Hidden
54
requirements and the needs to oversee the work is done correctly. Therefore, if seen
from the technician competencies, these competencies are gain through professional
and technical training as well as documented in the form of certificate by
professional bodies or industries.
Furthermore, the second layer is hidden competencies which are related to
human competencies. It is an unseen component such as pragmatism, self-
perspective, motivational attitude and commitment during working. This component
is the real competencies that determine the different between normal perspective and
unique perspective in a working situation (Spencer and spencer, 1993). Therefore, to
achieve high and good performance, an individual which is involved in technical
work should have visible competencies and hidden competencies altogether. This
research uses both competencies components, hidden and visible to determine the
exact competencies needed for a technical worker. Based on the Chart 2.1, an
individual in the technical field should have 5 core competencies to meet the
profession requirements.
2.5 Building Competency Models
Competency modeling, an approach originated 30 years ago, has become a
mainstream practice in human resource management. Over that period, the
methodology has evolved, partly in response to changes in organizations and the
workplace, and partly in response to the needs of people using the competency
models to address specific needs in organizations (Dr. Richard S. Mansfield, 2005).
The first competency model was developed in the early 1970‘s by the
eminent psychologist David McClelland and others at a fledgling consulting firm
called McBer and Company. The U.S. Department of State was concerned ab out the
selection of junior Foreign Service Information Officers, young diplomats who
represent the United States in various countries. The traditional selection criteria,
tests of academic aptitude and knowledge, did not predict effectiveness as a Foreign
Service officer and were screening out too many minority candidates.
55
When asked to develop alternative methods of selection, McClelland and his
colleagues decided that they needed to find out what characteristics differentiated
outstanding performance in the position. They first identified contrasting samples of
outstanding performers and average performers, by using nominations and ratings
from bosses, peers, and clients. Next, the research team developed a method called
the Behavioral Event Interview, in which interviewees were asked to provide
detailed accounts, in short story form, of how they approached several critical work
situations, both successful and unsuccessful. The interviewer used a non-leading
probing strategy to find out what the interviewee did, said, and thought at key points
within each situation. To analyze the data from the interviews, the researchers
developed a sophisticated method of content analysis, to identify themes
differentiating the outstanding performers from the average performers. The themes
were organized into a small set of ―competencies,‖ which the researchers
hypothesized were the determinants of superior performance in the job. The
competencies included nonobvious ones such as ―Speed in Learning Political
Networks‖; the outstanding officers were able to quickly figure out who could
influence key people and what each person‘s political interests were.
Approach or method to develop a competency model also requires
combination of a few data gathering method because it involves things-like
identifying competency, individual involved, and job analysis needed. Among the
approaches that often used is competency development of model are dynamic model,
flexible job competency model, competency assessment work, generic model fitted,
stack generic model and Gupta model (Mariam,2009)
For competency development of model approach that is more dynamic
lodged by Prastacos et al. (2005) where they suggest identifying excellent
competency and competency which need to move and achieve organizational
strategy followed with regard current industrial development tendency. Other than
that , this competency development of model also include various strands like in
beginning that is simple by dividing competency to a few major groups until three-
dimensional model that include task element, personal character, product and culture
(Engle et al., 2001). The exact approach selection depends on competency model
usage objective developed and also types of organization.
Flexible job competency model approach on the other hand is intend to
identify competency needed to produce performance that is effective under condition
56
that is different in the future (Dubois, 1992). For competency assessment model
approach work, it based on interviews and observations towards excellent employees
and the employees that have ordinary level to determine competency distinctive
between both in work that is important (Dubois, 1993). Meanwhile generic model
approach fitted said one organization using competency tentative list that were
identified profoundly to help those choose generic model and consequently evaluate
based on input achieved from staff that well-performed highly and low (Dubois,
1993). To stack generic model approach, one organization will buy competency
model from particular source for specific roles and functions and used in the
organization. This approach said ineffective because it produced based on generic
approach which often criticized due to static, retrospective and not secured
competency that had produced best performance yesterday will repeat again in future
time (Iverson, 2000).
For the Gupta model, there are four main phase for the competencies model
development, where the first phase is to identify the respondents which are individual
that are involve in the responsibility work. Meanwhile in phase two, involve job
analysis where it involves process of identifying task and responsibility that need to
be carried by the respondent, identify generic task shared and needs to be done by all
post holders. Phase three on the other hand is to identify competency needed for task
that want to be developed model which should include all fields. Meanwhile phase
four sets competency criteria and building competency model.
2.6 Competency Level Assessment
Developing of human capital of public servant is, nowadays, an essential
issue in era of ―Good Governance‖. Public servant is demanded not only to identify
public needs but also to understand how public acts and works in global affairs.
Malaysia‘s government realizes in era of competitive global and global challenges
that pubic services must be delivered better in responding public‘s intention and
willingness. One of some changing strategy is by emphasizing competency of all
employees in delivering of well public services and goods. Improving
57
workers/employees‘ ability and capacity aims extensively to increase the delivering
of public services. The strategy is by encouraging every employee to have sufficient
knowledge in each standard of official position level (Sayed, 2008)
Malaysia‘s government implements Penilaian Tahap Kecakapan
(Competency Level Assessment), usually called PTK, for stimulating every
employee in public sector to increase his or her knowledge. The government felt
there was a lack of competency of in Malaysia‘s prior performance appraisal
systems. Beside of other reason, the government, hence, initiated to set up PTK as a
new crucial measurement involved in Malaysia‘s performance appraisal systems.
PTK is a measurement formed under Malaysia Remuneration System—Sistem
Saraan Malaysia (SSM), which started in 2002 (Sayed, 2008).
PTK embodied in Malaysia‘s small circular No. 4 of 2002 raises some main
objectives; whereby, realizing ―knowledge-workers‖ in public sector is an aim of
Competency Level Assessment (PTK) involving in other following main objectives,
as below:
a) To encourage the self-development of employees by continues learning;
b) To encourage the use of knowledge, skills, creativity, innovation, and multi-
skilling in work practices;
c) To implement the spirit of team-work;
d) To realize ―learning organization‖ in public sector in other to reach the
objective of ―knowledge-workers‖ (k-workers)
e) To implement Human Resources Management based on competency
f) To improve of work promotion in public sector.
g) To recognize salary progression and career development (promotion) for
employees.
Competency level assessment (PTK) is a form of evaluation which requires
knowledge, skill, attitude and behavior of employees in doing all of their jobs and
responsibility. Competency of employees is divided in two kinds, generic
competency and functional competency. Generic competency is knowledge, skill and
behavior which are as provisions to have to be owned by employees without
referring their grade and their organization. On the other hand, functional
competency is specified knowledge, skill and behavior which are as provisions to
58
have to be owned by employees for implementing particular jobs or works in a
certain position (Sayed, 2008).
The test of PTK is distinguished by either ―test by sit-in-examination‖ or ―test
by course‖. In sit-in-test, every employee just has examination, no course provided
before examination. On the other hand, test-by-course requires an employee to have
lectures, lessons and meeting before the employee has examination. These types of
test are provided for professional staff and supporting staff, certain levels of
competency assessment (Sayed, 2008).
2.7 Summary
Based on the whole content of this chapter, discussion involves
competencies, competencies usage justification, professional international bodies‘
competencies, theoretical framework and competency model have been discuss
thoroughly. Through the discussion, there are 3 types of competencies with 8
elements of competencies which are suitable to be used in this research of technical
workers competency at the Healthcare maintenance service. 3 types of competencies
are core competencies (make up with 5 elements), functional competencies (made up
by 2 elements) and operational competency (made up by 1 element).
The next chapter will discuss about the two healthcare maintenance service
RadiCare and UEM Edgenta which they are the scope of this research and collecting
data process.
59
CHAPTER 3
HEALTHCARE MAINTENANCE SERVICE
3.1 Introduction
What is maintenance? Maintenance is describe as the management,
control, execution and quality of those activities which will reasonably ensure
that design levels of availability and performance of assets are achieved in
order to meet business objectives. Another definition of maintenance is that it
is works that are carried out to preserve an asset (such as a roof or a heating
boiler), in order to enable its continued use and function, above a minimum
acceptable level of performance, over its design service life, without
unforeseen renewal or major repair activities (CHOA, RDH Building
Engineering Ltd., 2012).
Another definition of maintenance is to repair unscheduled and
scheduled deficiencies during the time period in which they occur. This
includes preventive maintenance for buildings, structures and installed
building equipment (IBE) as recommended by the manufacturer. It also
includes engineering and/or contracted Architectural and Engineering (A&E)
services that support planning, design and execution of maintenance service.
Of course maintenance departments did not always exist; there was no
need for them when production of goods was done on a very small scale.
60
Most early factories, after being mechanized, typically employed only
unskilled workers. The majority of maintenance issues were therefore left up
to the early engineers and owners. Not only did they work together in
repairing machinery, but they also cooperated when purchasing and setting up
new machinery. At this point, there were few issues regarding organization or
motivation of maintenance 2 personnel. However, as technology advanced,
more types of machinery were made available, and the need for maintenance
personnel increased. Ben Niebel, author of Engineering Maintenance
Management (Industrial Engineering), asserts that in 1969 maintenance
departments in manufacturing organizations only comprised 1-17% of the
work force and only 1- 12% in 1981. However, these percentages have since
risen because of the use of automated machinery; automation is taking the
place of manual labor and maintenance responsibilities are increasing
accordingly (B. Niebel, 1994).
Maintaining any production equipment purchased is of utmost
importance, especially to highly mechanized manufacturing organizations
that do not have the means to replace their equipment every decade or so.
Regular maintenance greatly prolongs equipment life and keeps downtimes to
a minimum, which can quickly add up to significant cost savings.
Maintenance materials alone can add up to half of the total maintenance cost
in U.S. industry (B. Niebel, 1994). If these expenses can be cut by
substituting planned and preventive maintenance for more reactive or
emergency work, more money and time can be spent on production-focused
improvements. Another important point to remember is that not only are
maintenance departments capable of making expense cuts, but they also have
―an effect on the marketability of the product and can be a factor in the
change in future product demand‖ (A. Wilson, 2002). While maintenance
departments are not directly related to production, they can still have a
profound effect on the quality and cost of the end product. The importance of
maintaining equipment may seem obvious for any company that plans on
being around for a substantial length of time, but using a computerized
maintenance 3 management system (CMMS) is not always seen as a
necessary step.
61
If maintenance expenditure is viewed as the necessary premium to be
paid for reliability insurance, then it follows that all maintenance activity
should be directed towards maximum returns on that investment, i.e.
improved reliability. Rarely is that found to be the focus. Usually the
emphasis is on returning the machine to service as quickly as possible
without any serious consideration of reliability improvement while the
opportunity is presented.
Maintenance is a Risk Control activity
Risk = Consequence x Probability = Consequence x (Opportunity x
Chance)
(Source: Asset maintenance Management, The Path toward Defect Elimination)
The expenditure of maintenance dollars on risk management (e.g.
condition monitoring, process control, etc.) should be directly related to the
probability and consequences of failure. Often reasonable judgments based
on experience can be made without the rigor and expense of exhaustive
failure modes analysis. Sometimes, however, a formal risk assessment must
be made and decisions made based on those outcomes.
Core maintenance activities are defined by design and process.
Additional maintenance activity results from premature equipment
failure.
Unexpected failures may incur other costs or losses - such as lost
production, diversion of planned maintenance resources, loss of
reputation, penalties for late delivery, etc.. These are usually very much
greater than the actual repair costs of the failure
(Source: Asset maintenance Management, The Path toward Defect Elimination)
62
3.2 History of Maintenance
Much has happened in engineering since the industrial revolution a couple of
hundred years ago, but perhaps the most dramatic changes have occurred in the last
fifty years. These changes have of course affected how industry's plant has been
maintained.
Prior to the Second World War machinery was generally quite rugged and
relatively slow running; instrumentation and control systems were very basic. The
demands of production were not overly severe so that downtime was not usually a
critical issue and it was adequate to maintain on a breakdown basis. This machinery
was inherently reliable. Even today we can see examples of machines made in that
period which have worked very hard and are still essentially as good as the day they
were made.
From the 1950's with the rebuilding of industry after the war, particularly
those of Japan and Germany, there developed a much more competitive marketplace;
there was increasing intolerance of downtime. The cost of labor became increasingly
significant leading to more and more mechanization and automation. Machinery was
of lighter construction and ran at higher speeds. They wore out more rapidly and
were seen as less reliable; perhaps it was too that they were utilized more fully.
Production demanded better maintenance which leads to the development of Planned
Preventative Maintenance.
It was recognized that at a level of failure of, say, 10 machines in 100, the
probability of failure had become unacceptably high and the full group of machines
should be overhauled. However, there may be a significant loss in potential life in the
remaining group of machines, but in view of the risk this was considered justified.
The planning involved plant overhauls based upon a time interval or usage at which
the failure rate of a group of similar machines became unacceptable. This lead to the
basic assumption that the older equipment gets the more likely it is to fail. This was
the age of the "Bathtub Curve".
63
Figure 3.1 The Bathtub Curve was Presumed Applicable to All Machines
Based on the figure 4.1, the early-failure period also known as the Infant
Mortality phase is to recognize the premature failure of components and is often seen
in plant in the few days or weeks after overhaul. The useful-life period also known as
the normal operating life phase shows a relatively constant probability of failure.
Failures within this phase are usually referred to as random failures. The last phase
which is the wear out period also known as the wear out failures shows an
increasingly probability of component failure between equal and successive time
intervals. Somewhere within this period the failure rate would become unacceptable
and widespread maintenance would be carried out, usually of an intrusive nature, on
equipment still in its ‗normal operating life‘. This is a kin to carrying out open heart
surgery on healthy machines.
3.3 Asset Maintenance Evolution
From the 1980's plant and systems became increasingly complex, the
demands of the competitive marketplace and intolerance of downtime increased, and
maintenance costs continued to rise. Along with the demands for greater reliability at
a lower cost came new awareness of failure processes, improved management
techniques and new technologies to allow an understanding of machine and
component health. The study of Risk has become very important. Environmental and
64
safety issues have become paramount. New concepts have emerged; condition
monitoring, just in time manufacturing, quality standards, expert systems, reliability
centered maintenance to name but a few.
There is the thrust toward acceptance of life cycle costs which recognizes that
the design & build of a plant must be lumped in with the ongoing maintenance cost
and the eventual cost of decommissioning and disposal. Manufacturing and
production enterprises are under intense pressure to achieve maximum efficiency.
The winners will be seen to be – so we are told, those that maximize their investment
in people and equipment assets to achieve highest profitability.
In the United Kingdom the mid-90 saw the creation of The Institute of Asset
Management. Asset Management is currently receiving the full attention of most
organizations with the creation of new departments dedicated to its implementation –
no doubt there will be a period of exploration and evolution as it develops and
becomes understood. It will provide a means of integrating the many seemingly
unrelated parts into a whole that will provide for moving into a cohesive strategic
model.
3.4 Types of Maintenance
Maintenance serves to protect the owners‘ real estate investment in a
number of ways (RDH Building Engineering Ltd., 2012). There are:
ITEMS DESCRIPTIONS
Physical Integrity To keep the assets in good working order so as to
minimize disruptions and downtimes.
Risk Management To keep the assets in a state of good repair for the
owners‘ health and safety
Aesthetic Preservation To keep the assets from deteriorating in appearance
and becoming unsightly.
65
Responsible Stewardship To ensure that the assets achieve their full potential
service life.
Fiscal Responsibility To leverage efficiencies that can be reflected on the
owners‘ balance sheet.
Duty of Care To satisfy a legislated duty that is owned to owners,
occupants and guest on the property.
Duty to Mitigate To prevent unnecessary damage to assets that may
result in their premature failure.
Table 3.1 The many reasons for maintenance work on a property
(Source: Information Bulletin No.5, CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. & Real
Estate Foundation of BC)
According to the RDH Building Engineering Ltd, Bulletin no 5, in the
maintenance literature, it is generally recognized that maintenance
philosophies can be grouped into three broad categories.
NO TYPES OF
MAINTENANCE
DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
1. Corrective
Maintenance (CM)
Maintenance tasks are
intentionally withheld
until an asset stops
working or starts failing.
Maintenance is then
performed as
necessitated.
Lubricate motors when
they become noisy or
vibrations occur.
2. Preventive
Maintenance (PM)
Maintenance tasks are
performed at regular
intervals, based on
industry expected
equipment life spans and
failure patterns.
Lubricate pumps every
2,000 hours
3. Predictive Maintenance is conduced Conduct scans on pumps
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Maintenance (PdM) only when it is confirmed
necessary through the use
of non-destructive tests
that detect potential
failure conditions before
their occurrence.
and panels to determine
if and when work is
required.
Table 3.2 Maintenance philosophies and the description of each maintenance
types
(Source: Information Bulletin No.5, CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. & Real
Estate Foundation of BC)
3.4.1 Corrective Maintenance
A conscious decision is made to neglect an asset until it fails or until some
type of problem emerges. This maintenance strategy is therefore also referred to as
―Run to Failure‖ (RTF) or ―Fit and Forget‖ (F&F). No routine maintenance tasks are
performed and the only ―planned‖ maintenance on the asset is corrective
maintenance after a problem necessitates some action. Many strata corporations do
not intentionally allow their assets to run to failure. While they may find that they are
neglecting some of their assets, this is not a conscious decision but rather an
unfortunate consequence of other factors such as inadequate maintenance budgets,
poor planning or ignorance.
There is a subtle, but very important, distinction that must be made between
Corrective Maintenance (CM) and Reactive Maintenance (RM). In the case of CM,
the owners anticipate the consequences of their planned inaction, they are ready for
these consequences and they are therefore still in control. In the case of RM,
however, the owners are unaware of the consequences of their neglect, they are ill-
prepared and the assets are therefore in control of the owners.
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The following table provides a summary of some of the merits and limitations
of Corrective Maintenance (CM) by the organization.
Some Advantages Some Disadvantages
Lower short-term costs. Increased long-term costs due to
unplanned equipment downtime.
Requires less staff since less work is
being done.
Possible secondary equipment or process
damage.
Prone to neglect of assets.
Table 3.3 Summary of merits and limitations of Corrective Maintenance (CM)
(Source: Information Bulletin No.5, CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. & Real
Estate Foundation of BC)
In young buildings with new assets, workers can expect lower incidents of
failure. During this stage in the life cycle of a building, corrective maintenance may
appear (on the surface) to be a prudent and reasonable approach. However, this is
false economy and owners will find that attempts to defer costs until something
breaks will often result in additional costs.
In order for a Corrective Maintenance (CM) strategy to be considered
prudent (in some limited circumstances), assets must meet one or more of the
following criteria:
i. Assets that is not maintainable.
ii. Assets that is disposable and cheaper to replace than to fix.
iii. Small assets without significant financial value.
iv. Assets whose downtime is non-critical.
v. Assets that are not subject to wear and tear.
vi. Assets that is unlikely to fail during the life of the building.
vii. Assets that is prone to technological obsolescence.
Corrective maintenance has a legitimate role to play in the overall
maintenance program, albeit a limited one. The advantages of corrective
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maintenance can be viewed as a double-edged sword and therefore skill and care is
required when determining which assets should be allowed to run to failure.
(Source: Information Bulletin No.5, CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. & Real
Estate Foundation of BC)
3.4.2 Preventive Maintenance (PM)
In this strategy, the assets are subjected to a regular schedule of maintenance
tasks, such as inspections, cleaning, lubrication, adjustments and calibration. The
work is performed on a routine basis regardless of whether functionality or
performance of the asset is degraded. The frequency of the maintenance is generally
constant and is usually based on the expected life of the components being
maintained.
The maintenance is carried out at predefined intervals in an attempt to reduce
equipment failures or to ensure a consistent appearance of the assets. As the assets
age, the frequency and number of checkpoints may need to be re-evaluated. These
tasks are usually done frequently and require a relatively constant amount of labor
and materials.
Preventive Maintenance (PM) has several advantages over that of a
Corrective Maintenance (CM) program. As a result of PM activities (such as
lubrication and filter change) the equipment will run more efficiently and will also
extend the life of the equipment closer to the intended design life, which translates
into dollar savings. While PM will not prevent equipment catastrophic failures, it
will decrease the number of failures.
69
Some Advantages Some Disadvantages
Increased component lifecycle It can be labor intensive
Reduced asset failure Failures are still likely to occur despite
PM work being carried out.
Some potential energy saving It may include the performance of
unnecessary maintenance required by the
preset maintenance schedule.
Estimated 12-18% cost savings over
Corrective Maintenance (CM)
Table 3.4 Summary of merits and limitations of Preventive Maintenance (PM)
(Source: Information Bulletin No.5, CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. & Real
Estate Foundation of BC)
A Preventive Maintenance (PM) strategy is most appropriate when
assets meet one or more of the following criteria:
i. Assets that are subject to predictable wear-out and consumable
replacement.
ii. Assets whose failure patterns are known and can be modeled.
iii. Assets that are highly regulated for health and safety reasons. For
example, elevators and fire protection equipment.
iv. Assets that can be effectively captured under a service contract. For
example, HVAC, landscaping and janitorial)
(Source: Information Bulletin No.5, CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. & Real
Estate Foundation of BC)
3.4.3 Predictive Maintenance
This maintenance strategy is based on monitoring and measuring the
condition of the assets to determine whether they will fail during some future period
and then taking appropriate action to avoid the consequences of that failure.
70
Monitoring includes, for example, looking out for excessive vibration, temperature
changes, lubrication degradation, or by observing any other unhealthy trends that
occur over time.
This philosophy consists of scheduling maintenance activities only if and
when conditions warrant. When the condition gets to a predetermined unacceptable
level, the equipment is shut down to repair or replace damaged components so as to
prevent a more costly failure from occurring.
A variety of technologies are used to help monitor the condition of assets.
The process begins with the sampling of physical data over time, such as vibrations
or particulate matter in oil. Measurements detect the onset of a degradation
mechanism, thereby allowing causal stressors to be eliminated or controlled prior to
any significant deterioration in the asset. Analysis is then performed on the collected
data to develop an appropriate maintenance schedule that is tailored to the assets and
its condition.
Predictive Maintenance (PdM) differs from Preventative Maintenance (PM)
in that it bases maintenance needs on the actual condition of the assets rather than on
some preset schedule. This approach offers cost savings over time-based preventative
maintenance because tasks are performed only when warranted.
Some Advantages Some Disadvantages
Increased component lifecycle An upfront capital lost associated with an
increased investment in diagnostic
equipment.
Decrease in equipment downtime Increased investment in staff training
Estimated 6% to 15% cost savings over
Preventive Maintenance (PM) program.
Table 3.5 Summary of merits and limitations of Predictive Maintenance (PdM)
(Source: Information Bulletin No.5, CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. & Real
Estate Foundation of BC)
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The Predictive Maintenance (PdM) maintenance strategy lends itself
well to some electrical and mechanical systems and assets with the following
attributes:
i. Assets with random failure patterns.
ii. Assets that are not subject to straight-line wear.
iii. Assets that will significantly impact the owners‘ operations if there is
any downtime.
iv. Assets with measurable performance threshold.
(Source: Information Bulletin No.5, CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. & Real
Estate Foundation of BC)
Based on the three types of maintenance include in the bulletin No.5 of
CHOA, RDH Building Engineering Ltd. And Real Estate Foundation of BC, there
are advantages and disadvantages from performing the maintenance works. This
however will affect the capability and efficiency of the machinery that are
maintained. The organization used these three types of maintenance as the
maintenance management sources for the company.
According to the Technical Information Document, Maintenance
Management Systems (2000), Maintenance Management is an orderly and
systematic approach to planning, organizing, monitoring and evaluating maintenance
activities and their costs. A good maintenance management system coupled with
knowledgeable and capable maintenance staff can prevent health and safety
problems and environmental damage; yield longer asset life with fewer breakdowns;
and result in lower operating costs and a higher quality of life.
The technical information document has classified the maintenance works
into 4 categories which are:
72
No Types of Maintenance Description
1. Routine Maintenance (RM)
Ongoing maintenance activities such as cleaning
washrooms, grading roads
and mowing lawns, which are required because
of continuing use of the facilities
2. Preventive Maintenance
(PM)
Periodic adjustment, lubrication and inspection
of mechanical or other equipment to ensure
continuing working condition
3. Major Projects
Major projects such as floor replacement, re-
roofing, or complete re-painting which
are performed once every few years; and
4. Emergency Maintenance
(EM)
Unexpected breakdowns of assets or equipment.
These are unpredictable or reactive type of
maintenance and are more difficult to schedule
than the above three categories.
Table 3.6 The types of maintenance and the description of the maintenance
(Source: Technical Information Document, Maintenance Management Systems,
2000)
To summarize the types of maintenance from both of the organization and
document, it is clearly that there are 4 main types of maintenance service around the
globe. There are:
i. Corrective Maintenance (CM)
ii. Preventive Maintenance (PM)
iii. Predictive Maintenance ( PdM)
iv. Emergency Maintenance (EM)
These 4 types of maintenance are very important to an organization to ensure
the sustainability of the organizations. There are objectives and goals that an
organization must achieve to raise the organization quality and reduce the
expenditure of the company.
73
Chart 3.2 The objective of maintenance in an organization
(Source: Maintenance Management System Handbook, 2001)
Figure 3.2 Types of maintenance framework objectives
3.5 Malaysia Healthcare Maintenance Service
Malaysia is composed of Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and
Sarawak on the island of Borneo, with a total land area of 330,803 km2. It is
composed of 13 states and three federal territories. Malaysia is a multiracial country
consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans and other ethnic groups.
The country continues to enjoy political stability, with a multi-ethnic and united
population. At the same time, per capita income has increased to US$ 15,650 and the
incidence of poverty has been reduced to less than 6.0%.
Malaysia's next medium term planning cycle (the 10th Malaysia Plan 10MP,
2011-2015) has started with the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) providing guidance
to ministries, state governments and statutory bodies on the submission of programs
and projects proposals to be implemented in 2011-2012. This will contribute to
achievements of outcomes (Key Result Areas - KRAs) of 10MP. The Ministry of
Health is responsible to outline the way forward in the health sector under Thrust 4
of the National Mission towards Improving the Standard and Sustainability of
Quality of Life. The three Ministerial KRAs identified by MOH under this Thrust
are: health sector transformation, healthy lifestyles and self- and community-
empowerment to increase responsibility to health.
PLANT
M
A
I
N
T
E
N
A
N
C
E
Reduce Breakdowns
Reduce Downtime
Improving Equipment
Improving Inventory
Control
Implementing Cost
Reduction
Maximizing Production
Optimizing Resources
Utilization
Optimizing useful Life
of Equipment
Minimizing Energy
Usage
Providing Budgetary
Control
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The idea of outsourcing the public healthcare of Malaysian Ministry of
Health (MoH) was raised in 1996 by the government while announcing the Seventh
Malaysia Plan in which to increase the efficiency of services and to retain its own
qualified and experienced manpower. In the sense to gradually reduce its role in the
provision of health services, the Government will increase its functions as
enforcement and regulator (Economic Planning Unit, 1996). Its mechanisms
implementation are very diverse that includes sale of equity or assets, lea s e of
assets, management contracts, build-operate transfer or build-own-operate, and
management-buy-out (Chan, 2002).
The outsourcing project has created a mixture of reactions from the public
and other public interest groups concerning the low-income, the elderly, and the
disabled (Sangaralingam and Ra m an, 2003; Chan, 2000). Their concern is based on
an increased in the operational costs of support services (Chan, 2000). The same
issue was also raised at the 3rd parliamentary meeting of the lower hall (Dewan
Rakyat) on the increase of the operational costs from RM470 Million (£67 M) to
RM510 M (£7.25 M) in 1999.
3.5.1 Outsourcing
Outsourcing which previously known as contracting out has been recognized
and established successfully (Kakabadse, 2002). Hence, it could not be regarded as a
new idea in management (Jenster and Pederson, 2000). It is a process of
externalizing tasks and service previously y performed in-house, to outside vendor s
(Jenster and Pederson, 2000). Hence, it can be seen as an action took to minimize the
workload of any practice fir m by subletting its services or tasks to another firm.
There are differences in the aim and arrangement of outsourcing subject to the nature
of the firm (Kakabadse, 2000).
Outsourcing involves the transfer of an organization‘s regular business
activities (functions and processes) to an outside service provider that provides the
75
services back to the organization, as defined in a (typically) long term contract
(Chamberland & Henderson, 2003). The core of an out-sourcing arrangement is that
the control and ownership of the business activities are put into the hands of the
service provider. The service providers then own and manage the business process,
including the resources that are used to provide the services to that organization
(Chamberland & Henderson, 2003).
According to the Outsourcing Handbook, A guide to outsourcing by Deloitte,
outsourcing is defined as a contracting out of a business function to an external
supplier, involving the transfer of people, processes and assets. This contracting out
can be undertaken at either an onshore or off-shore location, and to one (single-
sourced) or more (multi-sourced) outsourcing partners.
The phenomenon of outsourcing generally refers to procurement of materials
and services inputs by a firm from a source outside. In this context, outsourcing can
be both internal and international. Internal outsourcing is the purchase by a company
of services or material inputs from a source located in another firm within the same
country. International outsourcing is defined as the purchase by a company of
services or material inputs from a source located in another country. This term
includes both intra-firm international outsourcing (by which foreign supplier of
inputs is still held by the firm), and distance international outsourcing (by which
foreign supplier of inputs is independent of the company that uses inputs)(Victor-
Adrian & Dumitru-Alexandru, 2012).
International outsourcing is part of imports of goods and services of the
country. Another term often used for international outsourcing is "off shoring".
International outsourcing is mostly used by firms in advanced economies, which
directs part of the work by companies located in developing countries in particular to
reduce costs. The novelty at this time in the field of outsourcing is that it has gained
momentum in the services. For a long time the service sector was considered
impenetrable to international competition. With improved communications
technology, such as the internet, services can cross political borders via the airwaves,
getting at the same time, access to cheap labor, but well prepared (Victor-Adrian &
Dumitru-Alexandru, 2012).
76
It was only in m id-1990s that the scope of outsourcing outstretched to
administrative work (Stright and Candio, 2000) with a distinctive approach between
a public and private sector. While the aims of private sectors are to a c hieve cost
reduction (Kakabadese, 2002; Burnes and Anastasiadis, 2003), the public sector on
the other hand, seeks to ―achieve best practice, to improve the cost discipline skills of
managers, to improve the quality of the service and to help senior managers focus
more clearly on the core competencies of the organizations‖ (Kakabadse, 2001, 406).
3.5.2 Advantages of Outsourcing
According to CIPS organization, they believe that outsourcing services to
organizations which are specialists in the provision of the service in question can
lead to many benefits including:
i. More efficient and expert service. For example, workers that complies
with the industrial standards.
ii. Improved resources. For example, staff being professionally trained
iii. Higher quality of service
iv. Customers‘ needs being met
v. Lower overall cost
vi. Concentration by buying organizations on core activity
Moreover, CIPS also believes that many organizations have not realized the
potential from outsourcing. Some typical reasons for this believes are:
i. Poor requirement specification
ii. Failure to attract innovation
iii. Outsourcing a poorly performing area without attempting to improve
it first.
iv. Weak and badly written contracts.
77
v. Poorly handled workforce issues.
vi. Conflict of interest between colleagues
vii. High bidding costs
viii. Inappropriate allocation of risk and reward.
Finally, CIPS believes that the benefits delivered from outsourcing depend
upon:
i. The degree of efficiency in the in-house service.
ii. The extent to which customers‘ needs were already being met.
iii. The process used to determine the service provider and the outsourced
requirement specification.
iv. A well written and properly managed contract. Example, a contract
with a service specification which includes description and service
levels.
According to Mark Power, Kevin DeSouza and Carlo Bonifazi, outsourcing
is a strategic tool used by organizations to achieve competitive advantage. The
unfavorable economic context determines the large companies to outsource business
processes in the main line, thereby sacrificing a part of control over resources and
information to reduce costs. The level of savings made by outsourcing companies
can reach 10 to 15% on the total cost, mainly due to economies of scale. Besides
financial considerations, there are some advantages of outsourcing, such as increased
focus on core processes, access to resources not available internally and
standardizing processes. On the other hand, there are some concerns about
outsourcing, and organizational strength, loss of control and doubts about the quality
and performance. Outsourcing initially a preferred option for small businesses and no
collateral sufficient to support activities of their specialization, in recent years has
become a solution for medium and large firms.
Another stud y on benefit s of outsourcing portrays an increased in flexibility
on staffing where ―less expenses related to employee salaries, health and benefits,
training, administrative costs, and retirements programs are taken into account‖
78
(Martin and McDermott, 2001, 47). This is an opportunity sought by the government
to reduce government‘s spending (Kakabadse, 2001, Burnes and Anastasiadis, 2003).
Despite the benefits and advantages offered by outsourcing, there are a few
disadvantages emerge. The issue is much related to the risks in transaction costs
explained by William son (1975 and 1985). The definition of transaction costs given
by William son (1996, 379) is ―The ex-ante costs of drafting, negotiating and
safeguarding an agreement and, more especially, the ex post costs of m a l adaption
and adjustments that arise when contract execution is misaligned as a result of gaps,
errors, omissions, and unanticipated disturbances; the costs of running a system‖.
Transaction costs constitute of motivation costs and coordination costs in
which have different scopes. For instance, the motivation costs are the costs of
motivating specialized agents to align their interests which usually derived from
opportunism while coordination costs are the costs of coordinating the actions
between the specialized agents and derived from bounded rationality
(EncycoGov.com , 2004)
Human beings exhibit bounded rationality whereby they have limitations on
information and hence restricts the m to process the information (Davies and Lee La
m , 2001) meanwhile opportunism is defined as ‗self-interest-seeking with guile‘
(William son, 1985,47) which carries the same meaning as lying, cheating,
concealing information and breaking contracts (Davies and Lee Lam , 2001).
There are three elements in the transaction costs mainly the search and
information costs, bargaining and decision costs, and policing and enforcement costs
(Ismail, 1997). Research by Lyson (1996, 268) found out that ―it will take up to two
years before organizations starts to achieve any financial benefits from outsourcing
and i n some cases the process may be cost natural‖.
The success of outsourcing lies heavily on the managing outsourcing
relationships (Kakabadse and Kakabadse, 2001; Burnes and Anastasiadis, 2003;
Stright and Candio, 2000; Wechsler, 2002; Malek, 2000; Kakabadse, 2003; Heikkilä
79
and Cordon, 20 0 2). Wechsler (2002) suggested that defining the function,
procedures and supporting processes are the main criteria.
Findings of Burnes and Anastasiadis (2003) showed that the public sector
have more stringent relationship that results the gap between the host organizations
and the service provider. It could due to the nature of the public organization which
emphasizes on implementing policies rather than seeking maximum profits as
pursues by the private sector.
Managing understanding, efficacy and transparent relationship between the
service provider and the host organization are very crucial to achieve the aims and
objectives of both parties. Without a transparent understanding of the management
strategies and having mutual understanding with vendors, the choice to outsource
might result a bad consequences.
3.6 UEM Edgenta
UEM Edgenta Berhad is one of the largest Total Asset Solutions providers
in the region that offers full suite of services throughout an asset lifecycle including
consultancy, procurement and construction planning, operations and maintenance,
optimization to rehabilitation and upgrade to the healthcare, infrastructure and
industrial sectors.
Listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia, UEM Edgenta has over 13,000
multi-national and multi-disciplinary employees spread across Malaysia, New
Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada & the United States, India, Indonesia
and the MENA region.
UEM Edgenta specializes in 8 businesses which cover the entire asset life
cycle:
80
i. Asset Consultancy
UEM Edgenta‘s Asset Consultancy capabilities span across various
sectors such as transport, buildings, water and environment with a
firm foothold in Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom,
Middle East, Canada and the United States. With over two decades of
experience in the industry, we have undertaken major projects for
over 12,000 clients worldwide in the Expressways and Highways,
Built Environment, Airports and Railways as well as Utilities sectors.
ii. Healthcare Service
UEM Edgenta‘s services range from biomedical engineering
maintenance to waste management and linen and laundry services, the
team at UEM Edgenta understands the demands of the healthcare
industry. We are internationally certified to provide Total Asset
Solutions for healthcare institutions. As a key player in this segment,
we have had the privilege of serving over 82 hospitals and various
healthcare institutions in Malaysia for the past 19 years. We also
operate in the India healthcare sector via a joint venture.
iii. Infra Services
With over 25 years of experience in highway maintenance, UEM
Edgenta has solidified its reputation as one of Malaysia‘s leading
Engineering and Infrastructure Maintenance Specialists. Our track
record is evident in the maintenance of expressways and state roads
(more than 2,000 km), airports, plantation roads, commercial
buildings, municipalities and urban transit that we maintain for major
clients locally. In the global arena, we have worked on infrastructure
maintenance projects in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates as well
as in Indonesia.
iv. Facilities Services
UEM Edgenta provides facilities management services for a range of
building types from institutional to retail, offices to hospitals,
educational institutions as well as homes.
81
v. Industrial Services UEM Edgenta provides facilities management services for a range of
building types from institutional to retail, offices to hospitals,
educational institutions as well as homes.
vi. Energy Services
UEM Edgenta provides energy savings solutions for efficient energy
management. Through our advanced and innovative technology
offerings, asset owners and operators can optimize a building‘s energy
performance and lower their carbon footprint, translating into reduced
asset management costs. Our remote monitoring system leverages on
real time monitoring software to capture building services data and
translate them into useful actionable output for real-time monitoring,
analysis and quick decision making. The application of this system
will enable us to detect and rectify any anomaly thus reducing the
operational costs for clients by optimizing energy consumption.
vii. Property Services
UEM Edgenta offers integrated township management and property
services to the largest institutional property owners in the country and
to those with single site interests. We will be your one-stop call centre
for any commercial property maintenance issues from repairs to
refurbishments and general maintenance in between.
viii. Environmental & Material Testing Services
At UEM Edgenta, they advocate for a strong emphasis on
environment & safety guidelines in development projects. With over
25 years of experience in providing pavement solutions, geotechnical
solutions, structural solutions & environmental solutions, they are the
ideal partner for carrying out assessments, monitoring and testing
services across a wide range of industries; from expressways and
construction to oil & gas and real estate development. Their team
specializes in initial site investigations and collection of raw data for
82
data analysis, technical assessments and offering of technical
solutions.
3.7 Radicare (M) Sdn. Bhd.
Radicare is an integrated facilities management company providing non-
clinical Hospital Support Services. With excellent track record, they have built their
specialization to meet the demand of the healthcare industry and deliver world class
services.
Today, Radicare is proud of its contribution in bringing improved standards
of facilities management to various hospitals and medical institutions in the Federal
Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu and
Pahang.
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CHAPTER 4
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1 Introduction
The chapter before discussed the background of UEM Edgenta and Radicare;
and the maintenance background which is the location of the data collecting.
Furthermore, the discussion in this chapter is the continuity from the general
description in Chapter1about the research methodology which is designed according
to the research objectives. This research is to identify the types of competencies
needed for a technical workers, importance of implementation of competencies and
the finally, the suggestion to improve the competencies level at the organization as
well as a suggestion policy on technical workers competencies. After the problem
statement has been identified, a suitable research strategy is planned one by one. A
suitable strategy is important for the collection of data in support of this research
writing.
Therefore, the choosing of the research strategy depends on several factors
such as research problem statement, research aims and research analysis. From the
choosing of a suitable strategy, suitable data collection and information are possible
to be identify, thus answered the objectives of the research and research questions.
Methodology is one of the most important factors in a research for a researcher to
gain access to accurate information and high reliability. It is the most important
method in collecting information and thus, obtaining the result in a research (Mohd
84
Majid, 2000; Rozumah and Nor Sheereen, 2006). Other than that, this chapter
describes the method on how this research is done to achieve the aims as described in
Chapter 1. Another discussion is related to the research design, population,
instrument and reliability, data collection and types of analysis used in analyzing the
data collected.
4.2 Research Paradigm
The term paradigm originated from the Greek word paradeigma which means
pattern and was first used by Thomas Kuhn (1962) to denote a conceptual framework
shared by a community of scientists which provided them with a convenient model
for examining problems and finding solutions. Kuhn defines a paradigm as: ―an
integrated cluster of substantive concepts, variables and problems attached with
corresponding methodological approaches and tools‖. According to him, the term
paradigm refers to a research culture with a set of beliefs, values, and assumptions
that a community of researchers has in common regarding the nature and conduct of
research (Kuhn, 1977). A paradigm hence implies a pattern, structure and framework
or system of scientific and academic ideas, values and assumptions (Olsen, Lodwick,
and Dunlop, 1992).
The paradigm concept was introduced by Thomas Kuhn in the early 1960
(Gummesson, 2000), Guba and Lincoln (1994) saw paradigm as a set of reliability
and a set of assumptions that are been made, act as a starting point in guiding the
research into the next step. TerreBlanche and Durrheim (1999), the research process
has three major dimensions: ontology, epistemology and methodology. According to
them, a research paradigm is an all-encompassing system of interrelated practice and
thinking that define the nature of enquiry along these three dimensions. Ontological
assumption related to the research opinions towards the world whether from a
subjective perspectives or objective perspectives. The other aspects are to identify
whether the researches are in the field and aware of the reality or the reality is the
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product which is identified. According to Arlbjorn and Halldorsson (2002),
positivists saw reality as an entity which exist and measurable.
Despite that, interpretavist saw reality as a subjective interpretation.
According to Creswell (2003), epistemological assumption related to the relationship
between the research and the subject that are being researched, whether they stand on
their own or interact with the researches. Another research process is Axiological
which is not mention by TerreBlanche and Durrheim (1999). Axiological is related to
the philosophy of surveying role value. It is a research about the value or quality
which is closely related to ethics and aesthetics. The string difference between
realities, relation between researches and researches subjects and role value will
finally than be converge to the design of the research.
According to another research, Ontological and epistemological aspects
concern what is commonly referred to as a person's worldview which has significant
influence on the perceived relative importance of the aspects of reality. Two possible
worldviews are: objectivistic and constructivist. These different ways of seeing the
world have repercussions in most academic areas; yet, none of these views is
considered to be superior to the other. Both may be appropriate for some purposes
and insufficient or overly complex for other purposes. Also a person may change
his/her view depending on the situation.
According to Lather (1986a) research paradigms inherently reflect our beliefs
about the world we live in and want to live in. Based on this belief, Guba and
Lincoln (1994) distinguish between positivist, post-positivist and postmodernist
enquiry, grouping postmodernism and post-structuralism within ‗critical theory‘. The
nature of reality assumed by positivism is realism, whereby a reality is assumed to
exist; in contrast, post-positivism assumes that this ‗reality‘ is only ‗imperfectly and
probabilistically apprehend able‘ (Guba and Lincoln, 1994, p. 109). Post-positivism
is viewed as a variant of the former positivism, but they are both objectivist.
Yet another research by Gephart (1999), he classified research paradigms into
three philosophically distinct categories as positivism, interpretivism and critical
postmodernism.
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Influence/ guides
Underlying Epistemology
Figure 4.1 Underlying philosophical assumptions (Source: Gephart, 1999)
Further, these three philosophical perspectives are the popular paradigms in
contemporary social, organizational, and management research. The key features of
these three perspectives that include the worldview, the nature of knowledge
pursued, and the different means by which knowledge is produced and assessed
within each paradigm or worldview are discussed below. However, there is no
consensus, as to whether these research paradigms are necessarily opposed or
whether they can be seen as contributing a different role in the same study.
Research paradigm and the selection of topics is the main subject that needs
to be discussed in the research design. As we all know, there are two types of main
research method, quantitative research method and qualitative research method.
Besides that, there is another research method which is widely used globally today,
that is mix research method. Philosophy assumptions which are considered relevant
are closely related to the foundation of epistemology in this research. Although there
are several epistemology assumption classification which exist in literature (Guba
and Lincoln, 1994), but to explain the foundation of this research paradigm, there are
only two epistemology principle which are popular, they are interpretevism and
positivism (Creswell, 2003). The interpretevism and positivism approach are
philosophical approach which are clearly different from each other in a research.
Interpretivism approach is to understand the reality holistically and social
constructed, compared through objectives. Through this approach, interpretivist start
Reduce Breakdowns
Improving
Equipment
Efficiency
Reduce
Downtime
Improving
Inventory
Control
87
the research with assumption in which the reality can only be understood through
social development (such as awareness, language and definition).
Generally, interpretivist does not interpret dependent and independent
variable from the beginning of the research, instead they focus on the human sense
holistic composition in making decision (Easterby-Smith, 1991). He explained that
positivism approach is based on the philosophical assumptions hold by researchers in
seeing the background of knowledge, world reality, how to study a phenomena and
the role of value. Positivism approach often known as quantitative researches, which
prioritize numeric and measurable data. Positivist held on to a philosophy which state
that a phenomenon exists in a relationship between course-effect and visible,
measurable variables (Mertens, 2005).
Besides that, according to O‘Leary (2004), positivist researches generally
tested the theory, the needs to formulate a hypothesis for the next assessment to
increase or improved the forecasting level of a certain phenomenon. Table 4.1 shows
the summarization of difference between the two approaches. Based on the
comparison between positivism and interpretism and the aim of this research,
positivism paradigm is considered suitable for this research as this research tends to
study the relationship and testing the hypothesis. According to the past competencies
studies, many researchers use quantitative approach such as Mohmad (2012) and
Rodriguez (2005).
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Dimension Paradigm
Interpretivism Positivism
Reliability
foundation towards
the reality
The world is built through
social interaction and
subjective.
Science is spurred by
human attitude
The world is objective
Science is free from value
Method Selection Use several methods to
obtain different opinions
on a phenomenon.
Use small sampling which
is research thoroughly
Operate concept so it can
be measured.
Through numerous sample
Research action Focused on the definition
Focused on each situation
overall
Trying to understand the
real situation.
Focused on the fact
Reduce the phenomenon to
the simplest element
Formulate and testing the
hypothesis
Table 4.1 Comparison between interpretivism and positivism paradigm summary.
(Source: Easterby-Smith, 1991)
Therefore, the existing variables and theories can be used in implementing
this research. Other than that, in the positivism paradigm, scientific method is the
foundation in which the research can test the hypothesis and support the findings
(Wicks and Freeman, 1998). Therefore, in Malaysia, especially to obtain a good
understanding regarding the identification of suitable competencies to be used in an
organization, quantitative research method approach is much suitable for this
research. Thus, the use of positivism paradigm in identification of technical workers
competencies in Healthcare Maintenance Service is very suitable.
4.3 Research Framework
In a research, the result of the research is determined by the research methods
and frameworks in which the research framework is determined by the aims of the
research. As well as the research in science social where it can be categorized based
on the research aims such as descriptive and explanation. Other than that, science
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social research can be categorized based on approaches, which are qualitative and
quantitative (Fielding and Schreier, 2001; Chua, 2006; Sabitha, 2006; Rozumah and
Nor Sheereen, 2006). These two approaches is different in nature of methods and
research technics (Chua, 2006a) such aims, concepts, research framework, sampling,
data collection, data analysis and instrument (Chua, 2006a). Quantitative approach
related with numeric data and the accuracy where they can be obtain through
experiment, observation and existing statistics (Fellows and Liu, 1997; Chua 2006a;
Sabitha, 2006). Therefore, the data measure from quantitative method is more
reliable as it focused on the reliability which can be done through descriptive
research or inference research (Chua, 2006a). Otherwise, qualitative method
approach related to the emotion, motivation and empathy which are closely related to
the natural situation of an individual or a certain group of people (Chua, 2006a;
Sabitha, 2006). Therefore, qualitative research datum is collected from interviews or
thorough observation on a subject (Sabitha, 2006).
Therefore this research is aiming to develop a competencies policy and
providing suggestions to improve the competencies or work level of the technical
workers in the healthcare maintenance service especially in general hospitals. The
research is in descriptive-correlation form which involves the collection of data for
preparing the competencies elements and the relation with other variables. Other than
that, a mix method approach is also used in this research as qualitative method is
used to support the elements in the quantitative variables. The use of the mix method
will strengthen the research (Cresweel and Plano, 2007).
Because of this research involves a big number of respondents from two
different hospitals and concessions, quantitative approach method is more suitable to
be use (Cohen, 2000). The quantitative approach is more structured, clear meaning,
linear, clear table and focused on the end results of the research (Sulaiman, 2002).
Usually, the approach that is being used to collect information in the descriptive
research is cross-sectional survey based on questionnaires that were given to the
respondents (Johnson and Christensen, 2004).
Observation research is a method of collecting data to describe, differentiate
and define knowledge, attitude, practice, and behavior (Ary, 1985). This method has
90
been used widely in many fields of studies and suitable to be used to collect
information related to behavior (Gorard, 2002). Most past research regarding
competencies used Delphi technic to obtain data where this technic has been used
since 1990s (Basinger, 2007). Although recently, most research used questionnaires
method for the collecting data process in the competencies field (Mohmad, 2012).
There are several special characteristics in using the observation research
method (Chua, 2006a), some of them are:
i. Can be used to say various kind of question, issue and problem in
various perspectives especially attitude, belief and individual views.
ii. Handling method is quite easy such as questionnaires and interviews.
iii. Data can be collect quickly and the result of the analysis obtained in
brief periods.
iv. The used of large sample size is unfeasible with experiment method.
v. Information is collected directly from samples.
vi. Survey results that can be generalized to the whole population.
Based on the characteristics and advantages of the research observation, thus
this method will be used in in this research to obtain data because of its nature which
is more scientific, logic (Burns, 1990) and research the variables relation from large
numbers of sample (Borg and Gall, 1983). Besides questionnaires, a qualitative
approach will also be implemented through interviews with samples in order to
understand more about the researched phenomenon (Creswell, 2005; Chua, 2006).
According to Chua (2006), interviews are one of the important methods in collecting
data in observation method where there are three types of interviews which have
been use by researchers before which are formal interviews, informal interviews and
open interviews (Patton, 1980). These interviews are often knows as structured
interviews, unstructured interviews and semi-structured interviews (Fontana and
Frey, 1994)
Therefore, this research methodology is based on four (4) phase where phase
one is to identify the problem and issues regarding competencies among technical
workers. The second phase of the research is to identify the objectives of the research
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as well as the method in which all the objectives can be achieve through observation,
analysis and several other approaches. The third phase is to analyze the data
collected from the sampling and thus make a conclusion based on the data obtained.
The last phase of the research is to make suggestion on the improvement of the
research as well as the suggestion of implementing a work policy regarding the
competencies levels of the technical workers in the healthcare maintenance service.
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Phase I
Problem statement identification
Research Question
Phase II
Research Objectives
Method
i. Competencies of the workers affect the productivity of
certain organization or company (National Economic
Advisory Council, 2010).
ii. The lack implementations of competencies in the working
environment by an organization can greatly reduce the
productivity of work supplied by the workers.
i. What are the type of competencies should a technical
worker possess?
ii. What is the importance‗s of competencies for a technical
worker in an organization?
iii. What are the suggestions to improve competencies‗ level of
an employee?
i. To identify the type of competencies needed for a technical
worker.
ii. To study the importance of competencies for a technical
worker in an organization.
iii. To provide suggestion in improving the competencies level
of an employee in the service.
Data Collections
Literature review
o Past research, documents, modules and standards
Questionnaires
o Open and closed-ended questions
Interviews with the Facility Managers
o Semi-structured interviews
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Phase III
Data analysis
Phase IV
Chart 4.1 Research Process
Data Discussion
Discussion related to the findings of data collected from
the respondents
Objective 1
Using SPSS software on questionnaires
Using frequencies and percentage analysis
Objective 2
Using SPSS software on questionnaires
Using mean analysis method
Objective 3
Using SPSS software on questionnaires
Using mean and frequency percentages analysis method
Recommendation and Suggestion
Providing recommendation and suggestion matters related
to competencies implementation in the organizations
94
4.4 Population and Research Sampling
Population refers to all research subjects such as objects, concept, people,
animals and others (Rozumah and Nor Sheereen, 2006). A sample though is some of
the subject population which is to study. A more thorough discussion will be
described in the next sub topic.
4.4.1 Research population
The population determine the scope of problem that need to be research and
how far is the information need to be gathered and analyze. The target population for
this research comprise of individuals who are related to the technical work of a
technician in the two hospitals. The selection of the population based on the
individuals who are directly involve with the maintenance work is because the
person possess the experience in handling maintenance work in the healthcare
maintenance service in both hospital. This is the most accurate when comes to
determine the competencies needed for a technical worker.
Therefore, the population for this research involves 2 hospital with different
outsource concession which are UEM Edgenta and Radicare. Both of this concession
or outsource company are complying within the requirements of Ministry of Health
Malaysia (MoH). UEM Edgenta responsible in handling maintenance work at Ipoh
General Hospital, Perak whereas Radicare is responsible in Ampang General
Hospital, Kuala Lumpur.
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4.4.2 Research Sampling
As per discussed in the previous sub topic, the population of the research is
within the two mentioned hospital which are Ipoh General Hospital and Ampang
General hospital. The research will focus on the individuals who are directly
involved with the maintenance work in the hospital itself.
Sampling is an important aspect which needs to be prioritized in a research
because it will give effect to the reliability of the research (Chua, 2006a). Besides
that, sampling is a statistic which is commonly used in research and it is a practical
method to obtain information about the population (Zulkarnain and Hishamuddin,
2001). There are two types of sampling methods, they are:
i. Probability Sampling. For example easy random sampling, systematic
sampling and clustered sampling)
ii. Non-probability Sampling such as intended sampling, coincidence
sampling, quota sampling, dimensional sampling, critical case
sampling and others.
(Source: Chua, 2006a)
The selection of sampling methods is based on several factors such as the aim
of the research, required sample size, cost and research time allocation (Sabitha,
206).
This research involve individuals within the scope of technical works
therefore this research choose non-probability sampling method. To obtained
competencies information in the field, only individuals which are related to the scope
of studies will be selected as the respondent. This research has chosen the research
subject based on the aim of the studies, therefore, purposive sampling method is
chosen because it can represent the objectives of a certain research related to the
researched phenomenon (Burn, 1995). Furthermore, the research sampling might
96
provide with valuable information related to the technical workers competencies in
both of the hospitals.
Thus, the total number of hospital for the purpose of this research is 2 with
the total estimated population of the research is 150 individuals (based on the number
of technical workers in both hospitals) where 76 individuals are from Ipoh General
Hospital whereas 74 individuals are from Ampang General Hospital. Because of this
research used purposive sampling, the size of population and sampling are the same.
The total sample is enough to achieve the research objectives (Patten, 1997; Sekaran,
2003; Chua, 2006a) where 30% is the minimum sample size which is required to
make a statistic interpretation in a research (Bailey, 1987). This number is enough for
the research involving correlation and comparison (Gay and Diejl, 1992).
4.5 Instrument
This research used two sets of instruments which are questionnaires and
interviews protocol to obtain quantitative data and qualitative data.
4.5.1 Questionnaires
Using the element in competencies field and competencies from literature
review, this research has prepared an instrument which is designed and accepted
globally, questionnaires. A questionnaire is a set of questions or items in writing
form. It is a tool designed specifically to collect information for the purpose of
analysis which can answer the research questions (Sabitha, 2006). The used of
questionnaire in the form of closed item and selective answer is very reliable because
it does not require the subject to think or providing new ideas to a certain question
(Kerlinger, 1986). There are several advantages or strength when using this method
which are the identity of the respondent is kept secret, using lest cost, can be
97
distribute to many people and can obtained a lot of imformation (Rozumah dan Nor
Sheereen 2006; Sabitha, 2006).
Based on the advantages factors of using questionnaire such as mentioned
before, the writer choose to use questionnaire in this research to obtained required
datum to answer the research questions and objectives. This instrument is prepared to
identify the competencies needed for a technical worker in the healthcare
maintenance service, importance of technical workers competencies implementation
in the organization and the suggestion to improved technical workers competencies
and performance in the healthcare maintenance service. The questionnaire consists of
four parts which are Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D (Table 4.2).
Part Items
B
Knowledge of competencies and type of competencies
Core Competencies
1. Knowledge of what are competencies.
2. Communication skill is one of the competencies needed by a technical
staff
3. Teamwork skill is one of the competencies needed by a technical staff
4. Problem solving skill and decision-making are competencies needed by a
technical staff
5. Professionalism and integrity skills are needed by a technical staff
6. Technical skill is one of the competencies needed by a technical staff
Competency by Education and Practice
7. These competencies are learned in any education institution
8. Special competencies based on training are one of the compulsory
element in maintenance field
Competencies by Law
9. Is it necessary for technical workers to have a certain competency or
skills?
10. Competencies based on law and regulations are compulsory components
in technical field.
C Importance of implementation of competencies for technical staff in an
98
organization
1. Competencies is important for the sustainability of an organization‘s
development
2. Competencies is an essential element to increase the organizations‘
productivity
3. Competent employees provide better service compared to incompetent
employees.
4. Competencies by law and regulation provide expertise to the field of
work
5. The efficiency‘s level of the employee influenced by his/her
competencies.
6. New staff recruitments are influenced by the workers competencies by
practice and education
7. The management of the organization focused on the employees‘
competencies development.
8. Communication skill is one of the competencies requirement that is very
important in work.
9. Teamwork skill is one of the competencies requirement that is very
important in work.
10. Problem solving and decision-making skills are important when doing
heavy work.
11. Professionalism attitude and integrity is one of the important elements to
improve work quality.
12. Technical competency is important for a worker to ensure that the work
is at optimum level.
D
Suggestion in improving the competencies level of employees in the
organization
1. Management need to recruit staff based on skill and competencies
2. Periodic courses to enhance skills and competency need to be organized
by top management
3. Providing a more conducive workplace to improve the occupational
quality.
4. Give reward to respect workers with excellent performance record.
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5. Motivated workers that are less competent to increase their efficiency
6. Improving two-way communication between
employees and employers to identify any problems that occurred
7. Creating relevant regulations for employee competency to
ensure services are given at optimum level
Table 4.2 List of questions in questionnaire
a. Priority Scale for the competencies instrument
The determination of measurement scale depends on the operation
definition for a research concept (Sekaran, 2003). There are four (4) types of
measurement scale which are nominal, ordinal scale, ratio scale and interval
scale. Nominal scale is a scale which uses numeric value to represent a
variable category. For the ordinal scale, it is a scale which involves
continuous data that have been arranged from ascending from small number
to higher number. Ordinal scale which is used often is Likert scale (Chua,
2006a). Moreover, for ratio scale, the difference between the numbers are the
same whereas for interval scale is arranged according to their numbers from
small to large where the value for smaller number is small and the value for
large numbers are large (Chua, 2006a).
Therefore, this research chose to use Likert scale because of this scale
is widely used especially in science social field such as management ,
business (Sekaran, 2003; Hair et al, 2003) facility management and many
more. The Likert scale can use even point (4, 6, 8, 10) or odd point (3, 5, 7,
and 9) depends on the research requirements. Therefore, a scale without a
neutral point is used where Cook (2005) suggested a 6 point scale or a 10
point scale is to be used to reduce the error of data. Besides that, if a research
requires a respondent to stand on an opinion, even point should be used (Hair
et al, 2003). This is because if the midpoint is used, it will refer as neutral or
not sure and not average level.
100
Thus, for this research, the measurement scale to be use is a 6 point
Likert scale. In this research, the element Importance of technical staff
competencies and suggestion to improve the competency level of a technical
staff used scale 1 as irrelevant and scale 6 as strongly agreed.
b. Demographic Information
i. Respondents Gender
Scale for the gender category accordingly, 1 for male respondents and
2 for female respondents
ii. Age category
Scale for the age category accordingly, 1 for below 25 years old, 2 for
25- 40 years old and 3 for above 40 years old.
iii. Races category
Scale for the races category accordingly, 1 for Malay, 2 for Chinese, 3
for Indian and 4 for other races.
iv. Working Departments category
Scale for the working department category accordingly, 1 for
Mechanical, 2 for Civil, 3 for Electrical and 4 for Administration
v. Education category
Scale for education category accordingly, 1 for SPM, 2 for Diploma, 3
for Degree and 4 for other types of education.
vi. Working experience category
Scale for working experience category accordingly, 1 for below 5
years, 2 for 6-10 years, 3 for 11-20 years and 4 for above 20 years.
101
4.6 Summary
Generally, the whole chapter 4 discussed about the research method used for
this research. These include positivism and interpretism paradigm which is
measurement in the research philosophy. After that, the research framework which
involves sampling is described where purposive sampling is used and involved
individuals who are directly involved in maintenance work in the two general
hospitals. The sampling technic used is suitable because it represents the population
of the hospitals involved in the research.
Other than that, the research instrument and the measurement scales are also
discussed in this chapter. The instrument is build based on reference from the
measured variable literature which represents the competency elements that are being
researched. The next chapter will discuss the findings for all of the research
objectives.
102
CHAPTER 5
DATA FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
5.2 Respondent’s Profile
This research is done among the staff in 2 different maintenance
service concessions which are UEM Edgenta and RadiCare including the
management staffs and the technical staff. Table 5.1 shows the overall
summary of the respondents profile involves in the research. Overall, the
respondents or in other word, individual who gives responses to the research
questionnaires are 107. From the total of respondent above, 63 respondents
are staffs from UEM Edgenta Ipoh General Hospital (58.88%) whereas 44
respondents are from Radicare Ampang General Hospital (41.12%). For the
gender category, 85 respondents are male (79.4%) whereas only 22
respondents are female (20.6%). As for the age of the respondents‘ category,
majority of the workers are around 25 to 40 years old (63.6%), whereas only
18 respondents are below 25 years old (16.8%) and 21 respondents are above
40 years old (19.6%). In the races category, the majority of the respondents
are Malay (96.3%) and only 4 respondents are Indian (3.7%). As for the
working department categories, 33 respondents are in the Mechanical
department (30.8%), 31 respondents are in Civil department (29%), 24
respondents are in administration (22.4%) and only 19 respondents (17.8%)
are in Electrical department.
103
Based on the frequencies value and percentages, we can summarize
that majority of the respondents have diploma education background with
65.4% and 26 respondents have degree background education (24.3%). SPM
level education recorded the least respondents with only 11 individuals
(10.3%). Table 5.1 also shows the frequencies value and percentage of the
respondents working experiences. 34 respondents have less than 5 years of
working experience in the field (31.8%) whereas 35 respondents have 6 to 10
years of experience. The balances of the respondents are 20 (18.7%) and 18
(16.8%) with 11 to 20 year and more than 20 years of working experience
respectively.
104
Category Items Frequency Percentage
(%)
Respondents UEM Edgenta, Ipoh General Hospital
RadiCare, Ampang General Hospital
63
44
58.88
41.12
Gender Male
Female
85
22
79.4
20.6
Ages
Below 25 years old
25-40 years old
Above 40 years old
18
68
21
16.8
63.6
19.6
Races Malay
Indian
103
4
96.3
3.7
Working
Departments
Mechanical
Civil
Electric
Administration
33
31
19
24
30.8
29.0
17.8
22.4
Education
SPM
Diploma
Degree
11
70
26
10.3
65.4
24.3
Working
Experience
Below 5 years
6-10 years
11-20 years
Above 20 years
34
35
20
18
31.8
32.7
18.7
16.8
Table 5.1 Respondents‘ Information
5.3 Data Findings for First Objectives
As we know, the first objective of this research is to identify the types of
competencies needed for technical staff especially in the maintenance service sector.
The first objective is achieved from these steps:
105
i. Firstly, the construction of the variables to achieve the objective is
through content validity process namely:
a) Reading, assessment and discussion that is comprehensive
towards maintenance staff competencies.
b) Data collection from interviews and questionnaires that
was carried out.
ii. Secondly, the types of technical staff competency for individuals who
manage facility maintenance in hospital through frequency and
percentage.
The description and relevant discussion of the first step had been
explained in chapter 3 in sub instrument topic and credibility and instrument
validity. In this chapter, the second step of the process will be presented.
5.3.1 Frequency and Percentage Analysis
Frequency and percentage analysis is a descriptive statistics in which
quantitatively describing the characteristics of a set of data.
5.3.1.1 Core Competencies
This research includes types of core competencies variables which are
measured with 6 items. They are communication skills, teamwork skills, problem
solving skills, professionalism and integrity skill and technical skills.
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Code Question Frequencies
Yes No
B2 Communication skill is one of the competencies needed by
a technical staff
107 0
B3 Teamwork skill is one of the competencies needed by a
technical staff
107 0
B4 Problem solving skill and decision-making is one of the
competencies needed by a technical staff
105 2
B5 Professionalism and integrity skills are one of the
competencies needed by a technical staff
105 2
B6 Technical skill is one of the competencies needed by a
technical staff
106 1
Table 5.2 Respondent‘s response on core competencies
Based on the Table 5.2 and Table 5.3, all respondents (100%) answered yes
for questions B2 and B3. B2 is about communication skills and B3 is about
teamwork skills. From this value, we can conclude that all responded agree that the
two skills are needed for a technical staff. As for question B4 and B5, 105 respondent
(98.1%) agree that problem solving skills and professionalism and integrity skills are
important for a technical worker. The other 1.9% respondent however does not agree
that both of the skills are required for the staffs. The last question for the core
competency is regarding technical skills. 106 respondents (99.1%) agree that every
individuals who works in technical field need to have technical skills whereas only 1
respondent (0.9%) who disagree with the needs of technical skills for technical staffs.
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Code Question %
Yes No
B2 Communication skill is one of the competencies needed
by a technical staff
100.0 0.0
B3 Teamwork skill is one of the competencies needed by a
technical staff
100.0 0.0
B4 Problem solving skill and decision-making is one of the
competencies needed by a technical staff
98.1 1.9
B5 Professionalism and integrity skills are one of the
competencies needed by a technical staff
98.1 1.9
B6 Technical skill is one of the competencies needed by a
technical staff
99.1 0.9
Table 5.3 Percentage of respondent response on core competencies
5.3.1.2 Competency by Education and Practice
This research includes the influenced of education towards technical workers
competencies which are measured with only 2 item. It is the teaching of
competencies in educational institution and competency by practice.
Code Question Frequencies
Yes No
B7 These competencies are learned in any educational
institution 91 16
B10 Special competencies based on training are one of the
compulsory element in maintenance field 90 17
Table 5.4 Respondents‘ response on competency by education and practice
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Based on the Table 5.4 and Table 5.5, 91 respondents (85%) agree that the
core competencies are leaned during their time in the educational institutions. 16
respondents (15%) however disagree with the fact that they learned these
competencies during their studies. For B10 question which relate to the compulsory
of practice or training of special competencies in maintenance field, 90 individuals
(84.1%) agree that it is a must for a technical staff to work in the maintenance field
and 17 individuals (15.9%) disagree with the statement.
Code Question %
Yes No
B7 These competencies are learned in any educational
institution 85.0 15.0
B10 Special competencies based on training are one of the
compulsory element in maintenance field 84.1 15.9
Table 5.5 Percentage of respondent response on competency by education and
practice
5.3.1.3 Competency by Law
This research includes the requirements of law for a certain competency for
technical workers in which is measured by 2 items. They are the regulations and law
requirements for the competencies and the necessity for a technical worker to possess
a certain competency.
109
Code Question Frequencies
Yes No
B8 Is it necessary for technical workers to have a certain
competency or skills? 95 12
B9 Competencies based on law and regulations are
compulsory components in technical field 96 11
Table 5.6 Respondents‘ response on competency by law and necessity of certain
competencies
Based on the Table 5.6 and Table 5.7, 95 of the respondents (88.8%) agree
that it is a necessary for a technical staff to have a certain special competency to
work in the field whereas only 12 respondents (11.2%) disagree with the matter of
necessity in the maintenance field. As for the competency by law, 96 respondents
(89.7%) agree that it is important for an organization to comply with the regulations
and laws, however only 11 of the respondents (10.3%) disagree with the compulsory
of competency by law.
Code Question %
Yes No
B8 Is it necessary for technical workers to have a certain
competency or skills? 88.8 11.2
B9 Competencies based on law and regulations are
compulsory components in technical field 89.7 10.3
Table 5.7 Percentage of respondent response on competency by law and
necessity of certain competencies
110
5.3.2 Discussion
Based on the findings and analysis of the whole part B, all of the
competencies are essential to have by a technical worker. For the core competencies
category, the frequencies and percentage analysis on the 5 items which related to the
core competencies as mention in chapter 2, it is confirmed that 99.05% of the
respondent agree that all core competencies are essentials for a technical staff to
have. Therefore, all the 5 core competencies as mentioned in the research are
accepted as the main competencies for the staff including the staff involve directly
with the maintenance work. According to the National Competency Standards of
Malaysia (2010), they said that all employees who work in any field whether
industrial sectors, healthcare, management, facilities and others should possess all the
required core competencies to meet the international competencies standards. By this
literature, it is essential for a worker to have all the core competencies needed for
them to continue working.
For the second part which is the competency by education and practice,
84.55% of the respondents agree that competencies by education and practice such as
experience and education syllabus in educational institution (SPM, Diploma, and
Degree) are essential to the workers. Some of them disagree might be because of lack
of awareness on importance of competencies in working. Based on this, the Ministry
of Education have designed a syllabus that met with the requirement of industry for
an employee to prepare themselves before working. The strategy of Competency
Based TVET is based around "Occupational competencies" which are established for
each career field and for each job title (Eng. Moustafa Wahba, 2013).
For the last part of the question, which involves items for competencies by
law and regulations, 89.25% of the respondent acknowledge the used of
competencies by law in the working field. Competencies by law include certified
professional skills from established organizations such as CIDB, STM, and NiOSH.
These skills are required for some machines such as boiler, clarifiers, chiller, and
generator, plumbing and high voltage electrical. This is to ensure that all staff in the
111
healthcare service including the contracted concession must have significant
competencies to work (MoH Strategic Plan, 2011).
To summarize the finding for part A of the questionnaires, more than 80% of
the respondent agreed that all technical staffs including administration staff to have
all the necessary competencies to work in the technical department. By this, the
maintenance works of the concessions can be implement according to the
requirements of Ministry of Health based on the Strategic Plan designed in 2011
which state that to ensure that the healthcare service are in top form, all staff includes
contractor should comply with the requirements of MoH.
5.4 Data Findings for Second Objectives
As we know, the second objective of this research is to study the importance
of implementations of technician competencies in two major Healthcare
Maintenance Service organizations, UEM Edgenta and RadCare.
The first objective is achieved from these steps:
i. Firstly, the construction of the variables to achieve the objective is
through content validity process namely:
a) Reading, assessment and discussion that is comprehensive
towards maintenance staff competencies.
b) Data collection questionnaires that was carried out.
ii. Secondly, the implementation of individual‘s competency in the
organization who manage facility maintenance in hospital through
mean and frequency analysis.
In this chapter, the second step of the process will be presented.
112
5.4.1 Mean Analysis
Mean analysis is one of the central tendency score that is usually used to
interpret a data set. Mean is defined as the sum score in distribution divided by total
score of the data (Sulaiman, 2002). Based on this definition, the research can identify
the mean value from a set of data when using mean analysis. In this research
questionnaire, mean analysis is used to obtain the mean value for each data related to
the implementation of technical workers competencies in the organization.
Implementations of competencies are divided into two parts which are the
implementation of technical workers competencies and the impact of
implementation.
5.4.1.1 Importance of implementation of Technical Workers
Competencies in the Organization
This research includes the variables of the importance of implementation of
technical workers competencies and implementation of competencies which are
measured using 12 items. They are:
i. Competencies is important for the sustainability of an organization‘s
development,
ii. Competencies is an essential element to increase the organization‘s
productivity,
iii. Competent employees provide better service compared to incompetent
employees,
iv. Competencies by law and regulation provide expertise to the field of
work,
v. The efficiency‘s level of the employee influenced by his/her
competencies,
113
vi. New staff recruitments are influenced by the workers competencies by
practice and education,
vii. The management of the organization focused on the employees
competencies development,
viii. Communication skill is one of the competencies requirement that
is very important in work
ix. Teamwork skill is one of the competencies requirement that is very
important in work
x. Problem solving skills and making decisions is important when
doing heavy jobs.
xi. Professionalism attitude and integrity is one of the important
elements to improve work quality.
xii. Technical competency is important for a worker to ensure that the
work is at optimum level.
A mean score guideline is used to explain the min score value that have been
achieved. This research use interpretation from Hurme (2007) for importance of
competencies. According to Hurme min score between 1.00 – 1.49 shows the
research variable score is at irrelevant level, 1.50 – 2.49 shows the research variable
score is at unimportant level, 2.50 – 3.49 shows the research variable score is at
relatively unimportant, 3.50 – 4.49 show the research variable score is at pretty
important level, 4.50 – 5.49 show the research variable score is at important level,
and 5.50 – 6.00 shows the research variable score is at very important level. To
determine the researched variables in this research possess a certain level, a guideline
as shown in the table is set.
114
Min Score Score Description
1.00 – 1.49 Irrelevant
1.50 – 2.49 Strongly Disagree
2.50 – 3.49 Disagree
3.50 – 4.49 Uncertain
4.50 – 5.49 Agree
5.50 – 6.00 Strongly Agree
Table 5.8 Min Score Indicator for the variable Importance of implementation of
Technical Workers Competencies.
Table 5.9 shows the min score of Implementation of technical workers
competencies for 12 variables.
Code Items Mean Std.
Deviation Interpretation
C1
Employee competency is very
important for the development of
the company or organization
5.374 0.6223 Agree
C2
Competency is an important
element to increase the
productivity of an organization
5.393 0.5949 Agree
C3
Employees that
are competent provide
better service
compared to employees that
are not competent
5.374 0.6519 Agree
C4 Competency special courses can
enhance employee's skills 5.393 0.6258 Agree
C5
Competency or employee
skills influence the
worker's efficiency level
5.449 0.6179 Agree
115
C6
New employments are influenced
by the workers' skills and
competencies
5.411 0.6436 Agree
C7
The organization management
team focused on workers skills
and competencies
5.477 0.5553 Agree
C8
Communication skill is one
of the competencies
requirement that is very
important in work
5.467 0.5376 Agree
C9
Teamwork skill is one
of the competencies
requirement that is very
important in work
5.411 0.5656 Agree
C10
Problem solving
skills and making
decisions is important when
doing heavy jobs.
5.486 0.5384 Agree
C11
Professionalism attitude and
integrity is one of the important
elements to improve work quality.
5.439 0.5525 Agree
C12
Technical competency
is important for a worker to
ensure that the work is at
optimum level
5.579 0.5146 Strongly Agree
Table 5.9 Interpretation for the item importance of implementation of technical
staff competencies in the organization
Based on the table 5.9, the highest recorded mean value is 5.579 which is the
item technical competency is important for a worker to ensure that the work is at
optimum level. Whereas, the lowest recorded mean value is at 5.374 for the items
Employee competency is very important for the development of the company or
116
organization and Employees that are competent provide better service
compared to employees that are not competent. For the item Competency is an
important element to increase the productivity of an organization and
Competency special courses can enhance employee's skills, both recorded the same
mean value which is 5.393. As for the item C6 and C9 which are, new employments
are influenced by the workers' skills and teamwork skill is one of the competencies
requirements that are very important in work both recorded the mean value of 5.411.
For items C5, C7, C8, C10 and C11 which are Competency or employee
skills influence the worker's efficiency level, the organization management team
focused on workers skills and competencies, Communication skill is one
of the competencies requirements that is very important in work, Problem solving
skills and making decisions is important when doing heavy jobs and Professionalism
attitude and integrity is one of the important elements to improve work quality, they
recorded a mean value of 5.449, 5.477, 5.467, 5.486 and 5.439 respectively. All 5
items have almost the same mean value with only a little margin.
Chart 5.1 Importance of implementation of technical competencies in the
organization
5.374 5.393 5.374 5.393 5.449
5.411 5.477 5.467
5.411 5.486
5.439
5.579
5
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
6
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12
Mea
n S
core
Variables
Importance of implementation of technical competencies
in the organization
117
5.4.2 Frequency Analysis
Frequency and percentage analysis is a descriptive statistics in which
quantitatively describing the characteristics of a set of data.
Code Items Frequencies
6 5 4 3 2 1
C1
Competencies is important for the
sustainability of an organization‘s
development
48 51 8 0 0 0
C2 Competencies is an essential element to
increase the organization‘s productivity 48 53 1 0 0 0
C3 Competent employees provide better service
compared to incompetent employees 49 50 7 1 0 0
C4 Competencies by law and regulation provide
expertise to the field of work 50 49 8 0 0 0
C5 The efficiency‘s level of the employee
influenced by his/her competencies 55 45 7 0 0 0
C6
New staff recruitments are influenced by the
workers competencies by practice and
education
53 45 9 0 0 0
C7 The management of the organization focused
on the employees competencies development 54 50 3 0 0 0
C8
Communication skill is one
of the competencies requirement that is very
important in work
52 53 2 0 0 0
C9 Teamwork skill is one of the competencies
requirement that is very important in work 48 58 1 0 0 0
C10 Problem solving skills and making
decisions is important when doing heavy jobs 54 51 2 0 0 0
C11 Professionalism attitude and integrity is one 50 54 3 0 0 0
118
of the important elements to improve work
quality
C12
Technical competency is important for a
worker to ensure that the work is at optimum
level.
63 43 1 0 0 0
Table 5.10 Importance of implementation of competencies for technical staff in
an organization
Based on the table 5.10, total frequencies of respondent for item C1 to C12,
the highest frequency recorded is 63 for the scale measurement of strongly agreed
and the lowest is 1 for the scale measurement of disagree. For item C1, 48
respondents strongly agrees that competencies is important for the sustainability of
an organization‘s development whereas 58 and 1 respondents agree and uncertain
respectively on the subject. Item C2 recorded 48 respondents strongly agree while 53
respondents agree on the subjects. For the item C3, 49 people strongly agree, 50
states that they only agree, 7 people are uncertain and only one individual is disagree
about the matter. Item C4 recorded 50 people strongly agree, 49 people agree and 8
individuals are uncertain about the subject. As for C5, 55 individuals strongly agree,
45 individuals only agree and 7 individuals are uncertain.
For item C6, C7 and C8, the numbers of respondent that are strongly agree
are 53, 54, and 52 respectively while the numbers of respondent agree are 45, 50, and
53 respectively. Between the three 3 items, item C6 recorded the highest number of
uncertainty which is 9 people whereas the other two recorded only 3 and 2
respondents respectively. The last four items which are item C9, C10, C11 and C12,
each recorded 48, 54, 50 and 63 strongly agree respondent respectively while for just
agree, 58, 51, 54 and 43 respectively. Each of the items recorded a low number of
uncertain respondents which is below than 3. As a conclusion, among the 12 items,
C12 recorded the highest number of respondent who strongly agree on the matter.
119
5.4.3 Discussion
Based on the mean analysis using Hurme interpretation for importance of
competencies, item C12 which is the knowledge of technical competency in
important in ensuring that all work is at optimum level recorded the highest number
of mean with a score of 5.579. According to the mean score interpretation table in
table 5.8, the item with a mean score more than 5.5 will be consider as strongly agree
thus item C12 is the only item which the respondents strongly agree. The technical
staff of the healthcare maintenance service state that if a maintenance worker is to
work in the field, they need knowledge and technical skills to allow them to perform
at the highest efficiency level (Zahirun, 2016).
The statement by Zahirun (2016) is acknowledge because technical workers
typically work with complex instruments and equipment, and require specialized
training, as well as considerable practical experience, in order to do their job
effectively (Barley, 2011). From previous research 70% of equipment failures are
self-induced that is, equipment failures caused by the introduction of human error
(Ricky Smith). Therefore, it is important to ensure that all technical staff meets the
specific requirements to work in the maintenance field especially when taking live-
costing maintenance into consideration such as hospitals and clinic.
In conclusion, all respondents for the research also agree on all 12 items of
importance of competencies based on the mean analysis table. From item C1 to item
C12, all items recorded the mean score of above 5.00 which is agreed and strongly
agree based on the Hurme interpretation of mean score. The writer can conclude that
competencies of technical staff are very important and essential not just to the
individual but to the organization itself. According to Prahalad and Hamel,
organizational competencies provide potential access to a wide variety of markets,
make a significant contribution to the perceived customer benefits of the end product,
and are difficult for competitors to imitate (Harvard Business Review, 1990, pp. 83–
84).
120
5.5 Data findings for third objective
As we know, the third objective of this research is to provide suggestion in
improving the competencies level of employees in the organizations. UEM Edgenta
and Radicare.
The first objective is achieved from these steps:
i. Firstly, the construction of the variables to achieve the objective is
through content validity process namely:
c) Reading, assessment and discussion that is comprehensive
towards maintenance staff competencies.
d) Data collection questionnaires that was carried out.
ii. Secondly, the suggestions to improve of individual‘s competency in
the organization who manages facility maintenance in hospital
through mean and frequency percentage analysis.
In this chapter, the second step of the process will be presented.
5.5.1 Mean Analysis
Mean analysis is one of the central tendency score that is usually used to
interpret a data set. Mean is defined as the sum score in distribution divided by total
score of the data (Sulaiman, 2002). Based on this definition, the research can identify
the mean value from a set of data when using mean analysis. In this research
questionnaire, mean analysis is used to obtain the mean value for each data related to
the suggestions on how to improve the competencies level of a technical worker and
evaluating the performance of the workers itself.
121
5.5.1.1 Suggestion in improving the competencies level of
employees in the organizations
This research includes the variables of suggestion in improving the
competencies level of employees in the organizations which are measured using 7
items. They are:
i. Management need to recruit staff based on skill and competencies,
ii. Periodic courses to enhance skills and competency need to be
organized by top management
iii. Providing a more conducive workplace to improve the occupational
quality.
iv. Give reward to respect workers with excellent performance record.
v. Motivated workers that are less competent to increase their efficiency
vi. Improving two-way communication between
employees and employers to identify any problems that occurred
vii. Creating relevant regulations for employee competency to
ensure services are given at optimum level
A mean score guideline is used to explain the min score value that have been
achieved. This research use interpretation from Hurme (2007) for importance of
competencies. According to Hurme min score between 1.00 – 1.49 shows the
research variable score is at irrelevant level, 1.50 – 2.49 shows the research variable
score is at unimportant level, 2.50 – 3.49 shows the research variable score is at
relatively unimportant, 3.50 – 4.49 show the research variable score is at pretty
important level, 4.50 – 5.49 show the research variable score is at important level,
and 5.50 – 6.00 shows the research variable score is at very important level. To
determine the researched variables in this research possess a certain level, a guideline
as shown in the table is set.
122
Min Score Score Description
1.00 – 1.49 Irrelevant
1.50 – 2.49 Strongly Disagree
2.50 – 3.49 Disagree
3.50 – 4.49 Uncertain
4.50 – 5.49 Agree
5.50 – 6.00 Strongly Agree
Table 5.11 Min Score Indicator for the variable suggestion in improving the
competencies level of employees in the organizations
Table 5.12 shows the min score of suggestion in improving the competencies
level of employees in the organizations for 7 variables.
Code Items Mean Interpretation
D1 Management need to recruit staff
based on skill and competencies
5.411 Agree
D2 Periodic courses to enhance
skills and competency need to be organized
by top management
5.467 Agree
D3 Providing a more conducive workplace to
improve the occupational quality.
5.579 Strongly Agree
D4 Give reward to respect workers with
excellent performance record.
5.664 Strongly Agree
D5 Motivated workers that are
less competent to increase their efficiency
5.542 Strongly Agree
D6 Improving two-way communication between
employees and employers to identify any
problems that occurred
5.533 Strongly Agree
D7 Creating relevant regulations for employee
competency to ensure services are given at
optimum level
5.336 Agree
Table 5.12 Interpretation for the items suggestion in improving the competencies
level of employees in the organizations
123
Based on the table 5.12, interpretation for items suggestion in improving the
competencies level of employees in the organizations the highest recorded mean is
5.664 for the item giving reward to respect workers with excellent performance (D4)
whereas the lowest recorded mean score based on Hurme interpretation is item 5.336
for the item creating relevant regulations or policies for employee competencies to
ensure services are given at optimum level (D7).
For the item D1; management need to recruit staff based on the skills and
competency of the individual, the mean score for the item is 5.411 which is agree
while for item D2; hold periodic courses to enhance skills and competency need to
be organized by top management, recorded a mean score of 5.467 which is agree.
Item D3; providing a more conducive workplace to improve the occupational quality,
recorded a mean score of 5.579 (strongly agree) whereas item D5; Motivated
workers that are less competent to increase their efficiency score 5.542 (strongly
agree) in the mean score table. The last item for the variable is D6 which states that
improving two-way communication between employees and employers to identify
any problems that occurred score a mean score of 5.533 which is strongly agreed
according to the Hurme mean score interpretation.
Chart 5.2 Web charts of the mean score for the variables Suggestion in
improving the competencies level of employees in the organization
5
5.2
5.4
5.6
5.8
6D1
D2
D3
D4D5
D6
D7
Suggestion in improving the competencies level of
employees in the organizations
124
5.5.2 Frequency and Percentage Analysis
Frequency and percentage analysis is a descriptive statistics in which
quantitatively describing the characteristics of a set of data.
The frequency and percentage analysis for the suggestion in improving the
competencies level of employees in the organization is measured with 7 items
mentioned in sub-topic 5.5.1.1.
Code Items Frequencies
6 5 4 3 2 1
D1 Management need to recruit staff based on
skill and competencies 54 43 10 0 0 0
D2
Periodic courses to enhance skills and
competencies need to organized by top
management
54 49 4 0 0 0
D3 Providing a more conducive workplace to
improve the occupational quality 64 41 2 0 0 0
D4 Give reward to respect workers with excellent
performance record 74 30 3 0 0 0
D5 Motivated workers that are less competent to
increase their efficiency 59 47 1 0 0 0
D6
Improving two-way communication between
employees and employers to identify
problems that occurred
57 50 0 0 0 0
D7
Creating relevant regulations and policies for
employee competency to ensure services are
given at optimum level
43 57 7 0 0 0
Table 5.13 Frequencies of respondent response towards the suggestion in improving
the competencies level of the employees in the organizations.
125
Based on the table 5.13 frequencies of respondent response towards the
suggestion in improving the competencies level of the employees in the organization,
the highest recorded number is 74 respondents while the lowest recorded number is 1
respondent. For item D1; Management need to recruit staff based on skill and
competencies, 54 (54.47%) of the respondents strongly agreed while 43(40.19%)
respondents agreed to the subjected variable and 10 (9.34%) respondents are
uncertain of the variable. For item D2; Periodic courses to enhance skills and
competencies need to organize by top management, 54 (50.47%) individuals strongly
agree whereas 49 (45.79%) others only agree and 4 (3.75%) are uncertain.
Item D4; give reward to respect workers with excellent performance record,
recorded the highest frequency for strongly agree which is 74 (69.16%) individuals
and 30 (28.04%) individuals for agreeing and only 3 (2.80%) respondent is uncertain.
For item D5; motivated workers that are less competent to increase their efficiency
recorded a frequency of 59 (55.14%) people for strongly agree, 47 (43.93%) people
agreeing and only 1 (0.93%) individual is uncertain on the subject. Item D6;
improving two-way communication between employees and employers to identify
any problems that occurred, 57 (53.27%) of the respondents strongly agree with the
matter while 50 (46.73%) other only agree. The last item of the third objective is D7
which is creating relevant regulations for employee competencies to ensure services
are given at optimum level. The recorded frequencies for the item are 43 (40.19%)
people strongly agree, 57 (43.27%) people choose agree and 7 (6.54%) people is
uncertain on the matter.
For the conclusion on the analysis, people tends to agree more on item D4
which is give reward to respect workers with excellent performance record and 43
respondents choose to agree strongly on the matter creating relevant regulations for
employee competencies to ensure services are given at optimum level.
126
Chart 5.3 Percentage of Respondent Response towards the suggestion in improving
the competencies level of the employees in the organizations
5.5.3 Discussion
Based on the mean analysis using Hurme interpretation for importance of
competencies, item D3, D4, D5 and D6 which are providing a more
conducive workplace to improve the occupational quality, give reward to respect
workers with excellent performance record, motivate workers that are less competent
to increase their efficiency, and improving two-way communication between
employees and employers to identify problems that occurred, each of the variables
recorded the mean score of more than 5.5. According to the mean score interpretation
table in table 5.11, the item with a mean score more than 5.5 will be consider as
50.47% 50.47% 59.81% 69.16% 55.14% 53.27% 40.19%
40.19% 45.79%
38.32%
28.04%
43.93% 46.73%
53.27%
9.34%
3.74% 1.87% 2.80% 0.93%
6.54%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7
Percentage of Respondent Response towards the
suggestion in improving the competencies level of the
employees in the organizations
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree Irrelevant
127
strongly agree thus these 4 items are strongly agreed by the respondents in both of
the hospitals.
According to the responses made by the respondents from both hospitals and
contracted company; UEM Edgenta and Radicare, there are four (4) items which the
respondents strongly agree. The first item is to provide a more conducive workplace
to improve the occupational quality. Recently, workplaces have been known as the
place where an organization applies all the activities such as maintenance and other
activities which related to the core business of the organization. Providing a more
comfortable and conducive working environment might increase the employees
competencies levels and skills and thus improving the work quality of the
organizations. Creating a work environment in which employees are productive is
essential to increased profits for the organization, corporation or small business (Dr.
K. Chandrasekar, 2011).
The second item with more than 5.5 mean score is give reward to respect
workers with excellent performance record. This has been proven by previous study
state that recognizing the work and performance of employees is the key to the
success of a manager. Even a ‗thank you‘ is important. Look for the things that
employees do well and praise them. This is an easy strategy and brings big benefit
(Managing for Good Performance: A Guide for Managers, 2012). The third item is to
motivate workers that are less competent to increase their efficiency. This is one of
the main reasons on how to affect a workers performance. Recent studies show that
motivating workers might improve their overall performance when doing a work that
was assigned to them. For the company to optimize employee‘s performance there is
need for the employees to be sufficiently motivated (Akah Ndang William, 2010).
The last item which the respondents strongly agree is improving the two-way
communication between employees and employers to identify any problems that
occur. Communication is one of the major element in work where people need to
communicate with each other to increase the efficiency of the work however not
many people know that communicating with the top management might improve the
overall performance of the worker. Feedback is two way, including employee to
supervisor, and not just supervisor to employee as is commonly assumed (Doris
128
Drury, 2008). Thus in any field of work, communication is one of the key to be
success in work.
For conclusion, the 4 items mentions above are the best suggestion based on
the respondents‘ feedback in the matter. However, the other 3 items which are the
suggestion for the management to hire staff based on skills and competencies,
scheduled periodic courses to enhance skills and competencies and creating relevant
regulations or policies for employees competencies to ensure services are given at
optimum level should be considered as the mean score suggest that they are
agreeable by the respondents.
5.6 Summary
The whole chapter 5 is about the data findings and analysis collected from
respondents of both hospitals; Ipoh General Hospital and Ampang General Hospital
and contracted concession; UEM Edgenta and Radicare. The main objective of this
chapter is to achieve all objectives of the research and thus finding the aim of the
research itself.
For objective 1, which is to identify the type of competencies needed for a
technical worker?, the data finding and analysis have been concluded stating that all
the 5 core competencies and 2 functional competencies are essential for a technical
worker. Therefore the objective of the research has been achieved by the findings of
objective 1. For the second objective which is to study the importance of
competencies for a technical worker in an organization, the data findings and
analysis have been concluded stating that all the importance of the competencies for
the organization are strongly agreed by the respondent. Thus the second objective of
the research has also been achieved.
The last objective of the research is to provide suggestion in improving the
competencies level of an employee in the service by collecting data and analyze the
129
respondents‘ response using mean analysis and frequencies percentage analysis.
There are four (4) strongly agreed items based on the table of mean score
interpretation by Hurme thus making the items more reliable approve by the
respondents. With this data, we can conclude that all suggestion from the writer is
acceptable in improving the performance or competencies levels of the workers.
Therefore the last objective has been achieved based on the data findings and
analysis gathered from the respondents.
The next chapter will provide the recommendation and suggestion on how to
improve the research outcomes and the limitation of the research will also be
discussed including the suggestions to overcome the limitations.
130
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
6.1 Introduction
The data analysis and discussion related to the research have been discussed
in the previous chapter. This research is done to achieve three (3) certain objectives
which are to identify the type of competencies needed for a technical worker, to
study the importance of competencies for a technical worker in an organization and
to provide suggestion in improving the competencies level of an employee in the
service. Therefore as the conclusion for the result of the discussion in this research,
this chapter will state the summary for the objectives of research, research
limitations, research summary and suggestion to improve the research for next
studies.
6.2 Summary of research objectives findings
Overall, all the research questions and research objectives have been
successfully achieved in a significant level. The summary of the objectives are as
follow:
131
a. First Objectives
Identify the type of competencies needed for a technical worker.
As referred to the literature review from the previous chapters, there are 7
competencies which are directly related to the needs of competent for technical
workers in healthcare maintenance service. The 7 competencies of the technical
workers are 5 core competencies and 2 functional competencies. Moreover, through
the questionnaire method, the relevant of the types of competencies are measured by
the individuals who are directly involved in the technical works in the healthcare
maintenance service. Furthermore, the data are than analyze by frequencies and
percentage analysis to allow the types of competencies needed by a technical worker
is justified completely.
Based on the result of the analysis, this research is successful in identifying
the types of competencies listed in the questionnaire are essential to the technical
staff. With these findings, it is justified that to work in the technical field especially
in the healthcare maintenance service, an employee or worker needs to possess the 7
competencies of the work. The competencies are described in 2 parts, core
competencies, and functional competencies. The competencies listed are as follow:
i. Communication Skills
ii. Teamwork Skills
iii. Problem solving and decision-making Skills
iv. Professionalism and integrity Skills
v. Technical Skills
vi. Competencies by education and practice
vii. Competencies by Law and regulations
132
b. Second Objectives
To study the importance of competencies for a technical worker in an
organization.
The second objective of the research is to study the importance of
competencies for technical workers in the organizations. From the first objective, this
research is to identify the importance of the competencies mention in the first
objectives and the relation between the objectives. There are 12 items that have been
identified from the literature reviews to fit the objectives requirements. The 12 items
are:
i. Competencies is important for the sustainability of an organization‘s
development,
ii. Competencies is an essential element to increase the organization‘s
productivity,
iii. Competent employees provide better service compared to incompetent
employees,
iv. Competencies by law and regulation provide expertise to the field of
work,
v. The efficiency‘s level of the employee influenced by his/her
competencies,
vi. New staff recruitments are influenced by the workers competencies by
practice and education,
vii. The management of the organization focused on the employees
competencies development,
viii. Communication skill is one of the competencies requirement that
is very important in work
ix. Teamwork skill is one of the competencies requirement that is very
important in work
x. Problem solving skills and making decisions is important when
doing heavy jobs.
xi. Professionalism attitude and integrity is one of the important
elements to improve work quality.
133
xii. Technical competency is important for a worker to ensure that the
work is at optimum level.
Based on the questionnaire of the 12 items, the respondent response to the 12
items state that technical skill will ensure the work done is at optimum level.
However, all the other items are also accepted as important based on the mean
analysis and frequency analysis in the previous chapter.
c. Third Objective
To provide suggestion in improving the competencies level of an employee in the
service.
The third objective of the research is to identify any suggestions on how to
improve the competencies level of an employee in the healthcare maintenance
service. This objective will provide the organization a better understanding on how to
manage their staff based on the skills and competencies of each employees. The
suggestions related to the objectives are based on the literature review from previous
research on organizational behavior. They are four (4) suggestion need to be focused
on as they are strong agreed by the respondents from both hospitals and concessions.
The items are:
i. Providing a more conducive workplace to improve the occupational
quality.
ii. Give reward to respect workers with excellent performance record.
iii. Motivate workers that are less competent to increase their efficiency
iv. Improving two-way communication between employees and employers to
identify any problems that occurred.
The other three (3) items should not be considered as unimportant as they are
also agreeable by the respondents in the questionnaire. The other three items are:
i. Management need to recruit staff based on skills and competencies
134
ii. Periodic courses to enhance skills and competencies need to be organized
by top management.
iii. Creating relevant regulations for employee competencies to ensure
services are given at optimum level.
Based on the findings and analysis of the data for objective 3, the respondents
agree to all suggestions on how to improve the competencies level of the technical
workers. This shows that all the suggestions are accepted and thus the objective is
successfully achieved.
6.3 Research Impact
Based on the analysis that has been made in the previous chapters, the results
of the research gave significant contribution to the theoretical and literature
strengthening of technical workers competencies. There are four (4) main elements
which are the core of a research and considered to contribute in developing theory
(Whetten, 1989), they ‗what‘, ‗how‘, ‗why‘ and contextual. This research have
successfully achieved in contributing to the theory development.
The main methodology contribution in this research is the development of
instrument in identifying the types of competencies, the importance of competencies
and the suggestion to improve competencies level. This research prepared an
instrument to research technical workers competencies thus adding knowledge to the
field of maintenance service especially healthcare service.
6.4 Limitations and Suggestion
There are a few limitations discovered in this research and one of them is the
collected sampling are only from 2 hospitals with different contracted concessions.
135
Therefore the findings of the research can only be used in this population and thus it
does not picture the whole maintenance service practice in Malaysia. Further
researches can be organized involving the whole population of the hospitals
controlled by the two main healthcare maintenance service companies, UEM
Edgenta and Radicare. Other than that, the research is based on the iceberg theory
which is related to human resource and the important role in the performance for an
organization. Further research can be done based on other theories such as
Contingencies Theory to identify the competencies field or other factors.
Moreover the lack of national competencies guidelines for technical staff and
top management hindered the research thus this research only review the
competencies model from main organization throughout the world such as
Universities and other relevant model. Further studies can be done to overcome the
lack of guidelines by referring to the Ministry of Health or Department of human
resource for significant results. Moreover, the research scope of the research only
limited to the technical workers thus this research will only impact the individuals
and organizations which are in the technical field. Further research can be done in
changing the scope to any related organizations which need competent workers to
work.
6.5 Conclusion
This research succeeds in proving that competencies of technical workers are
important for the organizations in order to increase the sustainability of the
organization itself. In the meantime, this research may contribute to the development
and strengthening of the theories used. Besides that, in the application of the research
objectives, healthcare maintenance service prioritize the work of the employees thus
all the competencies needed by the technical workers need to be improve in order to
achieve optimum level of efficiencies. The suggestion on how to improve the
competencies levels in this research should be enough as a guideline for any
organization to improve their workers abilities and performance. Thus this research
136
may act as a stepping stone for future analysis and literature because of the impact
and contribution to the healthcare maintenance service for competencies of technical
workers.
137
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