This thesis pays particular attention to the management of knowledge workers in the local context. Using a survey questionnaire and an in-depth semi-structured interview, an investigation of knowledge workers was carried out based on three main perspectives, namely knowledge management, human resource management and the government development agency. The empirical focus is the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status companies in Malaysia. By examining 171 usable responses to self-administered questionnaires and in-depth semi- structured interviews with 78 knowledge workers, the findings from the study are analysed to answer the following research questions: How do knowledge workers perceive the current definition of "knowledge workers" by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC) and what are their opinions on being classified as knowledge workers; How do knowledge workers perceive the current practices and the movement towards the importance and actual implementation of knowledge management in Malaysia; What are the factors affecting the successful implementation of knowledge management in Malaysia; What is the role of human resource management in managing knowledge workers and lielping knowledge management to meet its objectives to achieve competitive advantage; Finally, what is the role of the government development agency in ensuring the successful implementation of knowledge management in Malaysia. Several key findings are derived from this study, including opinions of agreement and disagreement with the definition of "knowledge workers". This then leads to the development of several alternative definitions of knowledge workers, which may further assist the Malaysian government in providing the real picture of the current needs of knowledge workers. It has also been found that knowledge workers have distinctive characteristics. They look for challenges, prefer freedom, like flexible hours, dislike hierarchical structures and are in great demand, frequently being "head-hunted". This information is very useful in producing competitive programmes and upgrading and supporting policy plans for human resource management, as well as for successful knowledge management implementation. Furthermore, even though MSC companies are considered to be high tech and knowledge-based, knowledge management is still in its infancy or in some cases non-existent. However, there are positive attitudes towards the importance of having knowledge management within companies to enable them to leverage their knowledge effectively. Most significantly, this study also indicates the relationship between knowledge management and human resource management. It has been revealed that the techniques of knowledge management are not sufficient without the support of appropriate human resource management practices. For example, it supports processes of knowledge transfer by creating a supportive organisational context and helps companies to retain staff and avoid high labour turnover. Finally, this thesis concludes that the current practice of human resource management could be improved and/or adjusted in order to become more compatible with the expectations of the current Malaysian high-tech industry.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:583548 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Norzanah, Mat Nor |
| Publisher | Cardiff University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://orca.cf.ac.uk/55151/ |
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