Next Article in Journal
The Leveraging of Support by Faith-Based Social Groups in Rural Villages of the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Previous Article in Journal
Study on the Redevelopment of the Hangang River Waterfront from an Urban Resilience Perspective
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Sustainability
Volume 15
Issue 19
10.3390/su151914250
sustainability-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles thumb_up
...
Endorse textsms
...
Comment
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

The Influence of Commitment to Change and Change-Related Behaviour among Academics of Malaysian-Islamic Higher Learning Institutions

by
Azrena Mohd Noor
1,*,
Magiswary Dorasamy
1 and
Murali Raman
2
1
Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya 63100, Malaysia
2
Graduate School of Business, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14250; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914250
Submission received: 13 July 2023 / Revised: 3 September 2023 / Accepted: 18 September 2023 / Published: 27 September 2023
Browse Figure
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

:
The implementation of change in higher learning institutions is rapidly becoming a norm. Academics have to grapple with the changes imposed in order to remain relevant. With the introduction of the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013–2025) and other factors, academics in higher learning institutions have had to change and ensure that change is sustainable. In line with this, one of the issues in the area of organisational change is commitment to change. The purpose of this paper is to determine the link between the academics’ level of commitment to change and change-related behaviour in selected Islamic higher learning institutions in Malaysia. A survey method was applied, and questionnaires were distributed. Responses from 103 respondents were analysed using PLS-SEM. Results indicated that academics’ level of affective commitment to change has an influence on cooperation and championing, while continuance commitment to change only influenced compliance. Normative commitment to change only has an influence on cooperation. Other than being the only study that focuses on Malaysian-Islamic higher learning institutions in studying commitment to change, the results of this research also provide insights on the behavioural outcomes of commitment to change, which is crucial for the success of change implementation.

1. Introduction

Organisations in this day and age have been going through changes at a rapid pace. Adapting to change is no longer a choice in organisations if they want to continue to survive and sustain in this competitive world [1,2]. Despite knowing its importance, implementing change and ensuring that change is sustainable is a challenge [3,4,5]. Discussing sustainable change involves the process of implementing change that is continuous in nature, as well as the ability of the organisational members to constantly adapt to change [3]. In achieving sustainable change, it is imperative for organisational members to not only support the change initiatives at the initial stage, but also to continue to be supportive beyond this stage in order to achieve the desired change outcomes.
It cannot be denied that organisational change has affected many industries, and the education industry has not been spared [6,7]. Recently, the higher education industry worldwide has been forced to change due to the presence of digitalisation and new ways of learning where academics and students both grapple with the onslaught of technology [7]. In relation to this, the need for change in Malaysian public universities has also become unavoidable as universities struggle to compete in the ever-changing environment and respond to pressures to remain globally relevant [8]. Parallel with Malaysia’s aspiration to become a high-income nation, the Ministry of Higher Education has developed and introduced the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015–2025 for Higher Education [9]. Pursuant to its introduction, numerous changes have been made to universities nationwide in an effort to realise all ten shifts of the blueprint [8]. These ten shifts deal with the main issues relating to performance concerns in the system and the global trends that impact the Malaysian higher education scenario. The initial four shifts of the blueprint focus on outcomes that are expected of the graduates of higher learning institutions, while the last six shifts of the blueprint focus on the enablers for the overall higher learning education system. Based on the thrusts in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015–2025 (MEB), the major changes proposed by the Ministry of Higher Education include the following:
i.
To ensure the graduates are able to become job creators rather than job seekers by encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset throughout the Malaysian higher education system.
ii.
To come up with a system that focuses more on technical and vocational training rather than just paying attention to academic routes.
iii.
To give emphasis on output over input and to actively focus on students’ personalised learning through technology and innovation
iv.
To better coordinate both public and private universities and to move away from being highly centralised
v.
To ensure that higher learning institutions become less dependent on government resources
The Malaysian Education Blueprint (2015–2025) is an overall strategy for the country to achieve sustainable change in higher learning education. Based on the above thrusts, it can be seen that this is achievable through the long-term vision that is set as well as the holistic approach where the blueprint not only addresses the academic aspect of learners, but also their social and vocational development [10].
Other than the MEB, there are also other pressing factors that have forced the higher learning institutions in Malaysia to change. One of the much talked about factors is none other than the issue of graduate readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) work environment [11]. As the nation gears into a shift in how industries operate, it has been said that graduates are facing difficulties in obtaining jobs upon graduating from universities [11]. According to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the high record of graduate unemployment rate at 13.2 percent in 2018 was mainly attributed to the mismatch in skills [12]. In order to address this, it is imperative that universities change to produce graduates that are required by the industry in order to increase the employability rate. Therefore, based on this information, this paper has managed to establish that there is a need for higher learning institutions in Malaysia to change.
However, managing change in organisations is challenging. One of the most important issues in organisational change is obtaining organisational members’ commitment to change [13,14,15]. Obtaining employees’ commitment during the process of change is crucial, as it would have a major influence on how employees behave and react towards the change implemented in the organisation [16]. It has been discovered that employees who are committed to change will be more receptive towards change as a whole and display more positive behaviours [17]. Having said that, ensuring that employees are committed to change is challenging, as they may feel threatened and would subsequently resist change [18]. The challenge of getting employees to be committed to change is also present in the education industry [19].
Getting employees to be committed to change in higher learning institutions has been a dire task [15,20]. Even though many universities in Malaysia are undergoing changes, one of the underlying issues has always been employees’ commitment to effectively implement the plans that have been outlined for successful change [21]. In a study conducted by [19], it was also discovered that employees in public higher learning institutions in Malaysia were less likely to commit to change due to the employment security offered by the public sector. Most of the employees in the public sector have taken a more relaxed approach towards change as they feel that their jobs with the public sector is secured.
Prior studies on commitment to change in Malaysian higher learning institutions have mainly centred on the influencing factors of commitment to change [8,22,23]. There is a paucity in terms of the reactions to or the outcomes of commitment to change that are expected among individuals. This is referred to as change-related behaviour. This research therefore aims to address this gap by looking into the influence of commitment to change on academics’ change-related behaviour in Malaysian higher learning institutions.
The focus of this research will be Malaysian-Islamic higher learning institutions. At present, change management studies on higher learning institutions in Malaysia have generally looked at all universities across the board [23,24,25] without specifically focusing on the Islamic higher learning institutions. A study conducted in Malaysia’s neighbouring country, Indonesia, discovered that Islamic higher learning institutions are less advanced than their conventional counterparts [26]. The underlying reason of this is the inability of Islamic higher learning institutions to adapt and change to new or current practices implemented [26]. Failure to transform in accordance with the environment and the education industry have resulted in Islamic higher learning institutions to be left behind compared to their conventional counterparts [6,26]. Thus, to ensure that Malaysian Islamic universities do not face a similar situation, it is imperative for them to change and be committed to change. In order to address this gap, more studies on change and Islamic higher learning institutions should be carried out [6], and this research addresses this need.
As such, this research has therefore focused on selected Malaysian-Islamic higher learning institutions to ensure that the Islamic universities in Malaysia do not experience similar situations as the Islamic higher learning institutions in other countries and are able to move in tandem with the conventional higher learning institutions in the nation [26].
Recognising the importance of commitment to change in facilitating successful organisational change, this paper studies how the three different dimensions of change—affective, continuance, and normative—influence the change-related behaviour of academics in selected Islamic higher learning institutions in Malaysia. This study therefore focuses on the three dimensions of change-related behaviour: compliance, cooperation, and championing.
Therefore, the objective of this research is to determine the influence of commitment to change on change-related behaviour among academics of Malaysian-Islamic higher learning institutions. This paper proceeds with Section 2 presenting a literature review on underlying theories, constructs, and hypotheses. Section 3 presents the methods employed for this study. Section 4 presents the results, and finally, the discussion, contributions, conclusions, and limitations.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Change Management in Malaysian Higher Learning Institutions

The World QS ranking has been recognized to be one of the yardsticks that measures a university’s strength and position against other universities in the world—including Malaysia. Based on the World QS ranking, five universities in Malaysia are currently ranked among the top 100 universities in Asia. However, as of the year 2022, it was discovered that none of the Islamic higher learning institutions in Malaysia have been listed among the Malaysian top 10 universities. In order for these universities to be in the same league as their conventional counterparts, it is crucial for them to change and be committed to change.
The findings of this research would be of great significance to the higher learning institutions in Malaysia as they face reforms towards a more sustainable higher learning education system that looks into the academic, social, and vocational development of learners.

2.2. Research Gap

Based on what has been presented in this paper so far, this research therefore attempts to address the following research gaps:
  • Islamic higher learning institutions carry the Islamic value that knowledge should be shared. In doing so, it is crucial for the Islamic HLIs to keep up with the modernization and development that is taking place in the education industry [27]. However, evidence has pointed to the fact that Islamic HLIs are left behind compared to their conventional counterparts due to their inability to adapt to changes [26]. Commitment to change has been cited to be a crucial factor for successful change implementation, as it determines how employees are able to adapt and embrace change. Studies on addressing this need are [26,27]. Thus, this research addresses this gap by studying the influence of commitment to change on change-related behaviour in Malaysian-Islamic HLIs.
  • Studies on the commitment to change in Malaysian HLIs have mainly focused on HLIs in general without differentiating between Islamic and conventional HLIs [23,24,25]. The values in Malaysian-Islamic HLIs are different from their conventional counterparts [27]. Studying how commitment to change influences the behaviour of employees would be able to add on to the body of knowledge in this area of change management in HLIs [26,27].

2.3. Underlying Theory

2.3.1. The Social Exchange Theory

The Social Exchange Theory (SET) is a behaviourist theory and has been regarded as an important paradigm in making sense of how employees behave in organisations [28,29]. The basis of the theory is reciprocity, where the behaviour of individuals is most commonly influenced by the result of weighing the potential benefits and drawbacks of their actions. This theory also explores how human relationships transform into trust, loyalty, and commitments [8]. Since this research aims to study the influence of commitment to change on employees’ change-related behaviour, it has drawn on the Social Exchange Theory (SET) as its foundation.

2.3.2. Three-Component Model of Commitment to Change

This research is guided by the Herscovitch and Meyer’s Three Component Model (TCM) of Commitment to Change [30]. The TCM of Commitment to Change is an extension of the model of workplace commitment that was developed by Meyer and Allen (1991). The underlying basis of the TCM of Commitment to Change is that individuals’ level of commitment to an organisation can be entirely different than their ability to be committed to the change initiatives that take place in the organisation. Employees who are committed to an organisation may not necessarily be committed towards the change initiatives implemented by an organisation.
Both SET and TCM play important roles in explaining the commitment to change among academics in institutions of Islamic higher learning in Malaysia. The constructs from the above theories will be discussed to form hypotheses in the next sections.

2.4. Commitment to Change

Organisational change has been proven to be rather challenging to implement, and its success would greatly depend on the positive response and support received by all those involved [31]. As mentioned earlier, one of the major obstacles in implementing change is obtaining the commitment from those involved [13,14]. Employees’ level of commitment towards the change initiatives would have a bearing on their change-related behaviour, which would subsequently have an impact on change effectiveness [16,32]. Despite its importance, most organisations do not achieve the desired outcome of the change initiatives due to the lack of commitment and support from the organisation’s members [1,33].
Commitment to change (C2C) is more than just a positive attitude towards change. It is deeply rooted in the overall response and reaction towards change and deals with an individual’s psychological alignment, attitude, and connection with the change that is taking place [34]. Commitment to change does not only involve the level of support that is displayed, but also involves the level of willingness for individuals to act in ways that improve or enhance the change process taking place [35].
Herscovitch and Meyer [30] classified commitment to change (C2C) into three main dimensions: affective, continuance, and normative. Affective commitment to change (AC2C) develops when individuals truly believe and understand the value of change that is taking place [30,36]. Continuance commitment to change (CC2C) refers to a cost-benefit relationship. Employees will support the change initiatives introduced if they feel that the benefits to be obtained from change exceed the cost of not going along with change [30]. Finally, normative commitment to change (NC2C) refers to an obligation to support change [30]. Employees in most cases would feel that they should support the change initiatives introduced rather than wanting to voluntarily support the change [37].
Research has shown that many factors affect employees’ commitment to change during an organisation’s change process. In a study conducted on an Italian company undergoing change, it was discovered that superior support is an important factor that would determine whether employees would be committed towards change or otherwise [17]. The study discovered that the behaviour portrayed by superiors during change would influence the level of support and obligation displayed by the employees during the change process. This study also concluded that instead of just focusing on influencing factors of commitment to change, more studies should be conducted on the outcomes of commitment to change.
In a similar study involving schoolteachers in China, it was discovered that the teachers’ commitment to change was influenced by both internal and external factors [38]. With the reform and change in educational policies in China, teachers were more motivated to offer their commitment to change when they were offered different forms of incentives. However, the question that should be addressed is, what happens once commitment to change is obtained? A study conducted by Allaoui and Benmoussa [16] on employees in Moroccan higher learning institutions undergoing change is a testament on the importance of employee behaviour after commitment to change is obtained. The study revealed that most of the employees in Moroccan higher learning institutions undergoing change tend to have positive attitudes towards change. However, it was mentioned that the real challenge experienced during organisational change was to convert the positive attitude into positive behaviour. The need and urgency to study what happens after commitment to change is therefore imperative [16,17].
Research on commitment to change in Malaysian universities have pointed to Lo et al. [22]. Based on this research, it was discovered that leadership is one of the most important factors in achieving commitment to change from the university’s employees undergoing change. It has been highlighted that a transformational leadership style has had a positive relationship with all three dimensions of commitment to change—affective, continuance, and normative. The importance of commitment to change has also been emphasized by [8]. In their research involving a university in the northern part of Malaysia, it was mentioned that commitment to change is associated to the level of acceptance and success of change implementation. Employees who were committed to change would display positive behaviour towards change and provide the necessary response for the success of change implementation. Realising its importance, the study concluded that in order for employees to be committed to change and subsequently garner support for change, it is crucial for the management team to effectively cascade the information of change implementation to the employees in the university.
On a more recent front, Zainun et al. [19] looked at the influence of technostress on commitment to change, with communication as the moderating variable. The results of the study revealed that out of the five dimensions of technostress, only techno-invasion and techno-insecurity had direct effects on commitment to change. As for the indirect effect with internal communication as the moderating variable, it was discovered that only techno-uncertainty affected commitment to change. This study mainly concluded that insecurity with technology is one of the largest contributing factors for employees to not commit to change in general. However, it failed to discuss the implications of the non-commitment of employees during change.
All the above-mentioned research studied the factors that affected employees’ level of commitment to change, but not the behaviour or outcome that is expected from the change initiatives. The purpose of studying commitment to change goes beyond finding out whether employees are committed to change or not. Studies on commitment to change should focus on the outcomes of commitment to change and determine whether it can be translated into positive behaviour [16,17]. In this study, the positive outcome of commitment to change is change-related behaviour. This is further elaborated in the subsequent sections of this paper.

2.5. Change-Related Behaviour

Change-related behaviour refers to the outcome that is expected from any change initiative that is taking place. Straatmann [39] defines change-related behaviour as the level of contribution, participation, and involvement that employees display in the process of change. In one study, Herscovitch and Meyer [30] clearly differentiated the three dimensions of change-related behaviour into championing, cooperation and compliance. championing and cooperation are discretionary behaviours which project active forms of support towards change [30,36]. Employees who display the championing form of behaviour will display proactive behaviour such as exceeding the minimum requirement of what is expected, making sacrifices that would benefit the change initiative, and even encouraging others to do the same [30,36]. Cooperation refers to the action of going with the flow when it comes to support for change initiatives and a moderate form of sacrifice is made [30,36]. Compliance on the other hand, is seen as a focal change outcome where change recipients project passive forms of reactions. Employees who display the compliance behaviour would usually perform at the minimum level of what is required by the organisation for them to change [30,36].

2.6. Commitment to Change and Change-Related Behaviour

The study by Herscovitch and Meyer [30] involving 400 nurses undergoing change revealed that all the three dimensions of commitment to change, affective, continuance and normative, have positive impacts on compliance. However, it was discovered that only affective commitment to change (AC2C) has an impact on championing and cooperation. This means that when employees are emotionally and psychologically committed to change, they would display proactive behaviour towards change. This would include influencing and motivating others to change. The same tools applied by Herscovitch and Meyer [30] were applied by Adil [36]. However, results obtained from the research by Adil [36] were slightly different than those obtained by Herscovitch and Meyer [30]. It was discovered that affective commitment to change (AC2C) only positively affected compliance. Despite seeing the benefits of being affectively committed to change, employees were discovered to only behave in ways that merely complied with the expectations of the change initiatives. Normative commitment to change (NC2C) was discovered to have a positive relationship with cooperation. Surprisingly, none of the C2C dimensions affected championing [36]. One of the justifications provided was in the population and sample of the study. The tools used to study commitment to change, and its behavioural outcomes, were applied in the western context before this [30], while the abovementioned research was in the context of those in Karachi [36].
A longitudinal study conducted by Feng et al. [32] revealed that commitment to change has the ability to reduce resistance towards change and increase employees’ support. Higher levels of commitment to change among employees have been discovered to result in positive behaviour, such as the act of sharing change visions among co-workers. The results from this study were also echoed by Neill et al. [37], who claimed that employees who are committed towards change will support change by projecting positive behaviour. The belief in the value and benefits brought upon by change in the organisation resulted in employees putting in the extra effort to support change by advocating for change. These proactive outcomes or behaviour can be categorised as a discretionary form of behaviour—championing and cooperation.
The results of the abovementioned studies are also similar to the results obtained by Fournier et al. [40] on employees in the healthcare industry undergoing change. Based on the study, it was revealed that employees’ behavioural reactions were greatly affected by their belief in the change initiative. When employees truly believe in the value of change, they portray positive behavioural outcomes. Employees who project affective commitment to change have been discovered to have emotional or psychological attachments towards change. These group of employees have been reported to offer behavioural support for change in the form of discretionary behaviour, where extra effort and time are given for the implementation of change.
A study on 498 respondents who underwent change in their organisations also revealed that employees’ affective commitment to change greatly influenced their support for change [41]. Even though all the dimensions of change-related behaviour—championing, cooperation, and compliance—were mentioned in the study, these constructs were measured unidimensionally. The results did not specify which of the three change-related behaviours were most affected by affective commitment to change.
On a more recent front, change-related behaviour was also measured in the form of organisational members’ innovative behaviour as a result of change implementation [42]. However, results of this study revealed that commitment to change functioned as a moderating variable between transformational leadership and innovative behaviour. It was discovered that the presence of commitment to change as a moderator resulted in employees’ proactive behaviour in terms of the development of fresh ideas and the initiatives taken during change. This indicates that the presence of employees’ commitment to change is able to influence their support for change and is therefore necessary.
Realising the importance of commitment to change on employees’ change-related behaviour, this research has therefore developed the following hypotheses:
H1a. 
Affective commitment to change has a significant influence on compliance.
H1b. 
Affective commitment to change has a significant influence on cooperation.
H1c. 
Affective commitment to change has a significant influence on championing.
H2a. 
Continuance commitment to change has a significant influence on compliance.
H2b. 
Continuance commitment to change has a significant influence on cooperation.
H2c. 
Continuance commitment to change has a significant influence on championing.
H3a. 
Normative commitment to change has a significant influence on compliance.
H3b. 
Normative commitment to change has a significant influence on cooperation.
H3c. 
Normative commitment to change has a significant influence on championing.

2.7. Conceptual Framework

Most of the research studies change-related behaviour as a unidimensional construct [32,37,41], while some study it as a multidimensional construct [30,36]. To address this issue, this research has studied all three dimensions of commitment to change and change-related behaviour. Therefore, this research has developed the following framework as shown in Figure 1.

3. Methods

The main objective of this paper was to focus on the influence of commitment to change on change-related behaviour among academics of selected Islamic higher learning institutions in Malaysia. As mentioned earlier, none of the Malaysian-Islamic universities are listed in Malaysian top 10 universities based on the World QS university ranking. In addition to that, it has also been highlighted that there is a need for Islamic higher learning institutions to change in order to improve and be more sustainable in the future along with their conventional counterparts [6].
Currently, there are 11 private Islamic higher learning institutions in Malaysia [6], and three public Islamic higher learning institutions [9]. As highlighted earlier, ensuring that the Islamic higher learning institutions are on par with their conventional counterparts is important. In line with the thrusts of the MEB, this research only selected the three public Islamic universities. Private Islamic higher learning institutions have been excluded from this study because both private and public universities have their own governing systems, and change initiatives that are introduced may be driven by different reasons [19]. Hence, including both private and public institutions in one study with the same measurements would not produce accurate results.
The sampling method for this research is purposive sampling. Only individuals who have gone through change at their respective universities would be able to answer the questions provided in the questionnaire. Therefore, responses from academics who have been with the university for 5 years are the only ones selected for this research. This is based on the fact that the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015–2025 for Higher Education began its first phase in 2015. This means that academics who have had a minimum of 5 years of experience with the higher learning institution at the time of data collection would have experienced the successive stages related to the Malaysian Education Blueprint.
The questionnaire was distributed online, as data collection was carried out during the Movement Control Order imposed by the Malaysian government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online questionnaires were distributed to 300 academics of selected Islamic universities, and respondents were required to answer all questions. Out of the 300 emails and survey links sent, a total of 167 answered all of the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 55.6%. However, 8.3% of the respondents did not meet the criteria of being in the university for more than 5 years. Thus, the responses from these participants were excluded from the analysis. This resulted in a final sample size of 103. Since the questionnaire was conducted online, the researcher was able to ensure that all respondents have attempted all the questions before submitting their completed survey. Therefore, there were no issues of missing data. Nonetheless, a missing data analysis was conducted to reconfirm this, and no data was missing.

3.1. Data Collection Tools

The survey made use of the 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Measurements for commitment to change were adapted from [30,36], while measurements for change-related behaviour were adapted from [30]. Data collected was analysed using PLS-SEM.

3.1.1. Commitment to Change Scale

This study adapted the Commitment to Change Scale developed by [30,36]. The items in the survey distributed covered all the three dimensions of commitment to change—affective, continuance, and normative. To illustrate, an item constructed to gather a response regarding affective commitment to change from respondents include:
“The changes introduced by the university serves am important purpose”
Continuance commitment to change looks at the respondents’ action of weighing the cost committing to change against the act of not offering their commitment towards the change initiative. An example of one of the items asked in the questionnaire is as follows:
“I have a lot to lose if I resist the changes implemented by the university”
As mentioned earlier, normative commitment to change deals with a sense of obligation to offer commitment to change rather than voluntary commitment to change initiatives. An example of one the items is as follows:
“It is not right for me to oppose the changes implemented by the university”

3.1.2. Change Related Behaviour Scale

The items to measure change-related behaviour among the academics of the Malaysian-Islamic higher learning institutions were adapted from Herscovitch and Meyer [30]. All the three dimensions—championing, cooperation, and compliance—were covered. Championing takes on a proactive outcome where employees take extra measures and effort in changing. An example of one of the items in this component is as follows:
“I encourage the participation of others in implementing changes initiated by the university”
Cooperation, another form of active behaviour associated with change, is the act of employees offering moderate support towards change by going with the flow. An example of one of the items included in the survey is as follows:
“I do not complain about the changes implemented by the university”
Finally, behaviour related to compliance are most commonly performed because employees “have to”. Tasks are usually performed unwillingly. An example of one of the items that measure compliance is as follows:
“I accept the role changes within the university because I have to”

3.2. Data Analysis Tool

Based on the framework presented in this research, PLS-SEM was used to analyse the data collected. The main reason for using PLS-SEM is its robustness in analysing small sample sizes. In addition to that, this research is exploratory in nature, where its main objective is to explore the relationship between the variables studied.

4. Results and Discussion

4.1. Results

In order to test the relationships between commitment to change and change-related behaviour, as well as assess the structural model, the partial least squares structural equation model PLS-SEM was applied. Reliability and validity tests were conducted, along with tests of the model goodness and fit to ensure the quality of the framework, followed by hypotheses testing.
The data revealed that most of the respondents of this study were senior lecturers (38.8%) and lecturers (35%). In total, 21.4% of the respondents were associate professors, while 4.9% were professors. All of the respondents have been working in their respective universities for over 5 years. This meant that they would have gone through different forms of changes at the university level.
Table 1 presents the inner VIF values for the latent variables in this research. Based on the results obtained from the collinearity test conducted, it can be seen that all of the VIF values for all of the variables are less than 3.3. According to [43], when VIF values are less than 3.3, there is no infringement in multicollinearity threshold. Therefore, the data collected for this research does not have any multicollinearity issues.
To ensure the reliability of the variables constructed in the framework, two different tests of reliability were conducted, namely Chronbach’s Alpha, as well as composite reliability to test the internal consistency between the items. The results in Table 2 show that the Cronbach’s Alpha values of all variables are fairly above 0.7 at the excellent level of internal consistency recommended by George and Mallery (2003). Meanwhile, the composite reliability results assured the previous outcome, as all variables are higher than 0.6, which is the threshold proposed by [44] to determine if the items of each variable are internally consistent.
The second analysis is the goodness of the structural model. In Table 3, the SRMR (Standardized Root Mean Square Residual) model fit shows that the difference between the model correlation matrix and the observed correlation is 0.078. SRMR is lower than 0.08, and according to [45], the model goodness is therefore accepted.
The bootstrapping calculation revealed the path coefficients between the constructs as shown in Table 4. At the significant level of 5%, AC2C indicated a significant influence on championing, with a beta power at 0.506 and a significant T-value of 5.523, while CC2C and NC2C showed an insignificant influence on championing. On the other hand, CC2C has a significant influence on compliance, with a beta power at 0.376 and a significant T-value of 2.378, while CC2C and NC2C indicated an insignificant influence on compliance. Nevertheless, AC2C has a significant influence on cooperation, with a beta power at 5.138 and a significant T-value of 5.138, while CC2C and NC2C have an insignificant influence on cooperation. However, the relationship between AC2C and compliance could be considered significant at a p-value of 0.072 if the accepted error is 10%. Accordingly, Table 5 presents the hypotheses acceptance results by subheading. It should provide a concise and precise description of the experimental results, their interpretation, as well as the experimental conclusions that can be drawn.
The objective of this research is to study the influence of the three dimensions of commitment to change (affective, continuance, and normative) on the three dimensions of change-related behaviour. Table 5 presents the results of hypotheses testing. From the table, it can be seen that affective commitment to change (AC2C) influences championing (p = 0.000) and cooperation (p = 0.000). Hence, H1b and H1c are supported. However, based on the results, it was discovered that AC2C has no influence on compliance (p = 0.072). Thus, H1a is not supported.
Continuance commitment to change (CC2C) is only discovered to have an influence on compliance (p = 0.009). Therefore, H2a is supported. Meanwhile, CC2C has no influence on championing (p = 0.101) or cooperation (p = 0.168). This means that both H2b and H2c are not supported.
Finally, normative commitment to change (NC2C) only has an influence on cooperation (p = 0.048) and not on compliance (p = 0.315) or championing (p = 0.189). Thus, H3b is supported, and H3b and H3c are not supported.

4.2. Discussion

Based on the results, it can be seen that affective commitment to change (AC2C) has an influence on both cooperation and championing, which are the active form of change-related behaviour. This means that academics who know and believe in the value of change to the university will display positive reactions towards change. The results obtained therefore supports the findings of Herscovitch and Meyer [30]. This also supports the argument presented by Feng et al. [32], which proposes that employees who have more positive attitudes towards change—in this case, affective commitment to change—would have a tendency to display more positive and constructive behaviour towards change. This would include the activity of sharing visions and ideas on how to realise the change initiatives set by the university. Other forms of discretionary behaviour that fall under championing also include advocating for change.
The findings for H1a of this study contradict the initial findings of [30,32,36]. Based on this research, affective commitment to change has no influence on compliance. The plausible justification for this could be attributed to the fact that compliance is a passive form of change-related behaviour, while AC2C are associated with a genuine level of commitment that is related to emotional and psychological attachment [30,36]. This form of commitment is the highest level of commitment to change and would be associated with an active form of behaviour rather than a passive form of behaviour.
As mentioned earlier, continuance commitment to change (CC2C) refers to the commitment that is given based on the cost-benefit relationship. The question that would be in the heads of those who have CC2C would be “what do I have to lose if I do not support change?” H2a of this research is supported, therefore indicating that CC2C has an influence on compliance. From the results, it can be deduced that the academics of the Islamic universities would continue to support change because the benefits of their commitment exceed the cost of change that they have to bear [30]. This is the passive form of behavioural support. It means that the academics of the Malaysian Islamic higher learning institutions will perform at the minimum level of what is required of them to implement change in the university. The results of this research therefore correspond with the results obtained from a study on university employees in the northern part of Malaysia who are complacent in their positions and will only perform the bare minimum in the implementation of the university’s change initiatives [19]. From the results, it can be seen that CC2C does not have an influence on either championing and cooperation. The results obtained from this research are in line with the results obtained by Herscovitch and Meyer [30].
As for normative commitment to change (NC2C), results indicate that it only has an influence on cooperation. This result is supported by Adil [36]. Normative commitment to change is regarded as a form of obligation to change. Surprisingly, the academics who feel obligated to change displayed behaviours that are related to cooperation, an active form of change-related behaviour. This contradicts the results obtained by Herscovitch and Meyer [30]. According to the literature, individuals with NC2C would most commonly display the passive form of change-related behaviour rather than the active form of change-related behaviour. However, possible justification for this lies in the population of this research. One the core values of Islamic teaching is to perform duties and responsibilities sincerely [46]. Since the respondents of this study are made up of academics from Malaysian-Islamic public higher learning institutions, this value would have been present throughout the universities. Hence, academics would most likely display behaviours associated with cooperation rather than compliance.
In general, the findings of this research also support other studies of commitment to change in higher learning institutions [8,16]. When employees in universities are committed to change, positive behaviour will be displayed. Employees will support change initiatives in order to realise the universities’ objectives.

5. Conclusions

Based on this study, it can be concluded that in general, commitment to change has an impact on the overall behaviour of the academics in Islamic higher learning institutions in Malaysia. Generally, academics believe in the change initiatives of the universities and are making efforts to ensure that the targets and objectives are met. Overall, this study gives practitioners and researchers an understanding and awareness on the importance of obtaining commitment to change during organisational change to ensure that the change that is implemented is sustainable. This study specifically looked at the three dimensions of commitment to change and change-related behaviour.
Many studies have been conducted to determine the factors or determinants of commitment to change. This study goes beyond that by looking at the outcomes obtained when employees are committed to change. From a management perspective, the results of this study would also enable employers and university administrators to better equip and strategize the academic industry for future changes since these changes in higher learning institutions are rampant nowadays. It provides evidence on the importance of obtaining the employees’ commitment to change in order to obtain the desired the outcome. The desired change-related behavioural outcomes would undoubtedly be the active form of change behaviour—in this case, they are championing and cooperation. Employers would be able to identify the change-related behavioural outcome that they wish their employees to project—compliance, cooperation, or championing—and tailor their change implementation strategies to produce the change-related behavioural outcome desired.
As for the theoretical implications, this research has managed to prove that when employees are committed towards change, they will reciprocate by displaying the active form of change-related behaviour. With affective commitment to change, employees will display behaviours related to cooperation and championing. Interestingly, the idea of a cost-benefit relationship in continuance commitment to change has managed to influence employees’ behaviour of compliance. Therefore, the Social Exchange Theory can be applied in the study of commitment to change and change-related behaviour. Other than that, previous studies on commitment to change and change-related behaviour have been rather fragmented and inconsistent, where commitment to change and change-related behaviour are studied both unidimensionally and multidimensionally. This research has successfully studied all the dimensions of the variables mentioned. In addition to that, research and literature in commitment to change and change-related behaviour have mainly focused on other industries and sectors rather than on higher learning institutions. Therefore, this research has also added to the literature of commitment to change in higher learning institutions, especially in Malaysia. Finally, to the authors’ knowledge, this is the only research that focuses on commitment to change and change-related behaviour in Malaysian-Islamic universities.
Several limitations of this study should be highlighted. Firstly, the samples for this study were only academics. Future research should be carried out among non-academics, as they are also affected by the changes that take place in the universities. Secondly, future studies should also consider carrying out a longitudinal study in order to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of commitment to change and change-related behaviour.
Having said that, the researcher recommends that further research be conducted into the specific strategies that can be implemented by university management in order to increase employees’ level of commitment to change and increase the success of change in higher learning institutions.

Author Contributions

Methodology, A.M.N.; Formal analysis, A.M.N.; Investigation, A.M.N.; Writing—original draft, A.M.N.; Writing—review & editing, A.M.N., M.D. and M.R.; Supervision, M.D. and M.R.; Project administration, A.M.N. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This study was conducted under the FRDGS 2018 Grant (FRDGS2018/42).

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Approval from the Ethics Committee for data collection has been obtained.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

  1. Bayraktar, S.; Jiménez, A. Self-efficacy as a resource: A moderated mediation model of transformational leadership, extent of change and reactions to change. J. Organ. Chang. Manag. 2020, 33, 301–317. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  2. Somadi, N.; Salendu, A. Mediating Role of Employee Readiness to Change in the Relationship of Change Leadership with Employees’ Affective Commitment to Change. Bp. Int. Res. Crit. Inst. J. 2022, 5, 30–38. [Google Scholar]
  3. Abbas, T. 5 Pillars of Sustainable Organizational Change. Change Management Insight. 6 December 2022. Available online: https://changemanagementinsight.com/five-pillars-of-sustainable-change/ (accessed on 11 July 2023).
  4. Rieg, N.A.; Gatersleben, B.; Christie, I. Driving Change towards Sustainability in Public Bodies and Civil Society Organisations: Expert Interviews with UK Practitioners. Sustainability 2023, 15, 8292. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  5. Stouten, J.; Rousseau, D.M.; de Cremer, D. Successful Organizational Change: Integrating the Management Practice and Scholarly Literatures. Acad. Manag. Ann. 2018, 12, 752–788. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  6. Ahmad, H. Transformation of Higher Education: A Stakeholder Perspectives in Private Islamic Higher Education Institution (IPTIS) in Malaysia. Holistica 2019, 10, 112–116. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  7. Versteijlen, M.; Wals, A.E.J. Developing Design Principles for Sustainability-Oriented Blended Learning in Higher Education. Sustainability 2023, 15, 8150. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  8. Zainun, N.F.H.; Johari, J.; Adnan, Z. Stressor factors, internal communication and commitment to change among administrative staff in Malaysian public higher-education institutions. Horizon 2018, 26, 291–306. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  9. Ministry of Education Malaysia. Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015–2025. Higher Education. 2013. Available online: https://www.moe.gov.my/menumedia/media-cetak/penerbitan/dasar/1207-malaysia-education-blueprint-2013-2025/file (accessed on 1 July 2017).
  10. Leal Filho, W.; Pimenta Dinis, M.A.; Sivapalan, S.; Begum, H.; Ng, T.F.; Al-Amin, A.Q.; Alam, G.M.; Sharifi, A.; Salvia, A.L.; Kalsoom, Q.; et al. Sustainability practices at higher education institutions in Asia. Int. J. Sustain. High. Educ. 2021, 23, 1250–1276. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  11. Sani, R. Tertiary Education Redesigned. New Straits Times. 21 January 2017. Available online: https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/03/206101/tertiary-education-redesigned (accessed on 20 February 2018).
  12. Thomas, J. Malaysia: Between Education and Skills. The ASEAN Post, 28 November 2019. Available online: https://theaseanpost.com/article/malaysia-between-education-and-skills(accessed on 1 February 2020).
  13. Gigliotti, R.; Vardaman, J.; Marshall, D.R.; Gonzalez, K. The Role of Perceived Organizational Support in Individual Change Readiness. J. Chang. Manag. 2018, 19, 86–100. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  14. Hechanova, M.R.M.; Caringal-Go, J.F.; Magsaysay, J.F. Implicit change leadership, change management, and affective commitment to change: Comparing academic institutions vs business enterprises. Leadersh. Organ. Dev. J. 2018, 39, 914–925. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  15. Leal Filho, W.; Raath, S.; Lazzarini, B.; Vargas, V.R.; de Souza, L.; Anholon, R.; Quelhas, O.L.G.; Haddad, R.; Klavins, M.; Orlovic, V.L. The role of transformation in learning and education for sustainability. J. Clean. Prod. 2018, 199, 286–295. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  16. Allaoui, A.; Benmoussa, R. Employees’ attitudes toward change with Lean Higher Education in Moroccan public universities. J. Organ. Chang. Manag. 2020, 33, 253–288. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  17. Zappalà, S.; Toscano, F.; Licciardello, S.A. Towards sustainable organizations: Supervisor support, commitment to change and the mediating role of organizational identification. Sustainability 2019, 11, 805. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  18. Mangundjaya, W.L.; Amir, M.T. Testing Resilience and Work Ethics as Mediators Between Charismatic Leadership and Affective Commitment to Change. J. Asian Financ. Econ. Bus. 2021, 8, 401–410. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  19. Zainun, N.F.H.; Johari, J.; Adnan, Z. Technostress and Commitment to Change: The Moderating Role of Internal Communication. Int. J. Public Adm. 2019, 43, 1327–1339. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  20. Ling, B.; Guo, Y.; Chen, D. Change Leadership and Employees’ Commitment to Change. J. Pers. Psychol. 2018, 17, 83–93. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  21. Khalid, J.; Ram, B.R.; Soliman, M.; Ali, A.J.; Khaleel, M.; Islam, M.S. Promising digital university: A pivotal need for higher education transformation. Int. J. Manag. Educ. 2018, 12, 264–275. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  22. Lo, M.; Ramayah, T.; De Run, E.C. Does transformational leadership style foster commitment to change ? The case of higher education in Malaysia. Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci. 2010, 2, 5384–5388. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  23. Lo, M.; Ramayah, T.; De Run, E.C.; Ling, V.M. “New Leadership”, Leader-Member Exchange and Commitment to Change: The Case of Higher Education in Malaysia. World Acad. Sci. Eng. Technol. 2009, 53, 574–580. [Google Scholar]
  24. Daif, K.; Yusof, N. Change in Higher Learning Institutions: Lecturers’ Commitment to Organizational Change (C2C). Inernational. J. Bus. Soc. Sci. 2011, 2, 182–194. [Google Scholar]
  25. Shariffuddin, S.; Razali, J.; Ghani, M.A.; Wan Shaaidi, W.R. Transformation of higher education institutions in Malaysia: A review. J. Glob. Bus. Soc. Entrep. 2017, 1, 126–136. [Google Scholar]
  26. Nurdin, A. Modernization of Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia at A Glance: Barriers and Opportunities. Int. J. Multicult. Multireligious Underst. 2021, 8, 288. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  27. Fauzi, M.A.; Nya-Ling, C.T.; Thurasamy, R.; Ojo, A.O.; Shogar, I. Muslim academics’ knowledge sharing in Malaysian higher learning institutions. J. Islam. Mark. 2019, 10, 378–393. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  28. Cropanzano, R.; Mitchell, M.S. Social Exchange Theory: An Interdisciplinary Review. J. Manag. 2005, 31, 874–900. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  29. Purwaningrum, E.K.; Suhariadi, F.; Fajrianthi. Participation and Commitment to Change on Middle Managers in Indonesia: The Role of Perceived Organizational Support as Mediator. Glob. Bus. Rev. 2020, 23, 1218–1235. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  30. Herscovitch, L.; Meyer, J.P. Commitment to Organizational Change: Extension of a Three-Component Model. J. Appl. Psychol. 2002, 87, 474–487. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  31. Liu, B.; Zhang, Z. Motivational bases of commitment to organizational change in the Chinese public sector. Soc. Behav. Personal. Int. J. 2019, 47, 1–8. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  32. Feng, C.; Robin, M.; Fan, L.; Huang, X. Commitment to change: Structure clarification and its effects on change-related behaviors in the Chinese context. Pers. Rev. 2019, 49, 1069–1090. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  33. Mangundjaya, W.L. Leadership, empowerment, and trust on affective commitment to change in state-owned organisations. Int. J. Public Sect. Perform. Manag. 2019, 5, 46–62. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  34. Herold, D.M.; Fedor, D.B.; Caldwell, S.; Liu, Y. The Effects of Transformational and Change Leadership on Employees’ Commitment to a Change: A Multilevel Study. J. Appl. Psychol. 2008, 93, 346–357. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  35. Malik, P.; Garg, P. The relationship between learning culture, inquiry and dialogue, knowledge sharing structure and affective commitment to change. J. Organ. Chang. Manag. 2017, 30, 610–631. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  36. Adil, M.S. Impact of change readiness on commitment to technological change, focal, and discretionary behaviors Evidence from the manufacturing. J. Organ. Chang. Manag. 2016, 29, 222–241. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  37. Neill, M.S.; Men, L.R.; Yue, C.A. How communication climate and organizational identification impact change. Corp. Commun. Int. J. 2020, 25, 281–298. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  38. Liu, P. Chinese teachers’ perspectives on teachers’ commitment to change. Int. J. Comp. Educ. Dev. 2016, 18, 2–18. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  39. Straatmann, T.; Nolte, J.K.; Seggewiss, B.J. Psychological processes linking organizational commitment and change-supportive intentions. Pers. Rev. 2018, 47, 403–424. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  40. Fournier, P.L.; Chênevert, D.; Jobin, M.H. The antecedents of physicians’ behavioral support for lean in healthcare: The mediating role of commitment to organizational change. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 2020, 232, 1–15. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  41. Tsai, K.L.; Harisson, W. The Roles of Affective Commitment to Change, Organizational Justice, and Organizational Cynicism. J. Organ. Psychol. 2019, 19, 141–155. [Google Scholar]
  42. Jun, K.; Lee, J. Transformational leadership and follower’s innovative behavior: Roles of commitment to change and organizational support for creativity. Behav. Sci. 2023, 13, 320. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  43. Diamantopoulos, A.; Siguaw, J.A. Formative Versus Reflective Indicators in Organizational Measure Development: A Comparison and Empirical Illustration. Br. J. Manag. 2006, 17, 263–282. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  44. Hair, J.F.; Hult, G.T.M.; Ringle, C.M.; Sarstedt, M.; Thiele, K.O. Mirror, mirror on the wall: A comparative evaluation of composite-based structural equation modeling methods. J. Acad. Mark. Sci. 2017, 45, 616–632. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  45. Henseler, J.; Dijkstra, T.K.; Sarstedt, M.; Ringle, C.M.; Diamantopoulos, A.; Straub, D.W.; Ketchen, D.J., Jr.; Hair, J.F.; Hult, G.T.M.; Calantone, R.J. Common beliefs and reality about PLS: Comments on Rönkkö and Evermann (2013). Organ. Res. Methods 2014, 17, 182–209. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  46. Bahzar, M. Authentic Leadership in Madrassas: Asserting Islamic Values in Teacher Performance. J. Soc. Stud. Educ. Res. 2019, 10, 259–284. [Google Scholar]
Sustainability 15 14250 g001
Figure 1. Research Framework.
Figure 1. Research Framework.
Sustainability 15 14250 g001
Table 1. Inner VIF Values.
Table 1. Inner VIF Values.
ChampioningComplianceCooperation
Affective Commitment to Change1.1544211.1544211.154421
Continuance Commitment to Change1.1574631.1574631.157463
Normative Commitment to Change 1.2792511.2792511.279251
Table 2. Construct Reliability and Validity.
Table 2. Construct Reliability and Validity.
ScaleNo of ItemsCronbach’s AlphaComposite Reliability
AC2C40.8850.921
CC2C40.7410.638
Champ60.8570.895
Comp30.7200.833
Coop30.7240.840
NC2C40.7850.865
Table 3. The model fit analysis.
Table 3. The model fit analysis.
Saturated ModelEstimated Model
SRMR0.0780.080
Table 4. Path Coefficients.
Table 4. Path Coefficients.
BetaStandard Deviation
(STDEV)		T Statistics
(|O/STDEV|)		p Values
AC2C -> Champ0.5060.0925.5230.000
AC2C -> Comp0.3700.2541.4580.072
AC2C -> Coop0.4370.0855.1380.000
CC2C -> Champ0.1710.1770.9630.168
CC2C -> Comp0.3760.1582.3780.009
CC2C -> Coop0.2560.2011.2740.101
NC2C -> Champ0.1020.1150.8820.189
NC2C -> Comp0.0850.1770.4820.315
NC2C -> Coop0.1890.1141.6690.048
Table 5. Hypotheses.
Table 5. Hypotheses.
Hypothesisp ValuesResults
H1a: Affective commitment to change has a significant influence on compliance0.072Not Supported
H1b: Affective commitment to change has a significant influence on cooperation0.000Supported
H1c: Affective commitment to change has a significant influence on championing0.000Supported
H2a: Continuance commitment to change has a significant influence on compliance0.009Supported
H2b: Continuance commitment to change has a significant influence on cooperation0.101Not Supported
H2c: Continuance commitment to change has a significant influence on championing0.168Not Supported
H3a: Normative commitment to change has a significant influence on compliance0.315Not Supported
H3b: Normative commitment to change has a significant influence on cooperation0.048Supported
H3c: Normative commitment to change has a significant influence on championing0.189Not Supported
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Mohd Noor, A.; Dorasamy, M.; Raman, M. The Influence of Commitment to Change and Change-Related Behaviour among Academics of Malaysian-Islamic Higher Learning Institutions. Sustainability 2023, 15, 14250. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914250

AMA Style

Mohd Noor A, Dorasamy M, Raman M. The Influence of Commitment to Change and Change-Related Behaviour among Academics of Malaysian-Islamic Higher Learning Institutions. Sustainability. 2023; 15(19):14250. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914250

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mohd Noor, Azrena, Magiswary Dorasamy, and Murali Raman. 2023. "The Influence of Commitment to Change and Change-Related Behaviour among Academics of Malaysian-Islamic Higher Learning Institutions" Sustainability 15, no. 19: 14250. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914250

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop