Differences in personality and the sharing of managerial tacit knowledge: an empirical analysis of public sector managers in Malaysia
- Authors: Abdul Manaf, Halimah , Harvey, William , Armstrong, Steven , Lawton, Alan
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Knowledge Management Vol. 24, no. 5 (2020), p. 1177-1199
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- Description: Purpose: This study aims to identify differences in knowledge-sharing mechanisms and personality among expert, typical and novice managers within the Malaysian public sector. Strengthening knowledge sharing function is essential for enabling public institutions around the world to be more productive. Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative study involves 308 employees from management and professional groups within 98 local authorities in the Malaysian local government. Stratified random sampling techniques were used and the sampling frame comprised 1,000 staff using postal surveys. Data analyses were carried out using analysis of variance and correlations to test the research hypotheses. Findings: The findings reveal that expert managers are more proactive in sharing their knowledge, particularly those with the personality traits of conscientiousness and openness. These two personality traits were also related to expert behaviours such as thoroughness, responsibility and persistence, which led to work competency and managerial success. Originality/value: This study provides theoretical insights into how managerial tacit knowledge differs and can accumulate, depending on the personality traits of middle managers. The paper shows the different mechanisms of knowledge sharing, tacit knowledge and personality among expert, typical and novice managers. Practically, this study is important for guiding senior managers in their attempts to identify the most appropriate personalities of their middle managers. This study found that the expert group was higher in conscientiousness, openness and overall personality traits compared with the typical and novice groups. The paper also highlights the value of sharing managerial tacit knowledge effectively. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Managerial tacit knowledge, individual performance, and the moderating role of employee personality
- Authors: Manaf, Halimah , Armstrong, Steven , Lawton, Alan , Harvey, William
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Public Administration Vol. 41, no. 15 (2018), p. 1258-1270
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- Description: This study investigates the relationship between knowledge-sharing mechanisms, managerial tacit knowledge, and individual performance in the Malaysian public sector. Moderation effects of employee personality on these variables were also examined. Findings from 308 Malaysian public sector managers suggest that individual performance is influenced by levels of accumulated managerial tacit knowledge (LAMTK), which were moderated by employee personality traits. The findings also show that individual performance has an impact on the effectiveness of knowledge-sharing mechanisms.
From birth to death : The life of the standards board for England
- Authors: Lawton, Alan , Macaulay, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Public Administration Review Vol. 77, no. 5 (2017), p. 720-729
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- Description: Organizations wax and wane, and some cease to exist altogether. The Standards Board for England was abolished after a 10-year life. Created to regulate the ethical behavior of local politicians in England, the ethics of politics was undermined by the politics of ethics. This article analyzes the life of the Standards Board initially through the lens of a life-cycle approach to organizations but finds that a problem-cluster approach provides a sharper picture. Over its lifetime, the Standards Board faced a number of crises; its failure to resolve these crises and an unfavorable political climate led to its demise. © 2017 by The American Society for Public Administration
Assessing public participation initiatives in local government decision-making in Malaysia
- Authors: Manaf, Halimah , Mohamed, Ahmad , Lawton, Alan
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Public Administration Vol. 39, no. 11 (2016), p. 812-820
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- Description: ABSTRACT: Increased public participation in government decisions contributes significantly to the enhancement of grass-roots democracy. This article assesses the level of involvement of local citizens in local government decisions in Malaysia. Public participation was assessed using questionnaires on the range and extent of initiatives used by local government. The questionnaires also probed citizens’ perceptions of these initiatives and expectations for greater citizen empowerment. Data were gathered from 206 local citizens randomly selected from six local authorities in the northern region of Malaysia. The findings reveal a desire on the part of local citizens to participate in their local government decision-making process. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.
Developing a Framework for Ethical Leadership
- Authors: Lawton, Alan , Páez, Illiana
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Business Ethics Vol. 130, no. 3 (2015), p. 639-649
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- Description: Interest in ethical leadership from academics and practitioners has grown enormously in recent years. This article addresses this literature through a framework that identifies three interlocking questions. First, who are ethical leaders and what are their characteristics? Second, how do ethical leaders do what they do? Third, why do leaders do as they do and what are the outcomes of ethical leadership? Different dimensions to ethical leadership are examined and presented as three interlocking circles; Virtues, Purposes and Practices. This framework presents an integrated approach to ethical leadership and argues that future research take this holistic framework and apply it to different sectors or contexts. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
New public management lessons from abroad
- Authors: Six, Frederique , Lawton, Alan
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: The State of Public Administration: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities p.
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Public service ethos : Developing a generic measure
- Authors: Rayner, Julie , Williams, Helen , Lawton, Alan , Allinson, Christopher
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory Vol. 21, no. 1 (2011), p. 27-51
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- Description: This article conceptualizes public service ethos as a multidimensional construct and develops a framework that explains first, why individuals are motivated by this ethos (Public Service Belief); second, how they deliver public services in accordance with this ethos (Public Service Practice); and third, what ends they perceive it to endorse (Public Interest). Despite considerable interest in public service ethos within the public administration literature, research is constrained by the absence of a measure of this ethos. This article therefore reports three studies conducted to advance theory and research through the development of a psychometrically sound instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates support for a three-factor structure, where the dimensions are distinct but related aspects of public service ethos. Moreover, findings show this measure to be valid, reliable, and generalizable. As such it offers researchers an instrument with which to better explore the character and existence of a public service ethos.