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Innovation Initiatives and Its Impact Among Malaysian University Lecturers

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The Palgrave Handbook of Leadership in Transforming Asia

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Abstract

This study examined factors of innovation initiatives, main concerns for an organization to initiate innovation as well as impact of the innovation initiatives towards the organization, students and lecturers. Stratified-random sampling was employed involving 123 lecturers in a Malaysian university. Findings showed that the most prominent factor in innovation initiative is to improve the product in order to benefit users, followed by self-satisfaction and recognition. This implies that organization staff viewed the creation of innovative products as a process of growth to fulfil the needs of others and also to realize their personal potential. Findings also revealed that the main concern for encouraging innovation is the need of the organization to provide more funds and grants in order to assist innovators financially in creating innovative products. Moreover, findings showed that innovation initiatives help to motivate and cultivate students’ interest to be creative, improve their entrepreneurship skills, learn leadership role and expose them to new ideas. This implies that through the creation of innovative products students can learn from their experience and they learn to take leadership role. Importantly, initiating innovation is regarded as a norm towards a significant implication of effective management in respective organization. It can be concluded that organization management plays a vital and leading role in initiating innovation among the staff.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute Aminuddin Baki, National Institute of Educational Management and Leadership, Ministry of Education, Kota Bharu, Malaysia

    Cheng Sim Quah

  2. Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Sandra Phek Lin Sim

Authors
  1. Cheng Sim Quah
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  2. Sandra Phek Lin Sim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cheng Sim Quah .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Nuttawuth Muenjohn

  2. School of Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Adela McMurray

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Quah, C.S., Sim, S.P.L. (2017). Innovation Initiatives and Its Impact Among Malaysian University Lecturers. In: Muenjohn, N., McMurray, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Leadership in Transforming Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57940-9_12

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