Abstract
This study investigates the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) personnel to determine the elements of uncertainty avoidance among the staff. As such, the study examines the respondents’ expectations of rules, changes, and creativity in uncertainty avoidance. This study also investigates the differences between respondents’ behaviour in High Uncertainty Avoidance (HUA) or Low Uncertainty Avoidance (LUA) and the extent to which these differences affect communication. Furthermore, this study employed mixed (qualitative and quantitative) methods as a research design, with ethnography as a research approach. The study data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS Version 20) and thematic analysis for an in-depth exploration of the respondents. The result of the study showed that, regardless of ethnicity, common HUA values were shared in the observation of rules and regulations, which reflected the consensual agreement on the importance of observing rules. Concerning changes and adaptation, all the three ethnic groups indicated LUA, with only a small number indicating HUA in this matter. The Malay personnel indicated an especially high LUA, as the future was believed to be too intricate, ambiguous, unpredictable, and hostile for efficient planning. Regarding workplace creativity, all three ethnic groups indicated LUA, with only a small number indicating HUA in this matter. Nevertheless, it is made aware in this study that the results are not representative of the three ethnic populations in Malaysia.
Highlights
The diversity in Malaysia is evident from the three main ethnic and religious groups: Muslim Malays, Chinese Buddhists, and Indian Hindus
This study focused on East Coast Malaysia, in the state of Terengganu, a multicultural state with ethnic Malays as the dominant group (Terengganu history, 2013)
This was consistent with the respondents’ age in the study, with the majority between the age ranges of 26 to 35 years employed in University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) for one to five years onwards
Summary
The diversity in Malaysia is evident from the three main ethnic and religious groups: Muslim Malays, Chinese Buddhists, and Indian Hindus. The objective of this study was to ascertain the degree to which the elements of uncertainty avoidance, such as the values in observing rules and regulations, accepting changes and adaptation, and creativity at the workplace could generate problems and conflicts, subsequently affecting UMT’s productivity. The paper addressed this hypothesis by first defining culture in the Malaysian context, such as socio-cultural, linguistic, and educational nuances. The interaction between Malaysian Indians and Malaysian Chinese could be considered as intercultural communication
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