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

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.