If my observation and received feedback are of correct and precise, workforces from other alternate countries rarely display similar reaction and response to the extent that our workforces do. Conversely, they welcome with a certain level of reluctance; despite that, they may be aware of lacking required capabilities and resources.
Production/manufacturing professionals from Malaysia would surely admit that, not too far ago of a decade to two, we travelled to China to transfer knowledge and skills to production plants in China, but we now travel to China to acquire their knowledge and skills before implementing new methods, solutions, technologies in the production plants in Malaysia.
What has made this 180-degrees overturn?
It could, perhaps arguably, be largely attributed to the consequences reflected in the above mentioned notorious trait of Malaysian workforce. While the workforce in China is so hungry about skills and knowledge acquisition for self-enrichment and endeavoring towards making a breakthrough; we, the workforce in Malaysia, are happily satisfied with our skillsets and knowledge level but praying for higher pay with lesser job responsibilities. When being asked about the loss of national competitive advantage, we have got used to pinpointing to government corruption.
But, wait a minute!
Don’t you think that it is simply too cheap to make such pinpointing without self-examining our notorious trait? While we all have learned that attitude determines altitude, haven’t we too much compromised with this notorious trait in the name of smartness?
If we have compromised this, should we still regard ourselves as being in possession of moral standing to pinpointing the loss of competitive advantage resulted from and impacted by government corruption? Do we think those Mat Saleh from top management of MNCs are stupid enough and unaware of our notorious trait? What could be the subsequent corporate decisions when it comes to the stage of determining employment layoffs and plant facilities shutdown?
If we have compromised this, should we still regard ourselves as being in possession of moral standing to pinpointing the loss of competitive advantage resulted from and impacted by government corruption? Do we think those Mat Saleh from top management of MNCs are stupid enough and unaware of our notorious trait? What could be the subsequent corporate decisions when it comes to the stage of determining employment layoffs and plant facilities shutdown?
The late internationally renowned management guru, Pater Drucker, wrote that the national competitiveness is measured by how competitive the enterprises (companies) in that country, whereas the competitiveness of the enterprises (companies) must be embodied by their workforces. Accordingly, Drucker has established a sound correlation between national competitiveness and workforces via the moderator known as enterprises (companies). The function of the moderator in this context has been gravely frustrated and unfortunately obstructed since the notorious trait has become a norm to the organizational culture of enterprises (companies) in the name of smartness, and thus the national competitiveness remains strangling.
It is indisputable that the journey ahead of Malaysian competitiveness is still full of sorrow and grief if we keep failing to examine our self in the context of Malaysia's talent development. Too often, we hear about the issue of talent shortage is very serious in Malaysia, but I am unsure about its root cause as to whether such shortage is referring to technical incompetency or poor attitudes towards job passions and cultures. If it is meant to the former, the situation is not too bad in considering that technical competency could be relatively easy to be boosted and uplifted. But if it is unfortunately meant to the later, we really have to study what has catalyzed our working attitude to this extent of the notorious trait in the name of smartness!
