Ethnicity at workplace: Value and culture of Malaysian Malay tradition in organization

Abstract

Organizations are built from the essence of many cultures, divisions, professions, functions and roles, employees, management and hierarchy. Collective activities within the organization function continuously with the division of work and the hierarchy of authority to achieve the goals set by the organization. Culture is a mode of thinking, values, and attitudes including the beliefs, traditions and behaviors of human beings that learned and inherited from one generation to another. Cultural sociologists examine the meaning-making process, the reasons behind the meanings, the effects on human action, and the importance of meaning in generating unity and conflict. Today, Malays in Malaysia have shown tremendous changes in economic, political and social aspects. This situation can be seen in the rural and farming communities as well as modern societies in the cities that are actively involved in modern economic sectors including services and businesses, and the communities have even formed a Malaysian middle class society. Historically, the founding of the Malay community in Malaysia began from the village, hence the combination of both custom and culture being built in the village. The value and culture of the Malays are said to be attributed to the view of the Islamic world which is 'Islam as a way of life'. Religion, culture and social bonds are embedded in the lives of the Malays. A study conducted among 265 Malay workers in the national automotive industrial organization indicated that there was a positive finding between the traditional culture and the official culture of the workplace. Malay values and norms are brought to the workplace and have affected the routines at the workplace as well. Hence, in the context of organization and occupation, employers cannot separate the workers from their labor capacity because employees are the people who are living with the society, and they are shaped and seen through the society. Various socially constructed elements including the perceptions, and may affect the interaction among the employees, employers, leaders, and success of an organization.