PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM AGENDA MODEL IN MALAYSIA: AN EVALUATION USING THE FUZZY DELPHI METHOD APPROACH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEMP.935059Keywords:
Fuzzy Delphi Method, Governance, Malaysia, Public Service Reform, Triangular Fuzzy NumbersAbstract
Public service reform in Malaysia has developed through successive initiatives that have emphasized economic restructuring, performance management, integrity, digitalization, and citizen-centred service delivery. However, these priorities have often been addressed separately, leaving limited empirical validation of an integrated model that connects governance values, human capital, organization development, service delivery, and cross-sector collaboration. The Public Service Reform Agenda (ARPA) was introduced to bring these dimensions together within a single national reform framework. This study aims to validate the dimensions of the ARPA model for public service reform in Malaysia using the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM). A panel of 47 senior public service experts assessed the five ARPA dimensions and their associated strategies. Consensus was established using three acceptance criteria: a threshold value of d<=0.2, expert consensus of at least 75%, and a fuzzy alpha-cut value of at least 0.5. All five dimensions met the acceptance criteria. Across the validated elements, the analysis recorded an aggregate threshold value of d=0.078, expert agreement of 97.0%, and a fuzzy alpha-cut value of 0.924. The findings support the relevance of Appreciation of Value and Good Governance, Human Capital Development, Organizational Development, Service Delivery, and Public-Private Sector Synergy as interrelated dimensions for structuring public service reform in the Malaysian context. The study therefore provides expert-based validation of the model’s dimensions and a clearer basis for subsequent refinement, implementation, and evaluation, rather than evidence of implementation effectiveness.
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