THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT BETWEEN TALENT CULTURE AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AMONG EMPLOYEES OF MALAYSIAN GLCs

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine how perceived organizational support mediated the relationship between talent culture and employee engagement among employees in the Malaysian governments-linked companies (GLCs). Theoretical framework: The dependent variable for this study is employee engagement while talent culture constitute the independent variable and perceived organizational support is the mediating in this study. Method: The survey distributed received responses from 164 employees currently employed at the 47 GLCs. The study utilised partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method to analyse the data and obtain results for the hypotheses generated. Results and conclusion: The results indicated that none of the mediated relationship were significant. Implications of the research: The findings will be able to provide guidance to the organizations’ top management to streamline their operations, business framework and values with the concepts of talent management practices, perceived organization support and employee engagement. Originality/value: In general, this study will be beneficial for GLCs to understand the importance implications of talent management practices in order to attract and retain critical talent and reduce employee turnover in their business entity.


INTRODUCTION
Talent management is the process of recruiting, developing, and retaining employees. To enhance productivity and keep their businesses competitive, Malaysian GLCs need qualified employees. Therefore, strategies for managing talent are essential for growth and performance, for surviving in the competitive business environment, and for outperforming competitors in the relevant sector.
The first component of talent management methods is performance management, which is a technique used by managers to improve team and individual performance while providing access to the organization's current and long-term objectives. The interaction between managers and employees, which permits a thorough grasp of goals and the recognition of the various methods to accomplishing organisational objectives, is one of the process major components. Maintaining employees' knowledge, abilities, and talents is the aim of the second component of talent management techniques (nurturing employees). Previous research has shown that retaining talented individuals can result in significant cost savings. One method to keep employees on board is by giving them chances to develop new skills and talents. The third component of talent management is talent recognition and reward. Organizations prove their value to their workforce by their strategies, policies, and procedures, and as a result, they reward and acknowledge those who have helped them achieve their goals. It is said to have an open culture and a "communication component" when information and ideas are shared within the company (Armstrong, Karimzadeh, Naqi Imani & Shayanipour, 2010).
Talent has an undeniable value as a weapon in a competitive setting, according to Mellahi & Collings (2010), to achieve and maintain competitive advantage over their competitors. Talent needs ongoing development in this challenging and competitive environment. Talents are crucial for achieving organisational effectiveness, maintaining high production levels, and raising a company's income. Employee loyalty to the company is frequently attributed to the organization's potential for growth and development. With talent management techniques, the business will be able to monitor and oversee the career advancement of those high-potential employees in talent pools (Saim, 2017).
Organizations' inability to make fair personnel decisions, particularly about layoffs, bonuses, wage hikes, and promotions, results in disengagement of the talent. To enhance employee productivity and efficiency, it is crucial for the company to provide fair compensation aligned with the market rates, performance-based bonuses, and attractive benefits packages while ensuring equitable treatment of employees, as a person's superior can influence their motivation. However, the appraisal system in Malaysian GLCs presents a significant hindrance to talent development. Despite the formulation of key performance indicators to evaluate professional accomplishments, the actual appraisal process is often influenced by office politics and senior management interference, as revealed in an MMG Berhad's interview session. Moreover, the bell curve approach for performance evaluation is perceived as an unfair method, as some team members are deemed non-performers if the group goals are not achieved, despite their individual efforts. Additionally, there is a disconnection between the performance appraisal procedure and the balanced scorecard system in Malaysian GLCs, as noted by Abdul Khalid &Scapens (2005) andOthman et al. (2006). GLCs still prioritize corporate affiliation as the criteria for career promotion, rather than employee performance and merit, according to a previous study by Mohd Saudi, Anwar, and Sinaga (2018). The corporate culture significantly influences appraisal issues, especially when it impacts employee performance, which can ultimately enhance the company's performance and competitiveness.
According to Hepner (2019), implementing a near-term incentive scheme with uncertainty is crucial to retain employees in a particular firm. However, GLCs in Malaysia must realize the shortage of skilled talent, which can lead to turnover of valuable employees. With shrinking talent pools, competition for top talent is becoming fiercer, and skills gaps in GLCs exacerbate the situation. This puts GLCs in direct competition with private companies for the best employees, making recruitment challenging. Losing talent not only results in the loss of skills but also loyal clients and customers, institutional knowledge, ongoing projects, competitive intelligence, and organizational history. Finding replacements can be timeconsuming, causing significant delays for GLCs.
When organizations reinforce positive culture, talents who perceive high levels of trust, empathy, and inclusivity from their employer, and feel inspired and motivated at the workplace, are more likely to align themselves with the company and less likely to leave, as supported by Cheese et al. (2008). The assimilation of talent management practices into the organizational culture can eliminate differences within the organization. Positive workplace cultures, which prioritize treating people with respect, valuing diversity, and empowering individuals, play a significant role in promoting workplace engagement. The company culture will affect the direction of the company to achieves its strategic goals (Shamsudin & Velmurugan, 2023) and in addition to that culture that promotes, recognises, and demands excellence from all the talents to committed into the company corporate philosophy.

LITERATURE REVIEW
In today's business world, proactive employees who are committed to their duties, passionate about their work, and able to deliver high-quality work are highly valued. When employees are passionate about what they do, they are more inclined to give their best effort and provide constructive criticism for the growth of their company. As Barney (1991) suggests, skilled personnel are key asset that adds value to the organization, is difficult to replace, and is challenging for competitors to copy. Employee engagement plays a crucial role in an organization's productivity and ability to retain talent. Engaged employees feel more in control, better able to plan ahead, make decisions, and use their creativity to complete tasks, leading to increased productivity and commitment to their jobs (Theuri, 2017). Kular, Gatenby, Rees, Soane, and Truss (2008) found that engaged employees are more productive, focused, less distracted, and highly motivated, making employee engagement a critical tool for companies looking to increase productivity and reduce attrition rates. Bakker & Schaufeli (2008) claim that a stimulating work environment is essential for a company's success, which can be achieved through efficient talent management strategies such as workrole alignment, resource accessibility, perceived fairness, objective evaluation, and alluring compensation systems (Maslach et al., 2001).
In GLCs, talent is the primary source of competitive advantage, making it crucial to achieving the company's objectives. Employers can increase employee engagement by investing heavily in training and development (Gill, 2007). Therefore, developing engaged employees is essential for a company to improve profit and corporate growth, which are the cornerstones of successful businesses.
Effective management support can enhance the contribution of talented workers, leading to reduced absenteeism, increased corporate citizenship activity, and improved employee performance, as evidenced by studies by Eisenberger et al. (1986). Studies by Shore and Wayne (1993) have also shown that perceived organisational support can result in successful economic outcomes and increased organisational commitment. Positive attitudes and behaviours are more likely to be exhibited by employees when they feel supported by their employer, according to Asgari et al. (2008), who found that a 35% increase in organisational support leads to a corresponding increase in organisational citizenship behaviour (Ali, 2009).
To further the Economic Transformation Program (ETP) and achieve the country's objective of becoming a high-income nation, Malaysian GLCs should prioritize improving worker engagement and productivity by adopting a proper approach to perceived organisational support. Additional research has demonstrated the benefits of perceived organisational support for training effectiveness, career success, work engagement, and citizenship behaviour (Ahmed & Nawaz, 2015;Zumrah, Boyle, & Fein, 2012), as well as the drawbacks of perceived organisational support for withdrawal behaviour, withdrawal intentions, and turnover intentions (Shusha, 2013;Madden, Mathias, & Madden, 2015;Ameen & Ahmad, 2014;Newman, Thanacoody, & Hui, 2011).
Workplace culture is one of several elements that could increase employee engagement (Macey et al., 2009;Lockwood, 2007). More motivated employees will use all of their effort and use their finest abilities to go above and beyond the minimal needs for organisational development because they are aware of the value of their contribution to the company (Namrita & Yoginder, 2017). Davies and Davies (2010) contend that for a company to be competitive, its talent must feel valued and that their contributions are valuable. As part of their retention plan, all of these skills require a supportive corporate culture. Kotter (2012) and Nafei (2016), who contend that organisational culture has a direct impact on a variety of factors in the organisation, lend credence to this. To enhance their competitive cultures, several GLCs have embraced the practises of performance-linked compensation and key performance indicators. Fair compensation and praising employees' accomplishments are the major forces behind a supportive talent culture, which in turn increases workplace engagement (Mat Nor, Alias, & Hassan, 2013), according to research by Mohan et al. (2015). Among the GLCs that followed these practises are PETRONAS, Maybank, Telekom, and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Khazanah Nasional Berhad, 2015). The GLCs' fostering of a competitive culture that encourages talents to contribute to the success of the company helps to increase employee engagement. Throughout the organisation, a sense of gratitude and acknowledgment is fostered by the acts made as part of the talent culture. Also, a productive workplace environment that acknowledges individuals' contributions is produced when talent management strategies and organisational objectives are aligned. These circumstances are advantageous for preserving productivity and competitiveness (Pasha & Ahmed, 2017). In general, GLCs have a high-performing workplace culture that encourages employees to ask questions, adjust their work processes creatively, make decisions, and plan out their impending duties (Khazanah Nasional Berhad, 2016). These strategies work to bring back the emphasis on company objectives, recruit and retain top talent, offer fair performance evaluation, and reward systems, and increase employee motivation (Ministry of Finance, Malaysia, 2004). According to Sharkey, Eccher, and Mohan (2011) and Siva, John, and Mohan (2016), an organization's culture is crucial to the development of talent and can increase company performance by 30%. Employee engagement and talent culture are mediated by perceived organisational support, in part. Talented employees must feel appreciated by the organisation for them to stay. Perceived organisational support, according to a study by De Roover (2015), acts as a mediator in the relationships between individualism and collectivism and personal growth intention, as well as talent management and personal growth initiative. Emerson (2013) asserts that perceived organisational support can moderate the relationship between work satisfaction, intention to leave, and culture. Techniques for managing talent are more likely to be effective if senior management and the general corporate culture fully support them. Comprehensive development programmes, opportunities for career progress, and a friendly work environment are among the positive aspects that employees perceive the organisation to offer. Employee attitudes are positively impacted by perceived organisational support (Rhoades et al., 2002). Employees feel valued and strongly attached to the company's goals when they perceive their employer to be solidly behind them. Also, efficient people management methods raise employee engagement levels at GLCs by reflecting recruiting and cultural expectations and fostering an environment where employees are more enthusiastic about their work, according to Srivastava and Bhatnagar (2008). Retaining talented employees in an organization requires perceived organizational support. De Roover's study in 2015 confirmed the role of perceived organizational support as a mediator between talent management and personal growth initiative, as well as between individualism/ collectivism and personal growth intention. According to Emerson in 2013, perceived organizational support also serves as a mediator between culture, turnover intention, and job satisfaction.
To be effective, talent management strategies need to be fully supported by top management and the larger organizational culture. Comprehensive development programs, career promotion opportunities, and a supportive workplace environment are seen by employees as favourable supports from the company, and perceived organizational support positively influences employee attitudes (Rhoades et al., 2002). Talented employees who sense strong support from their employer feel valued and closely linked to the company's objectives.
Furthermore, the right implementation of talent management practices is important in increasing employee engagement levels at GLCs. Companies use various strategy in talent management practices in order to retain and motivate talent to remain in the organization (Tamsah, Nurung, Nasriani & Yusriadi, 2023). According to Srivastava and Bhatnagar in 2008, talent management practices reflect recruiting and culture needs and establish a workplace atmosphere where people are more enthusiastic about their work. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed: H1: Perceived organizational support (POS) will significantly and positively mediate the relationship between Talent Culture (TC) and Vigor (VIG)

METHODOLOGY
The quantitative approach of this study employs purposeful sampling, and the population of a study is the entire set of people, occasions, or things of interest that a researcher intends to investigate (Sekaran and Bougie, 2013). The study's target population was talent pool employees in Malaysian GLCs. Out of all the Malaysian GLCs that were available for the study and are listed on the Bursa Malaysia stock exchange, the researcher had only selected 47 companies (PCG, 2015). These businesses were selected because they have a greater level of recognition, represent a wide range of industries, and have demonstrated exceptional financial and business performance. According to Gomez (2018), the market capitalization of the local bourse in 2017 was made up by the 20 largest GLCs, which are essential to the development and structure of the nation's economy (Norhashim & Ab. Aziz, 2005).
The IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 and SmartPLS version 3 were the two main software packages used to examine the data collected and conduct analysis for this study. This study used average variance extracted (AVE) to examine convergent validity, composite reliability (CR) to test the model's internal consistency, individual reliability of outer loading indicators, and the Fornell-Larcker criterion to test discriminant validity. Although PLS-SEM can be used to handle data with a non-normal distribution (or skewed distribution), a non-parametric bootstrap method is preferred for assessing the applicability of structural model coefficients like path coefficients (Hair et al., 2014).
All of the factors were measured using the respondents' responses on 7-point Likerttype scales (1 = strongly opposed, 7 = strongly agree). This strategy was chosen because it is more accurate, easier to use, and better suited to reflect respondents' actual opinions on this subject (Finstad, 2010).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The data is analysed using PLS-SEM to examine the relationship between the independent, dependent and mediating variables. Table 1.2 provides the result of the measurement model including the loadings for the respective constructs, composite reliability score (CR) and the average variance extracted (AVE).   (2023) The AVE values in present study ranged from 0.623 to 0.803, table 1.2 provides the result of measurement model including the loadings for the respective constructs, composite reliability score (CR) and the average variance extracted (AVE).  (2023) Based on the result of the study it shown that the bootstrapping analysis of H1 showed that the indirect effect β = 0.019 was insignificant with a t-value of 0.452, indicating that perceived organizational support did not mediate the relationship between talent culture and vigor. The hypothesis H2 was rejected since the bootstrapping analysis showed that the indirect effect β = 0.021 was insignificant with a t-value of 0.451. The result indicated that perceived organizational support did not mediate the relationship between talent culture and dedication. Likewise, H3 was also rejected as the bootstrapping analysis showed that the indirect effect β = 0.020 was insignificant with a t-value of 0.448, this proves that perceived organizational support did not mediate the relationship between talent culture and absorption. The PLS outputs 8 of the mediating effect of perceived organizational support between talent management practices (talent identification, talent development, talent culture) and employee engagement .

CONCLUSION
This study's findings corroborate those of Nurcholis and Budi (2020), and the POS on employee engagement suggests that a substantial impact between perceived organisational support and employee engagement originates in part from the former. As a result, the research showed that talent culture might not feel like it is getting enough backing from upper management. Support in an emotional setting, however, is crucial in keeping staff around.
After considering the results, we can say that the study has a number of elements and limits. The degree and type of organisational backing that employees believe they have is one of the most important considerations. variables such as the GLC's internal environment, resources, and business culture. POS did not moderate the connection between talent and its strength, as has been stated and inferred from the data (bootstrapping analysis). The GLC's microenvironment is obviously determined in large part by this. Yet, there are restrictions because POS can't moderate the connection between talent culture, devotion, and adoption. Several restrictions mentioned in this article point to inconsistencies in performance management policies, procedures, and systems. These include ineffective communication systems between employees and employers, flawed appraisal methods, and the absence of a company culture that values employees' talents. As a last point, in a company that places a premium on its employees' talents, employee engagement is essential. Because of this, the potential mediating role of POS in fostering a culture of appreciation for employees' talents is eliminated. The findings of this study highlight the need for additional research on GLCs and the mediating effect of POS between talent culture and engagement.