Internal consultation skill and linkage with the critical strategic roles of HR practitioners in Malaysia

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between the role of internal consultant and role of the HR practitioners in the manufacturing companies of Malaysia.

Three main elements in the competency of internal consultation are measured. They are: knowledge in the area of project management; internal coaching ability; and the ability to be a solution provider.

The HR practitioner needs to overcome many barriers to reach the ultimate goal of becoming a strategic partner in his or her organisation. The findings suggest that the HR executive that understands business strategy is more likely to develop HR processes and procedures that support the implementation of a business strategy and are therefore, better able to involve themselves in organisational development activities on a deeper level.

This study by its very nature is limited by virtue of its having been carried out only on manufacturing companies in Johor, the Southern‐most state of Malaysia. Thus, its findings cannot be generalised. The number of respondents in this study was relatively small (89) and does not fully represent the thousands of HR managers employed by manufacturers in Malaysia.

Even though the findings cannot be used to reflect the overall HR competency of internal consultation in Malaysia, it does serve as an exploratory study that can be expanded more broadly in the future.

The paper can help HR professionals to look more perceptively into the expectations of their CEOs concerning their role as HR practitioners and will be of interest to those working in that area.