Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Strategic Alignment and Goal Setting as Drivers of Perceived Sales Performance: Action Research in a Malaysian Ict Firm

Soo Tiam Wah, Sathiswaran Uthamaputhran

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v16-i10/29184

Open access

ICT systems integrators depend on leaders from sales, technical and operational functions to coordinate customer opportunities and execute a shared strategy. This study examined how a cross-functional coordination platform and KPI-based management intervention shaped perceived sales performance in a Malaysian ICT firm. A two-cycle action-research design combined qualitative evidence from four leaders with a post-intervention survey of 30 respondents. Cycle One identified weak coordination, unclear ownership, strategy-execution gaps and inconsistent KPI follow-up. A structured digital coordination platform improved information sharing, visibility and follow-up but did not fully resolve role clarity or performance alignment. Cycle Two introduced KPIs centred on strategic alignment, goal setting and accountability. All measures demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .774-.893). Strategic alignment, goal setting and accountability were strongly correlated with sales performance (r = .614-.715, p < .001). The regression model was significant, F(3, 26) = 18.686, p < .001, and explained 68.3% of the variance. Strategic alignment (beta = .475, p = .002) and goal setting (beta = .323, p = .024) were significant predictors; accountability was positive but non-significant. The results indicate that coordination creates visibility, while aligned strategy and clear goals translate that visibility into performance-oriented action.

Ates, N. Y., Tarakci, M., Porck, J. P., Van Knippenberg, D., & Groenen, P. J. F. (2018). The dark side of visionary leadership in strategy implementation: Strategic alignment, strategic consensus, and commitment. Journal of Management, 46(5), 637-665. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318811567
Boal, K. B., & Hooijberg, R. (2000). Strategic leadership research: Moving on. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 515-549.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Coghlan, D. (2019). Doing action research in your own organization (5th ed.). Sage.
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.
Frink, D. D., & Klimoski, R. J. (1998). Toward a theory of accountability in organizations and human resource management. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 16, 1-51.
Gittell, J. H. (2002). Coordinating mechanisms in care provider groups: Relational coordination as a mediator and input uncertainty as a moderator of performance effects. Management Science, 48(11), 1408-1426.
Hall, A. T., Frink, D. D., & Buckley, M. R. (2017). An accountability account: A review and synthesis of the theoretical and empirical research on felt accountability. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), 204-224.
Ireland, R. D., & Hitt, M. A. (2005). Achieving and maintaining strategic competitiveness in the 21st century: The role of strategic leadership. Academy of Management Perspectives, 19(4), 63-77. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2005.19417908
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1992). The balanced scorecard: Measures that drive performance. Harvard Business Review, 70(1), 71-79.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.
Uthamaputhran, S., & Thoti, K. K. (2024). An investigation on the effects of digital transformation on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(8), 2815-2827. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i8/21983.
Zaato, S. G., Ismail, M., Uthamaputhran, S., Zulkiffli, W. F. W., & Yusuff, Y. Z. (2022). Roles of government support policies on entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs performance in an African context. International Transaction Journal of Engineering, Management, & Applied Sciences & Technologies.

Wah, S. T., & Uthamaputhran, S. (2026). Strategic Alignment and Goal Setting as Drivers of Perceived Sales Performance: Action Research in a Malaysian Ict Firm. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(10), 956–961.