INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)
ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue X October 2025
offering engineering services to major telecom vendors such as Huawei and ZTE, XYZ SDN BHD struggles to
align its technical competencies with emerging 5G requirements. With over 90% of its engineers lacking 5G-
specific expertise, the company risks losing bids for high-value contracts, thereby weakening its industry
position.
This study aims to investigate how structured, competency-based training interventions can bridge the 5G skill
gap within XYZ SDN BHD and enhance its innovative performance. The study distinctly operationalizes its
theoretical underpinnings. TAM informs the understanding of individual acceptance and behavioural intention
toward 5G tools; LO theory emphasizes the development of adaptive and knowledge-sharing cultures; and AR
provides an iterative, cyclical process to co-create, implement, and evaluate interventions in real operational
contexts.
Through semi-structured interviews, participant feedback, and pre-/post-training assessments, the research
examines how these theories interact within each research cycle TAM guiding training acceptance (Cycle 1),
LO sustaining knowledge transfer (Cycle 2), and AR linking both through reflective practice.
The significance of this research lies in its dual contributions. Theoretically, it extends innovation literature to
subcontractor contexts, an underexplored domain compared to primary telecom operators (Calandra & Chow,
2024; Shani & Coghlan, 2019). Practically, it develops a measurable training framework with clear innovation
indicators competency improvement, adoption rate, and process efficiency that subcontractors can replicate to
reduce vendor dependency and enhance service quality. Such frameworks are vital to fostering inclusive and
sustainable innovation ecosystems.
The primary research questions are: (1) What training module should be developed to address 5G skill gaps at
XYZ SDN BHD? (2). How effective is the developed training module in improving employee competency and
readiness for 5G technology adoption). The corresponding objectives are to design, implement, and evaluate a
contextualized 5G training module, and to measure its impact on technical performance and organizational
innovation.
To contextualize the research problem and ground the theoretical framework, the following section literature
review examines the current state of innovation challenges in telecom subcontractor firms, with emphasis on
training gaps, existing models, and underexplored theoretical linkages.
LITERATURE REVIEW
This study explores the under-researched domain of innovation within telecommunications subcontractor firms,
with a focus on XYZ SDN BHD. The literature review identifies key challenges, including limited research, skill
gaps, and the absence of tailored training frameworks for subcontractors, despite their vital role in 5G
deployment. While innovation literature extensively addresses large telecom operators, subcontractors often lack
the financial and infrastructural resources to implement similar strategies. The technological evolution from the
telegraph to 5G has transformed the industry (Laker, 2023; Slimani et al., 2023). However, the rapid pace of 5G
adoption presents unique hurdles for smaller firms, including insufficient upskilling and training.
Innovation is not solely technological but also organizational, involving new processes, feedback loops, and
customer-driven service designs (Kalıpçı, 2023; Shani & Coghlan, 2019). However, generic, vendor-driven
training programs remain inadequate for subcontractors, who are individuals or entities offering specialised
telecommunications services, such as network maintenance, and are accountable for executing tasks on behalf
of a primary contractor (MacKenzie, 2000; Fridkin & Kordova, 2022). This highlights the need for hybrid,
competency-based models that integrate microlearning, real-world scenarios, and continuous certification
(Farnese et al., 2019; Ahmed et al., 2023). The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Learning
Organization (LO) Theory provide insights into adoption behaviour and continuous learning. However, TAM
must be extended to account for industry-level constraints, such as limited infrastructure and vendor dependency
(Venkatesh et al., 2003; Kalıpçı, 2023).
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