Transforming HRM education through values-based pedagogy: the ADAB+ approach and corporate relevance

This study introduces ADAB+, an educational innovation at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) that extends the earlier ADAB framework rooted in the values of adab and amanah. ADAB+ incorporates akhlaq and the principle of ihsan, with the intention of nurturing honesty, empathy, and compassion as integral aspects of student learning. Grounded in the Malay worldview (pandangan semesta) and core Malay values, ADAB+ situates Human Resource Management (HRM) not merely as a managerial discipline but as a humanistic field that embodies cultural and ethical dimensions. To understand how students experience this innovation, an action research approach was employed. Data were collected through semistructured interviews designed to capture participants’ lived experiences and the meanings they ascribed to their engagement with ADAB+. Analysis focused on identifying the essence of these experiences, highlighting how students internalized values and reflected upon their roles as future professionals. Findings reveal that students associated ADAB+ with heightened ethical awareness, deeper engagement in classroom interactions, and a renewed appreciation of local knowledge systems often overlooked in conventional HRM education. Moreover, students emphasized the personal resonance of values such as sincerity and compassion, which they perceived as shaping both their academic development and future practice. By centering on lived experience, this study underscores ADAB+ as a culturally responsive model that humanises HRM education, offering an alternative to Westerncentric paradigms and advancing pedagogical practices that harmonise moral, cultural, and professional learning.