Linda C. Isenhour, Diana L. Stone and Donald Lien
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of advancing theory and research in China through identification of unique aspects of Chinese organizational behaviors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of advancing theory and research in China through identification of unique aspects of Chinese organizational behaviors, which can lead to expanded, robust organizational behavior and human resource management models and theories that transcend national boundaries.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper and does not employ research methods.
Findings
The results of studies included in this special issue suggest that researchers can identify elements unique to China in constructs such as psychological capital, work‐to‐family spillover, work‐family conflict, performance appraisal process, and expatriate interactions that further expand theory and research in organizational behavior.
Practical implications
The review of articles in the special issue suggests that managers in organizations in China may want to: develop individuals' psychological capital; train managers on the importance of eliminating abusive behaviors and developing employees' heartiness; adopt family friendly practices; employ performance appraisal process to encourage commitment and organizational citizenship behaviors; and train local country nationals on working with expatriates to enhance organizational effectiveness.
Originality/value
This review provides a unique perspective on employee behavior because it considers such behavior in a Chinese context.
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Richard D. Johnson and Linda C. Isenhour
To compete in an increasingly volatile global business environment, many firms are choosing to partner with multiple firms, creating a series of independent alliances which have…
Abstract
To compete in an increasingly volatile global business environment, many firms are choosing to partner with multiple firms, creating a series of independent alliances which have been called virtual organizations. Enabled by the advances in information and communication technologies, these virtual organizations often utilize a different organization structure than traditional organizations. With this new structure comes a need for a deeper understanding of the impacts this structure has on the human resource concerns within the virtual organization. Although much research has focused on the technological and communication requirements for virtual organizations, limited research has been conducted focusing on the broader managerial issues facing these organizations. Using the organizational framework developed by Galbraith (1973), this chapter outlines some of the changes in human resource management that a virtual organization both enables and necessitates and the implications this has for the role and responsibility of managers in the 21st century virtual organization.
Linda C. Isenhour, Dianna L. Stone and Donald Lien
The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the special issue on employee behavior in China. It aims to highlight the importance of advancing theory and research on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the special issue on employee behavior in China. It aims to highlight the importance of advancing theory and research on the topic, and to suggest that many of our theories are underdeveloped because they do not consider the critical role that culture plays in understanding behavior in organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper and does not employ research methods.
Findings
The results of studies included in the review suggest that Chinese employees' reactions to workplace bullying, layoff policies, autonomy and supervision, affective commitment, and moral leadership are related to their attitudes and behaviors. They also indicate that some unique Chinese values and perspectives may be related to the same criterion variables.
Practical implications
The review of articles in the special issue suggests that managers in Chinese organizations may want to control workplace bullying, develop fair layoff policies, enhance affective commitment to change, consider employees' traditional values, and develop fair employment policies because they are related to employees' attitudes and behaviors.
Originality/value
This review provides a unique perspective on employee behavior because it considers such behavior in a Chinese context. It also offers important implications for current theory, future research, practice, and society as a whole.
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Yong Han, Ian Brooks, Nada K. Kakabadse, Zhenglong Peng and Yi Zhu
This paper explores the “Western” concept of psychological capital in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and highlights critical areas of divergence and notable dimensions of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the “Western” concept of psychological capital in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and highlights critical areas of divergence and notable dimensions of similarity.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an empirical study conducted in a wide range of Chinese organisational forms, employing an inductive approach based on critical incident technique.
Findings
This research showed that the concept of psychological capital appears to have a degree of applicability and salience in China. A series of dimensions common in Western organisations were found in our research, including Optimism, Creativity, Resiliency, Self‐confidence, Forgiveness and Gratitude, Courage and Ambition (Hope). These were found to be common types of psychological capital both in China and in the West. However, the dimensions of Courtesy and Humility (Qian‐gong‐you‐li in Chinese), Self‐possession and Sincerity fell into the “different” category.
Originality/value
This paper is a first attempt to examine psychological capital in a range of organisational forms and industrial sectors in China using a grounded theory approach. It not only reports various dimensions of Chinese psychological capital, some unique to this research, but also compares and contrasts these dimensions between China and the West, highlighting further research opportunities.
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Wei Zheng, Mian Zhang and Hai Li
The purpose of this study is to examine how performance appraisal process is associated with organizational citizenship behavior, under the light of social exchange theory and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how performance appraisal process is associated with organizational citizenship behavior, under the light of social exchange theory and impression management theory, using affective commitment as a mediator and rating‐reward linkage as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a multi‐source sample (n=777), the authors examined the mediating role of affective commitment with structural equation modeling and Sobel tests, and the moderating role of rating‐reward linkage with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models.
Findings
The relationship between performance appraisal process and organizational citizenship behavior was partially mediated by affective commitment, and perceived rating‐reward linkage strengthened the direct association between appraisal process and organizational citizenship behavior whereas it weakened the relationship between appraisal process and affective commitment.
Originality/value
The study adds to knowledge of how performance appraisal process relates to organizational citizenship behavior – through affective commitment. Further, the moderating role of rating‐reward linkage deepens understanding of the underlying motives of organizational citizenship behavior. The findings strengthen the valence of using social exchange theory to explain how performance appraisal process is associated with organizational citizenship behavior and suggest the value of incorporating impression management to supplement social exchange theory.
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Long‐Zeng Wu, Ho Kwong Kwan, Jun Liu and Christian J. Resick
The current study seeks to examine the link between abusive supervision and subordinate family undermining by focusing on the mediating role of work‐to‐family conflict and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study seeks to examine the link between abusive supervision and subordinate family undermining by focusing on the mediating role of work‐to‐family conflict and the moderating role of boundary strength at home.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a three‐wave survey research design. Participants included 209 employees from a manufacturing company in China. Hierarchical regression analyses and a bootstrapping algorithm were used to test the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
The results indicate that abusive supervision is positively related to family undermining, and this relationship is mediated by work‐to‐family conflict. Moreover, boundary strength at home attenuates the direct relationship of abusive supervision with work‐to‐family conflict and its indirect relationship with family undermining.
Research limitations/implications
This research contributes to the integration of the work‐family interface model and the abusive supervision literature by providing evidence of a link between abusive supervision in the workplace and conflict in the home. This study also indicates that abusive supervision is a problem of both organizational and societal importance in China. However, data are correlational in nature, which limits the ability to draw causal inferences.
Practical implications
Findings provide evidence that abusive supervision is a source of work‐to‐family conflict and undermining behavior in the home. Training employees to create boundaries between work and family domains may minimize the negative spillover effects of work on the family.
Originality/value
This study provides a relatively comprehensive model regarding the relationships between abusive supervision and work‐family consequences, and a promising new direction for both the leadership and work‐family literatures.
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Mian Zhang, Rodger W. Griffeth and David D. Fried
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between two forms of work‐family conflict – work‐family conflict and family‐work conflict – and individual consequences…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between two forms of work‐family conflict – work‐family conflict and family‐work conflict – and individual consequences for Chinese managers.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants of this study were 264 managers from Mainland China. The authors tested their hypotheses with structural equation modeling.
Findings
Work‐family conflict was positively associated with emotional exhaustion. Family‐work conflict was negatively associated with life satisfaction and affective commitment, as well as positively related to turnover intentions. Contrary to the research with samples of workers from Western countries (e.g. the USA), the study found that work‐family conflict was positively associated with affective commitment and did not associate with turnover intentions for Chinese managers.
Originality/value
Using the perspective of the Chinese prioritizing work for family benefits, the authors are the first to provide a preliminary test of the generalizability of the source attribution and the cross‐domain models to Chinese managers. The paper's findings provide the preliminary evidence that the cross‐domain model works among the Chinese because of its cultural neutrality whereas the source attribution model cannot be used to predict the associations between work‐family conflict and work‐related consequences.
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Arup Varma, Shaun Pichler, Pawan Budhwar and Shannon Kupferer
This study aims to build on recent research, by investigating and examining how likely it is that Chinese locals (i.e. host country nationals (HCNs)) would offer support to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to build on recent research, by investigating and examining how likely it is that Chinese locals (i.e. host country nationals (HCNs)) would offer support to expatriates from India and the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered from 222 participants in Chinese organizations, asking them to respond to questions about their willingness to offer support to expatriates.
Findings
As predicted, perceived values similarity was significantly related to higher dogmatism, which had a significant positive relationship with ethnocentrism. Further, ethnocentrism had a significant negative relationship with willingness to offer support.
Research limitations/implications
All data were collected from the participants at one point in time, so the study's results are subject to common method bias. Also, it only included India and the USA, as the two countries of origin of the expatriates.
Practical implications
Given HCNs do not automatically offer support to all expatriates, organizations might consider sending expatriates who are culturally similar to HCNs, as they are more likely to receive support, which will help their adjustment and thus organizational effectiveness.
Originality/value
This study adds to the small, but growing, number of empirical investigations of HCN willingness to support expatriates.
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Anushri Rawat, Shiva Nadavulakere, Linda Isenhour and Jean McEnery
Our study examines the impact of career enhancing strategies (CES), supportive work relationships and family–work conflict (FWC) on subjective career success.
Abstract
Purpose
Our study examines the impact of career enhancing strategies (CES), supportive work relationships and family–work conflict (FWC) on subjective career success.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were sourced from 107 professionals, who were the members of an alumni LinkedIn group of the Masters Human Resource degree program from a university in the Midwestern United States. Multiple regression analysis was employed to test the study hypotheses.
Findings
Results indicate that both forms of CES – networking and mentoring – were positively associated with subjective career success, and there exists a positive association between perceived organizational support and subjective career success. Further, FWC moderates the relationship between subjective career success and mentoring and also moderates the relationship between subjective career success and perceived supervisor support.
Practical implications
Organizations should provide opportunities to employees for networking and institute formal mentoring programs to enhance employees' perceptions of subjective career success. It is also crucial for organizations to promote work–life balance initiatives that can help reduce the levels of FWC experienced by employees.
Originality/value
Our study makes important contributions to the extant literature by highlighting the importance of CES and supportive work relationships in ensuring subjective career success. It also identifies an important moderator, FWC, which can significantly impact subjective career success.