Understanding Chinese non-managerial employees' response to western HRM: changes in turnover intention

Chinese lower‐level employees' perspective on western‐style HRM is neglected. Partly remedying this gap, we report changes in non‐managerial employees' feelings as they move from employment in Chinese‐owned enterprises to that in Anglo‐American‐invested multinational corporations (MNCs). W...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Asia Pacific journal of human resources 2014-07, Vol.52 (3), p.316-332
Main Authors:	Jin, Jiafei, Chen, Chih-Chieh, Fosh, Patricia, Chen, Yang
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	changes in turnover intention China contextual research cultural emphases Cultural values Decision making employee perspective on HRM Employee turnover Employees Employment practices Multinational corporations Studies
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Chinese lower‐level employees' perspective on western‐style HRM is neglected. Partly remedying this gap, we report changes in non‐managerial employees' feelings as they move from employment in Chinese‐owned enterprises to that in Anglo‐American‐invested multinational corporations (MNCs). We investigate the employees' appreciation of their enterprise and three work aspects linked both to their enterprise HRM environment and to Chinese cultural emphases. Our findings show that increases in pride in enterprise and in feeling responsible for own work correlate significantly with increased intention to stay, but increases in feeling involved in enterprise decision‐making do not. This suggests that Chinese non‐managerial employees appreciate western‐style HRM practices that resonate with their cultural values but not otherwise. Further, this suggests that Chinese cultural emphases on mianzi, collectivism and power distance remain important for non‐managerial employees and that Chinese MNC unit managers, when introducing HRM practices, need to take account of possible differences in outlook between them and their subordinates. Key points Examining the turnover intentions of non‐managerial employees' contributes to the neglected area of the response of Chinese MNC non‐managerial employees to a western HRM environment. Non‐managerial employees' cultural emphases help to explain their reactions to their experience of a western HRM environment. Two increases in the non‐managerial employees' feelings towards HR‐related aspects of their work − pride in enterprise and feeling responsible for own work − correlate with increased intention to stay, but increased feeling of involvement in enterprise decision‐making does not. Chinese MNC unit managers, when implementing western HR practices, will find it efficacious to take into account possible differences in outlook between them and their subordinates.
ISSN:	1038-4111 1744-7941