Cultural Orientation in China: Differences Across Five Generations of Employees

Abstract

Following recent shifts in economic models and family structure in China, younger generations of Chinese employees have been found to exhibit values and behaviors that are visibly different from those held and displayed by the cultural mainstream. To gain a better grasp of this phenomenon, we examined how cultural orientation (with a focus on vertical individualism and vertical collectivism) varies with age and tenure in a diverse sample of Chinese employees (N = 306). Our results revealed a negative association of both age and tenure with vertical individualism, and follow-up analyses showed that the biggest increase in vertical individualism occurred in the post-1990s generation of employees. The post-1990s generation also showed a visible decrease in horizontal collectivism, but this cultural orientation was not significantly associated with age or tenure. Limitations and implications for theory and practice are discussed.

A critical review of research on the work-related attitudes of Generation Z in China

“…Vertical individualism signifies not only accepting one's individuality, but also the fact that inequality exists, whereas horizontal individualism stresses individuality and equality [34]. In the Chinese context, for example, vertical collectivism is shown to be the preferred cultural orientation among older generations, with younger generations gravitating more towards vertical individualism [19].…”

“…The literature appears to advocate that companies may have to expand their communication efforts beyond traditional meetings and e-mail formats to more technologically integrated forms of training, reporting, and creative production. With Generation Z poised to enter (or already entering) the workforce, it is vital for companies to find ways to efficiently take into account the differences that exist between Generation Z-ers and older generations, and use their understanding of these differences to accommodate the shifts in outlook and expectations that have occurred [19].…”

“…Another issue is that generations are not often clearly defined in the studies. [19] and [12], for example, conceptualize generation cohorts based on decades, e.g. post/pre-1990s and post/ pre-1980s, while [37] proceed based on historical periods.…”

Features of the personality of the people identifying themselves with different generations

“…Other trend is found in east countries. The senior generations in China differ in smaller degree of individualism, than younger [18].…”

Understanding Chinese International Doctoral Students in NewZealand: A Literature Review of Contemporary Writings about Chinese Overseas Research Students

“…That is, the younger generations are generally labelled as the carriers of individualistic values in China. Ma, Hu & Goclowska (2016) propose a similar stance in their quantitative research on the cultural orientations of different generations of Chinese employees in China.…”