Job Embeddedness: Cross-cultural Comparison Between China and Pakistan During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, cross-cultural studies are at the forefront of individuals’ minds. Following this line, we conducted a cross-cultural examination between Chinese and Pakistani management employees’ attitude toward job embeddedness. Survey data were collected using the English and Chinese versions of seven items exhibiting attitudes towards the employees’ job embeddedness scale in the COVID-19 pandemic setting. As, the two groups are diverse on geographic, cultural, religious and economic scopes; it was not surprising to see that in this COVID-19 pandemic, these future managers differed on a number of opinions regarding job embeddedness. On the other hand, some similarities were also noted. The current research proposes a novel approach to probe cross-cultural comparison on job embeddedness in COVID-19 background. Considering the previous research on job embeddedness, there is scant attention given to Pakistan and China. This research will not only help to enhance understanding of job embeddedness knowledge but also help to boost the continued development of worldwide business opportunities in the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of curated findings and future directions are also discussed.

A cross-cultural comparison of work engagement in the relationships between trust climate – Job performance and turnover intention: Focusing China and Pakistan

“…This heightened response in the Chinese context could be attributed to cultural and organizational values that emphasize trust and harmony as central to workplace relationships, as elucidated in earlier research [ 27 ]. Conversely, the slightly subdued relationship in Pakistan could be influenced by other unexplored organizational or societal factors, suggesting a need for a more context-specific investigation in future studies [ 57 ].…”

“…This could be anchored in the deep-seated Chinese cultural values that emphasize diligence and commitment in response to trust, as elucidated in previous studies [ 27 ]. In contrast, the relationship between TC and TI was more pronounced in Pakistan, suggesting that a trust-laden organizational atmosphere in Pakistan might play a more significant role in employees' stay-or-leave decisions, potentially due to unique socio-cultural or organizational dynamics specific to the region [ 57 ].…”

“…Drawing upon cultural motivation theories, the heightened tie between WE and JP in China may resonate with the nation's cultural orientation towards achievement and diligence [ 56 , 61 ]. On the other flank, the pronounced inverse linkage between WE and TI in Pakistan can be contextualized against the nation's political and collectivist values, where high engagement might engender a stronger sense of loyalty and community belonging, dissuading thoughts of departure [ 57 ]. This dichotomy not only amplifies the intricate interplay of culture and engagement but also echoes sentiments encapsulated in prior cross-cultural research [ 56 , 57 ].…”

“…Organizational culture is deemed pivotal and intriguing, given its influence on a myriad of organizational outcomes [ 56 ]. One of the most extensively studied dimensions in cultural values is the dichotomy between individualism and collectivism [ 57 ]. Ever since Hofstede's landmark work in the 1980s, collectivism has garnered broad consensus, spotlighting the degree to which individuals are integrated into in-groups [ 58 ].…”

Antecedents of Organizational Resilience after COVID-19: The Case of UAE

“…Is interesting to see if the results for a country where expats workforce is higher that locals will have same results or different compared to other countries where locals are more than expats. Rafiq and Jafar [13] found that the opinions of different groups of people regarding the advantages and disadvantages of job embeddedness were affected by geographic, cultural, religious, and economic scope parameters when they examined a sample of employees from Pakistan and China, thus increasing the importance of this study for the specific geographical area. Based on that, the main scope of this paper is to develop a model that will investigate the relationship between stress, engagement, well-being, and employee resilience to organizational resilience in UAE.…”