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Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of executives’ overseas education and work experience on enterprise digital as executives’ overseas background is critical to the development of enterprises. It also explored the mediating role of enterprise digital transformation on the relationship between executives’ overseas background and enterprise growth. Design/methodology/approach Chinese A-share companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges for the period 2018–2020 were analyzed using regression analysis and bootstrapping to verify hypothesized relationships. Findings Executives’ overseas study and work experience both enhanced enterprise digital transformation significantly, thus improving enterprise growth. The level of employee education moderated the mediating role proposed in the theoretical model. Moreover, the promoting effect of executives’ overseas background on enterprise digital transformation was more significant for non-state-owned enterprises and those in eastern China. Practical implications The findings provide reference for the formulation and optimization of companies’ human resource structure and have implications on the improvement of enterprise digital transformation and enterprise growth. Originality/value This study explored the factors influencing enterprise digital transformation at the microlevel of corporate human capital, thereby providing microlevel empirical evidence for research on the factors influencing enterprise digital transformation. Its findings shed light on the mechanism and context under which executives with overseas backgrounds may enhance enterprise digital transformation and growth.

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the extent to which unionized employees are dissatisfied in Chinese Enterprise Trade Unions (CETUs) when they perceive high levels of the triple-role conflicts, as well as whether rights expectations will moderate these relationships. The authors define CETUs' triple-role conflicts as the extent to which CETUs and their cadres prioritize fulfilling the roles of preserving social stability (“peace”) and/or maintaining the production order (“production”) over protecting worker's rights and interests (“workers” rights).Design/methodology/approachPilot study developed the scales via both qualitative and quantitative studies, which include item generation using the transcript of individual interviews with 36 informants, and exploratory factor analyses with 106 respondents. The study used a sample of 327 employees from more than 20 firms in North and Southwest China.FindingsResults indicate high reliability and validity of the scales and provide largely consistent supports for our hypotheses: three dimensions of triple-role conflicts are negatively related to employees' satisfaction in CETUs, and rights expectations moderate these relationships.Originality/valueThis study developed three scales to respectively measure CETUs' triple-role conflicts, rights expectation and satisfaction in CETUs. More importantly, the findings shed light on the moderating mechanism of rights expectation in the relationships between triple-role conflicts and satisfaction in CETUs.

Renqing is a culturally specific Chinese notion of the informal norms in society that are significantly different from the formal rules. This paper focuses on employees' perception of renqing and of the rules in Chinese workplaces. Specifically, we define renqing (or rules) perception as the extent to which employees perceive that people's actions in their organizations follow renqing norms (or formal rules). Conceptually and empirically, we find that both renqing perception and rules perception are two-dimensional constructs. Drawing on social information processing theory, we propose the mediating mechanisms underlying organizational culture, employees' perceptions of renqing and of rules, and their job satisfaction. Specifically, we hypothesize that clan culture will positively relate to renqing perception, while hierarchy culture will have a positive relation to rules perception; both will lead to higher job satisfaction. Results from two-wave surveys of 325 Chinese employees provide largely consistent support for our hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.