Confucianism: measurement and association with workforce performance

Abstract

PurposeThis paper reconsiders the approaches to measuring Confucian values, and tests their association with workforce performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine how such values and performances are prioritized across three East Asian societies, but more importantly, identifies how variations across societies might result from the way in which Confucianism has been transformed/appropriated differently across history.Design/methodology/approachA Best-Worst experimental design is used to measure three aspects of Confucianism (relational, pedagogical, and transformative), and three aspects of workforce performance (mindset, organization, and process) to capture the trade-offs by respondents from three East Asian societies: China (n=274), Taiwan (n=264), and South Korea (n=254). The study employs analysis of variance withpost-hoctests to examine differences between societies. A hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward’s method is utilized to identify clusters based on similarities within the data. And last, multiple regression analysis is applied to determine the explanatory power of Confucian values on workforce performance.FindingsFindings confirm the prioritization of three aspects of Confucianism (relational, pedagogical, and transformative) to differ between Mainland Chinese, Taiwan Chinese, and Korean respondents – producing five distinct clusters based on similarities across three societies. Overall, between 7 and 27 percent of the variance in workforce performance could be explained by the Confucian values included in this study.Originality/valueThis study highlights the “different shades of Confucianism” across East Asian societies, which we coin as Confucian Origin, Preservation, and Pragmatism, and demonstrates the need to take a multifaceted perspective in the measurement of Confucian culture. The study provides empirical support for the link between Confucianism and performance at the micro-level, as originally proposed by Baumann and Winzar (2017), and identifies specific antecedents of behavior for research moving forward.

Public entrepreneurship and organizational performance in Asia: Do entreprneurial leadership, ethical climate and Confucian values matter in Korea and China

“…This suggests that there might be differences in the effect of Confucian values on public entrepreneurship and organisational performance among countries because of their unique contextual circumstances. This result is in line with the recent findings of Viengkham, Baumann, and Winzar's (2018) work on Confucianism and workforce performance, which assumed varied prioritizations of Confucian values among people in different societies (China, Taiwan, and South Korea) and found variations in their impact on workforce performance among them.…”

Development and validation of work ethic instrument to measure Chinese people's work‐related values and attitudes

“…As argued by Leong, Huang, and Mak (), a work ethic construct can offer important variables to consider “when providing career assessment and counseling services” (Leong et al, , p. 313). Also, similar to what was argued by Viengkham et al (), the findings of this research can help develop initiatives to prepare individuals for fulfilling their assignments by providing contextual knowledge on the individuals' attitudes toward work in the Chinese context.…”

“…Moreover, performance as one of the concerns of HRD, is highly related to work ethic of employees (Meriac & Gorman, ; Viengkham, Baumann, & Winzar, ; Wang, Wang, Ruona, & Rojewski, ). We argue that examining the work ethic and influence of its cultural and organizational antecedents could have important implications for HRD initiatives (Petty & Hill, ; Viengkham et al, ). Specifically, current study has practical implications for HRD professionals who want to customize their practices in Asia.…”

“…HRD has an important role in understanding and improving work ethic in the workplace. Moreover, performance as one of the concerns of HRD, is highly related to work ethic of employees (Meriac & Gorman, 2017;Viengkham, Baumann, & Winzar, 2018;Wang, Wang, Ruona, & Rojewski, 2005). We argue that examining the work ethic and influence of its cultural and organizational antecedents could have important implications for HRD initiatives (Petty & Hill, 2005;Viengkham et al, 2018).…”

The importance of team psychological safety climate for enhancing younger team members’ innovation-related behaviors in South Korea

“…Confucianism serves as East Asian society’s core value system and ethical foundation for business and social interactions, thereby affecting people’s thinking styles and behaviors in business contexts (Kim, 2009). Many believe that Confucian values, such as the emphasis on education, hard work, frugality, and the importance of knowledge have contributed to economic success in East Asian countries (Baumann et al, 2016; Viengkham et al, 2018). The cross-cultural management literature has explored the connection between the components of Confucianism and workforce performance and found that in a Korean context, Confucian values—hierarchy, competition, and value of knowledge—contribute to an employees’ motivation to succeed (Viengkham et al, 2018).…”