Flora F. T. Chiang

A critical examination of Hofstede's thesis and its application to international reward management

Hofstedes model has been extensively used and applied in international management. This study begins with a critique of Hofstedes thesis. The applicability of his framework is then tested using a cross-cultural comparison of reward preferences in four countries. The findings reveal that although his framework provides both theoretical and practical contributions to the reward arena, the proposition that human values are conditioned solely by national culture ignores the potential influence of a variety of other contextual factors.

The transferability of management practices: Examining cross-national differences in reward preferences

This study examines the multi-dimensional nature of reward preferences (i.e. types, systems, and criteria) in the cross-border context, an area not sufficiently addressed by prior research. We found empirical evidence to suggest both similarities and differences in employee reward preferences. Although culture may impinge on reward preferences, this study suggests that its influence may be diminishing or giving way to a range of other contextual forces. Directions for future research are also presented.

Developing and Utilizing Network Resources: Roles of Political Skill

This study examines the role of political skill in the development and utilization of network resources at the individual level. Drawing on the behavioural and network perspectives as well as political skill literature, we propose that political skill increases ones network resources (developing network), which will benefit his/her performance and career success. Moreover, political skill is hypothesized to strengthen the relationships between network resources and performance and career outcomes (utilizing network). A two‐wave study on a sample of 281 supervisor–subordinate dyads from six electronic firms in China confirms our hypotheses. Our examination of the dual role of political skill facilitates a better understanding of the networking process from the perspective of individual skill/behaviour, thus enriching the behavioural theory and network literature. Implications are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.

The Performance Implications of Financial and Non‐Financial Rewards: An Asian Nordic Comparison

This study empirically investigated cultures consequences on employee perceptions of the performance implications of financial and non‐financial rewards. Using a sample (n = 568) drawn from the banking industry in Finland and Hong Kong, we found that although the effects and predictive capability of culture (i.e. masculinity–femininity, individualism–collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance) offered some important insights, a range of other contextual factors (i.e. organizational, institutional, economic) wielded influence over and shaped reward–performance values, preferences, and behaviours. The emergence of these new paradigms necessitates that the US centric economic and behavioural theories (e.g. exchange) that underpin reward–performance be revisited and extended if they are to be applicable in the international context. Understanding the influence of a range of contextual forces is therefore critical to multinational organizations attempting to implement effective reward strategies aimed at achieving a diverse set of performance priorities. In addition to these novel theoretical and practical contributions, this study also paves the way for future research in this promising area of management studies.

Examining human resource management outsourcing in Hong Kong

This study explored the state of human resource (HR) outsourcing in the Asian context, a particularly important subject given its rapid proliferation in Europe and North America, the inconsistent and limited evidence from prior research, and its strategic importance to the human resource management (HRM) function. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data and the transaction cost, resource-based, and institutional perspectives, we found that although respondents were generally favourable towards outsourcing, that in practice its adoption and diffusion were in a nascent stage in Hong Kong. Decisions to outsource were, by and large, incremental and experimental and influenced by a range of contextual factors (e.g., availability of in-house expertise, skills and creativity, strategic priorities, legislation (coercive), availability of external service providers, and industry and peer (mimetic) influence). Despite considerable pressure to cut costs, instead of outsourcing in the first instance, firms placed greater emphasis on maximising internal resource utilization (insourcing). Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are also provided.

A social exchange theory framework for understanding the job characteristics–job outcomes relationship: the mediating role of psychological contract fulfillment

This study integrated the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and concept of psychological contract fulfillment into a social exchange theory process framework to improve our understanding how and when job characteristics interact to influence job outcomes. Using survey data (n = 334), we found evidence to support our hypothesized relationships between job characteristics (job demands and job resources) and job outcomes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment); and the mediating role of psychological contract fulfillment (transactional and relational), such that when job resources (job control and support) were high, the negative effects of high job demands on psychological contract fulfillment were attenuated. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Front-line Service Employees’ Job Satisfaction in the Hospitality Industry: The Influence of Job Demand Variability and the Moderating Roles of Job Content and Job Context Factors

A study of 302 front-line employees in three 5-star Hong Kong hotels found that high job demand variability diminished their job satisfaction. However, adding discretion to the job content and improving rewards and training as part of the job context resources and support were found to moderate the negative effects of high job demand variability on the employees’ job satisfaction. The importance of service discretion is particularly intriguing for these employees, since their hotels’ current cultural approach is to require supervisory approval for deviations from standard practice. This study draws on the job demands–control (JD-C) model to incorporate socio-psychological characteristics of customer service positions in the analysis of employees’ job satisfaction.

Perceptions of Negative Workplace Gossip A Self-Consistency Theory Framework

We present and test a self-consistency theory framework for gossip: that perceived negative workplace gossip influences our self-perceptions and, in turn, this influences our behaviors. Using supervisor-subordinate dyadic time-lagged data (n = 403), we demonstrated that perceived negative workplace gossip adversely influenced target employees’ organization-based self-esteem, which, in turn, influenced their citizenship behavior directed at the organization and at its members. Moreover, by integrating victimization theory into our framework, we further demonstrated that negative affectivity, an individual’s dispositional tendency, not only moderated the self-consistency process but also predicted perceived negative workplace gossip. Our study therefore shifts attention to the target of negative workplace gossip and in doing so offers a promising new direction for future research. Implications to theory and practice are discussed.

The transfer and diffusion of HRM practices within MNCs: lessons learned and future research directions

Abstract The transfer and diffusion of human resources management (HRM) practices within the geographically dispersed operations of multinational corporations (MNCs) is receiving heightened attention, in particular because it is believed to significantly influence the performance and competitiveness of MNCs and their subsidiaries. However, as a review of the current body of literature suggests, further work is needed if we are to more fully understand the underlying process through which HRM practices are transferred and diffused or provide more holistic guidance with practitioner relevance. In this article, the authors review and synthesize the extant literature on the transfer and diffusion of HRM practices in the MNC context. Five salient themes or questions that prior research attempts to address are identified and critiqued. A general guiding framework is proposed as are possible avenues for future research.

Examining the perceived causes of successful employee performance: an East–West comparison

This study examines cross-national differences in the perceived attributes of employee performance using a multi-country sample drawn from Canada, China (Hong Kong), Finland and the UK. Significant country differences were found in the relative importance individuals attach to internal versus external causes of their performance. Respondents in Canada, Finland and the UK considered internal factors to be the most relevant. This was in contrast to their counterparts in China (Hong Kong) where a combination of both internal and external factors are believed to influence performance outcomes. Understanding these East–West differences is essential to managers grappling with the design and implementation of performance management systems in cross-border settings. The present study also paves the way for future research.