Shuming Zhao

Does HRM facilitate employee creativity and organizational innovation? A study of Chinese firms

Using a sample of 106 firms in China, we examined how human resource management (HRM) practices relate to employee creativity and organizational innovation. In order to avoid common method bias, the data were collected from three different groups of respondents separately. Our results showed that four HRM practices, hiring and selection, reward, job design and teamwork, were positively related to employee creativaity while training and performance appraisal were not. Employee creativity fully mediated the relationships between those four HRM practices and organizational innovation. Results suggest that HRM practices can play an important role in managing people to promote innovation in Chinese organizations.

Application of human capital theory in China in the context of the knowledge economy

With the development of the knowledge economy, research and application of human capital theory has received great attention from many scholars in various countries and in different organizations. In the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), research on human capital theory is still not mature. However, many organizations have tried to put human capital theory into management practice. Based on human capital theory and relevant research at home and abroad, this study analyses the present situation of the formation and development of human capital in China, and discusses the application of human capital theory in different kinds of Chinese organizations. Research on human capital theory and practice has much room for development in China and will arguably soon become one of the main topics in theoretical study and organizational practice.

Devolvement of HR practices in transitional economies: Evidence from China

Chinas progressive integration into the global economy has strengthened its position as a ‘magnet’ for foreign direct investment. The inevitably increased competition in the Chinese economy has led firms to adopt more market-oriented approaches to human resource management (HRM). Based on a survey of 618 managers in state-owned enterprises, domestic/private- and foreign-invested firms operating in the Jiangsu Province of China, this study investigates the extent to which HR practices have been strategically devolved to line managers, and the relationship between this devolvement and the performance of firms in China. Overall, there was little evidence of devolvement to line managers. We found no evidence of a relationship between the degree of devolvement and firm performance, although the provision of formal training to line/middle managers was predictive of performance.

China in Sub-Saharan Africa: implications for HRM policy and practice at organizational level

The presence of China in Africa has introduced a new geopolitical dynamic that should be incorporated into the way international human resource management (HRM) is studied cross-culturally. Despite a growing literature on Chinas international relations with and investment in Africa, little previous study has been undertaken at organizational level. We review relevant literature, together with that on management and organization in Africa and China, to develop a conceptual framework that incorporates critiques of North–South interactions including Dependency Theories that posit First World development is based on Third World underdevelopment, and Postcolonial Theory that posits the Souths knowledge dependency on the North. We consider how a growing South–South dynamic may be integrated into a consideration of power dynamics and cultural crossvergence, and construct organizational and management ‘ideal types’ to enable us to frame a research agenda in this area. This is important, as it is difficult to sustain cross-cultural scholarship merely on cultural comparisons. By providing a way of studying cultural hybrid forms of organization, or cultural ‘third spaces’, it is hoped this will contribute to understanding the implications to people management practice in South–South partnerships, not only in Chinese organizations in Africa, and contribute theoretically to the development of cross-cultural management studies and its application to international HRM.

The effects of psychological contract violation on Chinese executives

We investigate the influence that a violation of psychological contracts can have on organizational commitment both in main and moderating effects. Although there have been many studies relating to the negative effects of psychological contracts on organizational outcomes, our study is the first to examine these potentially negative effects on executives. As well, few studies have used the Chinese landscape to determine if Chinese employees develop psychological contracts and if so, to delve into whether these violations have similar impacts on Chinese employees as on their Western counterparts. Our sample consists of 200 Chinese executives from Mainland China. The sample includes CEOs, executive vice presidents, and general managers, all of which are powerful decision makers. We found that a violation of psychological contracts for Chinese executives has a strong negative relationship with organizational commitment. Our results also show the interactional effects of both job and person related variables and psychological contract violations on organizational commitment. More specifically, job involvement, job satisfaction, and hope decrease the negative effects of psychological contract violations, while job demand and locus of control heighten the negative effects of psychological contract violations. Thus, psychological contract research is applicable not only for the Western employee but is also relevant within the Asian context.

Strategic integration of HRM and firm performance in a changing environment in China: the impact of organisational effectiveness as a mediator

In the context of dramatic changes in China, this paper investigates the role of organisational effectiveness as a mediator in the relationship between the strategic integration of human resource management (HRM) and firm financial performance. Our study is based on the survey responses of 618 managers in state-owned and private (domestic and foreign-invested) enterprises in China. While most studies of the linkage between HRM practices and firm performance in China have measured firm financial performance or used an ad hoc combination of financial and non-financial indicators, we argue for a distinction to be made between non-financial organisational effectiveness and financial performance. As hypothesised, controlling for sector (state-owned vs. private), we find positive relationships between perceived changing business environment and strategic integration of HRM, and between strategic integration of HRM and organisational effectiveness. Our research adds an important conceptual link by showing that organisational effectiveness plays an important role as a mediator in the HRM and firm financial performance relationship and reinforces the importance of the organisational and environmental context for HRM.

Changing employment relations in China: a comparative study of the auto and banking industries

Employment relationships in China have undergone changes during the process of transition to a market economy and through the impact of globalisation. Both market forces and institutional arrangements have played important roles in determining the changing character of employment relationships in Chinese auto and banking sectors in recent years. Because of the unique characteristics of Chinas situation, there are a number of problems yet to be fully recognised and resolved during the process of economic transition and the construction of a new institutional system.

How does a boundaryless mindset enhance expatriate job performance? The mediating role of proactive resource acquisition tactics and the moderating role of behavioural cultural intelligence

Abstract Drawing on self-determination theory, this study explores how a boundaryless mindset influences expatriate job performance, while incorporating the mediating role of proactive resource acquisition tactics and the moderating role of behavioural cultural intelligence. Analyses of three waves of data totalling 389 expatriate–supervisor dyads collected from 10 large Chinese multinational corporations indicated that a boundaryless mindset has a positive influence on expatriate task and contextual performance through the mediating role of proactive resource acquisition tactics. Furthermore, behavioural cultural intelligence enhanced the effects of proactive resource acquisition tactics on task performance and contextual performance. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.