Chinese traditionality, job attitudes, and job performance: a study of Chinese employees

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships among Chinese traditionality, job attitudes, and job performance. Chinese traditionality, an indigenous cultural variable, is expected to enhance employees’ organizational commitment and job satisfaction, which in turn affect their job performance. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via employee survey from 399 workers in two large firms in China. The HR department helped the authors to distribute a self-administered questionnaire to the respondents. The authors assured them of confidentiality and protected their anonymity. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results show that Chinese traditionality is positively related to organizational commitment and job satisfaction. The authors also find that the positive effect of Chinese traditionality on employees’ job performance is mediated by organizational commitment, but not by job satisfaction. Practical implications Based on the findings, Chinese firms should pay attention to cultural values, which play an important role in affecting employees’ job attitudes and performance. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, it provides evidence about the significant positive effect of Chinese traditionality on organizational commitment and job attitudes. Second, it reveals a key mechanism through which Chinese traditionality enhances employees’ job performance.