Exploring the Impact of Cultural Values on Employee Engagement in Chinese Organizations: The Moderating Role of HRD Culture

Abstract

Employee engagement has been receiving increasing attention in the field of human resource development (HRD) over the past decades. Recently, the discourse around employee engagement has evolved into an interdisciplinary and international concept, prompting researchers to advocate for a pluralistic perspective to understand the situational conditions that cultivate engagement. Yet, there is limited knowledge about the relationship between cultural values and engaged behaviors, as well as the role of HRD in these dynamics. By focusing on individual perceptions of work-related cultural values, and organizational HRD culture, the purpose of this study is to explore the effects of Chinese cultural values on employee engagement and the moderating effects of HRD culture. Recruiting 677 participants from 16 Chinese organizations across multiple industries, this study collected employee responses on their belief in cultural values, work engagement, and perceived organizational support for HRD at two-time points: September 2023 and December 2023. The results indicated positive relationships between hardworking, tolerance, guanxi, harmony, loyalty, jingye, and HRD culture with employee engagement. Positive moderation effects of HRD culture were found in relationships between hardworking, tolerance, harmony, loyalty, and Jingye with engagement. Stronger organizational HRD culture amplified these impacts, while no interaction effect was found between HRD culture and the relationships of modesty and guanxi with engagement. These findings underscore the importance of cultural factors in shaping employee engagement in Chinese workplaces, advancing the understanding of engagement through a combined emic-etic approach. The evidence supports the universal applicability of Western theories of engagement in the Chinese context while elucidating culture-specific perspectives. Organizations should foster a culture of engagement recognized by all stakeholders, and leaders and HR practitioners should cultivate an organizational culture co-created by and beneficial to all members. This study provides valuable insights for HRD professionals to design and implement culturally relevant strategies, effectively promoting greater workforce engagement and organizational success. The study concludes with a discussion of several contributions and recommendations for future research.