Individualism, organisational identification and performance: evidence from Southern China

Abstract

Applying the theoretical perspective of organisational identification (OI), in this thesis I explore how rising individualistic cultural values (ICVs) of employees affect their work performance in service industry of South China. I consider leader-member exchange (LMX) and its moderating effect on the association between rising ICVs and OI of employees, which may affect their performance. The hypotheses are tested using data collected from a large Hong Kong owned organisation in the hospitality industry in South China. The data show that ICV has a negative relationship with OI, which in turn can cause poorer employee performance of young generation workforce. The data also show that a relationship approach such as LMX can moderate the negative association between ICV and OI. From the empirical findings, there are practical implications for people management in South China business operations.