A grounded investigation of Chinese employees' psychological capital
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the “Western” concept of psychological capital in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and highlights critical areas of divergence and notable dimensions of similarity.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an empirical study conducted in a wide range of Chinese organisational forms, employing an inductive approach based on critical incident technique.
Findings
This research showed that the concept of psychological capital appears to have a degree of applicability and salience in China. A series of dimensions common in Western organisations were found in our research, including Optimism, Creativity, Resiliency, Self‐confidence, Forgiveness and Gratitude, Courage and Ambition (Hope). These were found to be common types of psychological capital both in China and in the West. However, the dimensions of Courtesy and Humility (Qian‐gong‐you‐li in Chinese), Self‐possession and Sincerity fell into the “different” category.
Originality/value
This paper is a first attempt to examine psychological capital in a range of organisational forms and industrial sectors in China using a grounded theory approach. It not only reports various dimensions of Chinese psychological capital, some unique to this research, but also compares and contrasts these dimensions between China and the West, highlighting further research opportunities.
Keywords
Citation
Han, Y., Brooks, I., Kakabadse, N.K., Peng, Z. and Zhu, Y. (2012), "A grounded investigation of Chinese employees' psychological capital", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 27 No. 7, pp. 669-695. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941211259511
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited