Workplace thriving in China

Abstract

Purpose

Workplace thriving is a psychological state that promotes employee health and development. In addition to presenting a useful instrument that captures the nature of a thriving work life in China, the purpose of this paper is to investigate important factors that influence one’s thriving status within this national context.

Design/methodology/approach

Using diverse approaches across different samples, Study 1 contextualized the content of a workplace thriving scale (WTS) to fit the Chinese context. Study 2 tested the effects of learning goal orientation, exploration at work and role ambiguity on workplace thriving, employing a mediation model. As a supplement, Study 3 examined the test–retest reliability of workplace thriving.

Findings

Study 1 confirmed that in the Chinese setting, workplace thriving is a higher order construct represented by both a sense of learning and a sense of vitality. Study 2 found that learning goal orientation and exploration at work fostered thriving, while role ambiguity reduced thriving. Also, exploration mediated the relationship between learning goal orientation and thriving. Study 3 verified that the WTS was reliable over time in the Chinese setting, further increasing the reliability of results from Studies 1 and 2.

Originality/value

By rigorously and formally contextualizing the concept/construct of workplace thriving in China, this paper is informative for future research on thriving at work in Eastern cultures.

Citation

Jiang, Z., Jiang, Y. and Nielsen, I. (2019), "Workplace thriving in China", International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 40 No. 5, pp. 979-993. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-08-2018-0256