When P-J fit and P-O fit meet guanxi in a Chinese selection context
Abstract
Purpose
Human resource management may have great distinctions in different cultural contexts; past researches have increasingly discovered the differences between Eastern and Western perspectives. For employee selection, Chinese bosses usually employ acquaintances and relative bases on accumulated favors and relationship intensity in Chinese society. This study aims to investigate the relative importance of P-J fit, P-O fit and guanxi when Chinese recruiters judge the qualifications of job applicants.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the hypotheses in this paper, the authors use a policy capturing methodology that is widely used for analyses of human judgment and decision making. This design enables the authors to infer the way managers integrate different indices of selection in making decisions. During the period of time, the study was running, 95 participants with hiring experience in Chinese regions completed the task, and they were from several industries for the generalization of this study.
Findings
The results indicate that P-J fit, P-O fit and guanxi all have a unique impact on manager's hiring decisions in Chinese society, and P-J fit is weighted more heavily than P-O fit and guanxi.
Originality/value
This is the first study that integrates the Eastern and the Western perspectives, supplements the gap between selection and fit theory in the West and proves that P-J fit, P-O fit and Chinese guanxi all have individual influence on hiring decisions. “Guanxi” is the key factor that has great impact on the process of hiring decisions in Chinese societies compared with Western organizations.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported in part by National Science Council under the Grants NSC96-2416-H-224-001-MY2.
Citation
Chen, W.-Y., Wang, M.-L. and Hsu, B.-F. (2013), "When P-J fit and P-O fit meet guanxi in a Chinese selection context", Journal of Technology Management in China, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 174-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTMC-06-2013-0027
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited