The Influence of Organisational Culture on
a High Commitment Work System and
Organisational Commitment in a Chinese
Organisation in South Africa
Ms Linda Mabuza
Supervisor: Mr Mattheus Louw
China in Africa Project Symposium, Rhodes University
31 October – 1 November 2013
Overview
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Context of Research
Organisational Culture
High Commitment Work Systems (HCWS)
HCWS and Organisational Commitment
Research Aim and Objectives
Research Methodology
Preliminary Research Findings
Context of Research
China in Africa
• China’s presence in Africa has been recently growing at a
rapid pace
• Strategic partnership relations
• Proposed reasons for Chinese presence:
1. Resources to fuel China’s development goals
2. Markets to sustain its growing economy
3. Political alliances to support its aspirations to be a global
influence
China in Africa cont.
• Sectors:
– finance, communication, infrastructure, construction, mining,
agriculture, trading, wholesale, retail and manufacturing
• Investment agreements in South Africa
– railways, power transmission, construction, mining, insurance, telecoms
and nuclear power
• Some established Chinese organisations in South Africa
– Bank of China, Chery Automobile, FAW Vehicle Manufacturer, Hisense,
Huawei Technologies, Lenovo Africa, Zhongzing Communications (ZTE)
China in Africa cont.
• Different business forms
– Small & medium sized family businesses, SOEs, MNCs
• Chinese organisations confronted with human resource
management challenges
• Challenges include, inter alia:
– poor work conditions, low worker safety standards, labour practices and
labour union relations
• Language and cultural barriers can exacerbate challenges
• Cultural differences in HRM between China and Africa pertain to
– work group characteristics, motivation systems, decision making,
organisational culture, commitment and conflict management
Organisational Culture (OC)
• “what a group learns over a period of time as that group solves
its problems of survival in an external environment and its
problems of internal integration” (Schein, 1990)
• Linked to various other organisational elements:
– E.g.: Organisational performance, effectiveness, commitment, job
satisfaction, productivity and ethical behaviour
• Cameron and Freeman’s (1991) organisational culture types
framework consistent with Schein’s (1990) definition
– Mapping OC along two axes: nature of process (organic-stable) & relative
focus (internal-external)
– Each culture type is characterized by an organisation’s: dominant
attributes, specific shared values that bond members, leadership style
and strategic emphasis
High Commitment Work Systems (HCWS)
• “overall system of human resource management practices
(HRMP) that aim to elicit employees’ commitment to the
organisation” (Walton, 1985 cited in Xiao & Bjorkman, 2006:
403)
• HRMP are shaped by OC & should serve to reinforce the OC for
coherence in the organisation
• HCWS are based on the social exchange theory
– employees interpret the organisation’s work practices as a
personification of the organisation’s commitment to them
– therefore employees respond by becoming more committed to the
organisation
• HCWS can bring superior organizational performance
HCWS and Organisational Commitment
• Allen and Meyer (1990) identified three components of
employees’ organisational commitment:
– affective, continuance and normative commitment
• Xiao and Bjorkman (2006) study of HCWS in Chinese
organisations
– affective commitment, intention to stay (continuance commitment) and
job satisfaction treated as consequences of HCWS
– employees’ job levels and functions are treated as antecedents of HCWS
– important functions of HRM (recruitment, compensation, performance
management, training and socialization) included in the HCWS model
Research Aim and Objectives
• The primary research aim was to understand how organisational
culture has influenced the existence of a high commitment work
system and the consequences on organisational commitment in
a Chinese organisation in South Africa.
• Research objectives were therefore to:
– identify and describe the organisation’s dominant type(s) of
organisational culture(s)
– describe the nature of the organisation’s existing high commitment work
system
– describe how the organisational culture has influenced the existence of
the organisation’s high commitment work system
– describe and assess the consequences of the organisation’s high
commitment work system on organisational commitment.
Research Methodology
• Phenomenological research paradigm
– Rich qualitative data to provide adequate descriptions
• Case study methodology
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Cold-calling; in touch with HR Manager
Large Chinese MNC organisation
IT industry
Manufacturer (globally) & sales organisation (African operations)
Approximately 4employees in South African operations
• In-depth semi-structured interviews (12)
– Top, middle, frontline management & frontline employees
– Across various departments: Sales & supporting functions
– High correlation in responses – data saturation
Research Methodology
• Ethical research requirements adhered to:
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Permission to administer study
Informed consent
Voluntary participation
Confidentiality and anonymity
• Analysing the data collected
– Content analysis
– nVivo will support analysis
• Qualitative quality criteria
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Credibility
Transferability
Dependability
Confirmability
Research Findings and Recommendations
• ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE
– Dominant attributes
• “Performance oriented”
• “driven”,
• “recognising hard work”
• “achievement”
• “targets”
• “managing poor performance”
– Bonding
• “Commitment”
• 5Ps recognition (plan, perform, prioritize, practice, pioneer)
• “achieving targets”
Research Findings and Recommendations
• ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE
– Leader style
• “sets direction”
• Tell us our targets
• Communicate the vision
• “share vision for employees to run”
• Strategic emphases
– “protect and attack”
– “market leader”
– “to be number one”
Research Findings and Recommendations
• HCWS
– Dependant on mangerial level
– Depenant on department
– Consistent with Xiao & Bjorkman (2006) article
• COMMITMENT
– Generally positivef eelings of commitment
Research Findings and Recommendations
• Add to the little empirical research that according to Jackson,
Louw & Zhou (2011) currently exists at organisational level on
China’s presence in Africa
• Make recommendations on the type of organisational culture
evident in the organisation and how the culture can be used to
enhance the organisation’s existing HCWS
• Make recommendations on how Chinese organisations can
enhance their HCWS to create superior organisational
commitment
Thank you!