A cross-cultural examination of preferences for work attributes

• Published in: Journal of managerial psychology 2016-04, Vol.31 (3), p.702-719
• Main Authors: Woodard, Melissa S, Miller, Jane K, Miller, Daniel J, Silvernail, Kirk D, Guo, Chun, Nair, Sudhir, Aydin, Mehmet Devrim, Lemos, Ana Heloisa da Costa, Donnelly, Paul F, Kumpikaite-Valiuniene, Vilmante, Marx, Robert, Peters, Linda M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjustment; Attributes; Averages; Business; Business students; Citizenship; Collectivism; College students; Corporate culture; Cultural factors; Cultural values; Employers; Equality; Generalizability; Graduate students; Graduates; Horizontal; HR & organizational behaviour; Individualism; Inequality; Occupational psychology; Organizational psychology; Person-Organization Fit; Preferences; Prestige; Reputations; Sampling; Students; Utilities; Work environment; Work experience; Work values; Workers; Workplaces
• ISSN: 0268-3946; 1758-7778
• DOI: 10.1108/JMP-09-2013-0289

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between individual- and country-level values and preferences for job/organizational attributes. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from 475 full-time employees (average of nine years work experience, and three years in a managerial position) enrolled in part-time MBA programs in seven countries. Findings – Preference for a harmonious workplace is positively related to horizontal collectivism, whereas preference for remuneration/advancement is positively related to vertical individualism. The authors also find a positive relationship between preference for meaningful work and horizontal individualism, and between preference for employer prestige and social adjustment (SA) needs. Research limitations/implications – Although the sample comprised experienced, full-time professionals, using graduate business students may limit generalizability. Overall, the results provide initial support for the utility of incorporating the multi-dimensional individualism and collectivism measure, as well as SA needs, when assessing the relationships between values and employee preferences. Practical implications – For practitioners, the primary conclusion is that making assumptions about preferences based on nationality is risky. Findings may also prove useful for enhancing person-organization fit and the ability to attract and retain qualified workers. Originality/value – This study extends research on workers’ preferences by incorporating a new set of values and sampling experienced workers in a range of cultural contexts.