Determinants of Individual and Organizational Performance among Korean and Chinese Public Sectors : The Harmony of Asian and Western Values

In this study, we identified certain methods to increase in-role and organizational performance by analyzing public employees’ Confucian ideals, in addition to their organizational management styles, including values related... [ view full abstract ]

In this study, we identified certain methods to increase in-role and organizational performance by analyzing public employees’ Confucian ideals, in addition to their organizational management styles, including values related to public service motivation (PSM) and entrepreneurship. We aim to reveal the best Confucian principles for enhancing performance among Korean and Chinese public sector employees as they continue to interact with organizational managerial beliefs. We used data from the Public Sector Entrepreneurship Survey, in which we examined Korean and Chinese public employees’ attitudes and behavior from March to August 2015. Using this data, we confirmed that Confucian values can augment in-role functioning and organizational operations in Korean and Chinese public sectors. Secondly, management standards that encompass PSM and entrepreneurship, which were developed in Western contexts, strengthen in-role and organizational performance. Thirdly, we found that Western-style organizational managerial concepts could not integrate employees’ Confucian beliefs. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for human resource management, as well as organization theory and practice, in both Korea and China.

Keywords: Confucian values, PSM-oriented management values, entrepreneurship-oriented management values, in-role performance, organizational performance