Confucian Values and the Implications for International HRD

Human Resource Development International, l\ Routledge

Vol. 8, No. 3, 311-326, September 2005 ^ T^^Fu c

Confucian Values and the Implications

for International HRD

JIA WANG*, GREG G. WANG**, WENDY E. A. RUONA^ &

JAY W. ROJEWSKI+

*Barry University, Florida, **James Madison University, Virginia, ^University of Georgia

ABSTRACT The consideration of cultural issues has become increasingly important in scholarly

inquiry and explorative practice in international human resource development (HRD). We review

and explore the core characteristics of Confucian-based culture in relation to organizations and

unfold how these Confucian values may affect organizational and management practices in China

and other Asian countries. Five major aspects of Confucianism are examined. They are: (a)

hierarchy and harmony, (b) group orientation, (c) guanxi networks (relationships), (d) mianzi

(face) and (e) time orientation. The impact of these values on management practices in the

Chinese organizational context is presented in four areas: (a) working relationships, (b)

decision-making processes, (c) ruling by man (ren zhi) instead of by law (fa zhi) and (d) HR

practices. Implications for organizations and international HRD are also discussed.

KEY WORDS: Confucian values, international HRD, cultural impact, management practices,

China

The final decades of the twentieth century made globalization an irreversible trend.

The twenty-first century has further witnessed globalization as a commonplace

among leading organizations and management scholars (Adler, 2002). The process

of globalization has stimulated China's adoption of Western practices after two

decades of open-door economic reform. China's recent entry into the World Trade

Organization (WTO) is expected to deepen its impact on global markets and lead

to further improvement in the health of the growing economy and the living

standards of Chinese people. It is not surprising that, even with the global

economic slowdown, China remains one of the hottest investment spots in the

world (Zhang et al., 2002).

However, a number of empirical investigations have revealed that Chinese

companies struggled in transplanting Western practices into the Chinese context. In

examining Chinese adoption of Western human resource management practices in

38 Sino-Western joint ventures (JVs), Goodall and Warner (1999) noted that Chinese

HR professionals tend to stick to the old mindset due to their training and practice in

Correspondence Address: Jia Wang, Barry University, Human Resource Development Department, 12381

S. Cleveland Avenue, Suite 502, Fort Myers, FL 33907, USA. Tel: + 2399366877. Fax: + 2399366874.

Email: [email protected]

ISSN 1367-8868 Print/1469-8374 Online/05/030311-16 © 2005 Taylor & Francis

DOI: 10.1080/13678860500143285