| dc.description.abstract | The aim of the research was to explore relations between various work stressor and strain, in the cultural context of Greater China, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Mainland. In addition to job satisfaction, personal well-being indicated by physical and behavioral symptoms, was also examined as the strain factor. Both the main effect and possible moderating effect of endorsing Chinese work values were explored in the work stress process. Using structured questionnaires, a total sample of 380 full-time employees in the three regions were surveyed.
Analyses revealed that for Chinese employees in all three regions, the main nexus of work stress – strain was established. However, different indicators of strain were significantly predicted by different sources of work stress: (1) “organizational climate” and “work autonomy” predicted job satisfaction; (2) “interpersonal conflict” and “work overload” predicted physical symptoms; (3) “organizational climate”, “interpersonal conflict” and “work overload” predicted behavioral symptoms.
The “hardworking” component of Chinese work values was found to be related to all three indicators of strain, demonstrating its main effect on stress outcome: the high endorsement of “hardworking” value was generally related to reduce strain. More importantly, we found that “hardworking” as a Chinese work value buffered the noxious effect of “interpersonal conflict”, but exacerbated that of “work overload” on job satisfaction. Although these moderating effect should be further replicated in future studies, they serve to highlight the need to comprehensively understand the work environment in interpreting roles of work stress and work values, as well as their intricate interactions for Chinese employees working in the collectivistic culture. | en_US |