Influences of interpersonal relatedness on work motivation : an examination of goal-setting theory among Chinese factory workers

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the applicability of goal-setting theory on work motivation among Chinese factory workers. Locke and Latham’s (1990) goal-setting theory has received much empirical support throughout the decades, but mainly within a Western context. The purpose of this research is to examine the influences of two Chinese cultural values, filial piety and loyalty to supervisor on goal-setting and work motivation among Chinese factory workers. These two cultural values of personal relatedness are employed to develop a model proposing that the levels of filial piety and loyalty to supervisor exert moderating effects on the relationship between goal commitment and productivity of factory workers in China.The proposed hypotheses were tested by the statistical technique of Structural Equation Modeling with a sample of 397 respondent workers in the Guangdong Province of China. The robust statistical validity and reliability of the survey instruments is described. The result of this study suggests the partial workability of goal-setting theory in a Chinese context, but, lends support to the moderation effects of filial piety and loyalty to supervisor on the relationship between goal commitment and productivity of factory workers in China.The findings of this dissertation provide a theoretical contribution to the extant literature on human resource management, and practically, this study reveals considerable implications for understanding and managing Chinese factory workers in China.