ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B
主办:中国心理学会
   中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

心理学报 ›› 2024, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (7): 876-894.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.00876

• 中国社会变迁中的文化、心理与行为变化专刊 • 上一篇    下一篇

中国员工工作价值观的代际变迁

唐宁玉(), 甄丹蕾, 关健   

  1. 上海交通大学安泰经济与管理学院, 上海 200030
  • 收稿日期:2022-12-14 发布日期:2024-05-21 出版日期:2024-07-25
  • 通讯作者: 唐宁玉 E-mail:nytang@sjtu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金(72072116);国家自然科学基金(71672114)

Work values of Chinese generational cohorts

TANG Ningyu(), ZHEN Danlei, GUAN Jian   

  1. Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
  • Received:2022-12-14 Online:2024-05-21 Published:2024-07-25
  • Contact: TANG Ningyu E-mail:nytang@sjtu.edu.cn

摘要:

随着时代发展, 我国工作场所中的员工队伍构成呈现出多样化趋势。多代际并存, 使得理解不同代际员工的工作价值观变得迫切而重要。本文基于Inglehart的现代化演进理论, 通过采用不同研究设计、不同测量工具、不同分析方法和不同研究视角的三个研究, 对不同代际(改革前一代、改革一代和后改革一代)员工工作价值观的变迁展开了系统而深入的分析。研究结果显示, 我国不同代际员工的工作价值观既存在差异, 又存在相似之处, 后改革一代的工作价值观较之其他两代差异最为明显。具体而言, 相比于改革前一代与改革一代, 后改革一代的物质主义工作价值观最低, 后物质主义工作价值观最高; 后改革一代相比于前两个代际对开放工作价值观的重视程度最高, 但三代员工在自我超越工作价值观上没有显著差异。研究还发现, 不同代际员工对物质主义工作价值观的重视程度仍然高于后物质主义。本研究丰富了工作价值观代际差异以及新生代员工研究的知识体系, 研究结果也可以为处在大变局中的企业管理实践提供借鉴和参考。

关键词: 工作价值观, 代际差异, 物质主义, 后物质主义, 开放?保守, 自我增强?自我超越, APC分析方法

Abstract:

The entry of members of the millennial generation cohort (i.e., individuals born after 1980) into the Chinese workplace has created a more diverse labor force. Researchers and practitioners alike have recognized that these younger workers hold different work expectations from workers in prior generational cohorts. Since the division between new generations and their older counterparts has become more salient, researchers have increasingly emphasized issues such as how to accurately understand and effectively manage multi-generation employees. To address these issues, the current study aims to explore work values in three generation cohorts (i.e., the pre-reform, the reform, and the post-reform generation cohorts) based on Inglehart’s evolutionary modernization theory and from different research designs, measures, analysis methods and angles.

In study 1, we used a longitudinal nationwide quantitative survey (China Labor-force Dynamic Survey, CLDS). The sample size was 5, 850 in total from CLDS 2012 to CLDS 2016. We used Age- Period-Cohort (APC) analysis to separate the cohort effect in work values from the age effect and the period effect. Study 2 aimed to validate the results of Study 1, and further explored intergenerational differences and similarities in work values. Since study 1 used a simple questionnaire to measure work values, we adopted the work values measurement developed by Cable and Edwards (2004), which followed Schwartz’s basic individual values framework to explore the work values more systematically. We conducted Study 2 through Credamo, a Chinese professional data platform. 992 full-time employees participated in the study, and we used hierarchical regression modeling. We conducted Study 3 through interpersonal perspective to overcome the potential self- serving biases in study 1 and study 2, and we asked participants to assess the work values of each generation. We recruited a total of 361 participants from the platform Credamo.

The analyses of Studies 1~3 showed both generational differences and similarities in work values, and by and large, the post-reform generation showed more differences with the other two generations. Specifically, members of the post-reform generation placed more importance on the post-materialism work values and less importance on the materialism work value than previous generations; the post-reform generations placed higher importance on the openness to change work value than their predecessors, but there was no significant difference on the self- transcendence work value among the three generations. In addition, studies also found that there were both age and period effects on work values, and finally, all generations still placed more importance on materialist than post-materialist work value in the current workplace.

The research provides new evidence and nuanced insight for generational differences in work values, which enriches our understanding of evolutionary modernization theory by empirically testing it in the Chinese context. Moreover, we conducted three studies with different designs, measures, analysis methods and perspectives, which not only supports the robustness of our research findings, but also sets a multi-method research example for future studies on the evolution in generation cohorts. This study offers managerial implications for how to better understand the similarities and differences in generation cohorts, especially the characteristics of younger generation workers, and how to manage diverse employees effectively in the workplace. It also sheds lights on future research potential for work values in generation cohorts.

Key words: Work values, Generational differences, Materialism, Post-materialism, Openness to change versus Conservation, Self-enhancement versus Self-transcendence, APC model

中图分类号: