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Collectivist values for learning in organizational relationships in China: the role of trust and vertical coordination

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Abstract

Partners must engage in integrative interaction in order to combine diverse expertise and experiences into effective learning. Results from 103 pairs of customer and supplier organizations in China indicate that trust and vertical coordination are useful ways to characterize this integrative interaction and together they promote learning. Structural equation analysis suggests that collectivist but not individualist values are important foundations for integrative interaction between partners that result in learning. These findings were interpreted as reaffirming the value of effective relationships for coordination between partners and suggesting that collectivist values can be a source of effective organizational relationships.

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Ackowledgements

The authors appreciate the support of Dr. Sofia Su and the able research assistants in Shanghai, China. This work has been supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, (Project No: LU3013/01H) to the second author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, PR China

    Alfred Wong & Dean Tjosvold

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  1. Alfred Wong
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  2. Dean Tjosvold
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Correspondence to Alfred Wong.

Appendices

Appendix

Customer Organization Questionnaire

Collectivist values

The well-being of each company is important to this partnership.

If our supplier were in financial difficulty, we would help within our means.

If our supplier gets a prize, we would feel proud.

The supplier and we have pleasure in working with each other.

Individualist values

The supplier and we like to do our own thing.

Being unique is important to this partnership.

The supplier and we rather depend on our own than on each other.

The supplier and we having identity independent from the other is very important to us.

The supplier and we having our own identify is very important to us.

The supplier and we enjoy being unique and different from each other.

Vertical coordination

We regularly exchange information about production costs with this supplier.

We regularly consult with this supplier about its selection of raw materials and components incorporated in the products we order.

We regularly exchange information about price development and market conditions with this supplier.

Our firm makes regular joint efforts to improve the quality of the products we order from this supplier.

We cooperate closely with this supplier on quality control of products delivered to our company.

Trust

We learn things that can help us be more effective in the future from working with the supplier.

This supplier has been frank in dealing with us.

Promises made by this supplier are reliable.

This supplier is knowledgeable regarding his products.

This supplier does not make false claims.

If problems such as shipment delays arise, the supplier is honest about the problems.

Supplier Organization Questionnaire

Learning

Our company learned or acquired some new or important information from the customer.

Our company learned or acquired some critical capability or skill from the customer.

The alliance has helped our company to enhance our existing capabilities/skills.

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Wong, A., Tjosvold, D. Collectivist values for learning in organizational relationships in China: the role of trust and vertical coordination. Asia Pacific J Manage 23, 299–317 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-006-9000-9

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