"Workplace Social Support, Adjustment, and Motivation of Chinese Rural Migrant Workers"

Chen, Wansi, Li, Chunyun, Liu, Mingwei and Zhang, Yucheng Eason (2015) "Workplace Social Support, Adjustment, and Motivation of Chinese Rural Migrant Workers". Taneja, Sonia (ed.) In Academy of Management Proceedings. vol. 2015, Academy of Management.. (doi:10.5465/ambpp.2015.12596abstract).

Abstract

Using data drawn from a cross-organizational sample of 632 Chinese rural migrant workers (CRMWs), the authors examine the relationships between workplace social support and two common measures of worker motivation: turnover intention and work engagement. Taking a context-sensitive approach the authors identify three sources of workplace social support for CRMWs: Laoxiang (native-place fellows) coworkers, local coworkers, and supervisors. Further, drawing on social psychological perspectives the authors propose adjustment, a variable that crosses work and life domains, as a new mechanism through which workplace social support links with worker motivation. Finally, by viewing workplace social support as social capital and applying social network analysis to the institutional and cultural context surrounding CRMWs, the authors hypothesize on the relative importance of different sources of workplace social support to CRMWs’ motivation (in descending order): Laoxiang coworkers, supervisors, and local coworkers. Results of multilevel analysis largely support these hypotheses. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings and suggest directions for future research.

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Contributors

Author: Yucheng Eason Zhang

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