Jian Yan –An Exploratory Study on Speak up Behaviors in Chinese Business Organizations

• Main Authors: CHUN-SHAN TAI, 戴俊杉
• Other Authors: Ming-Yen Lee
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/z38fp6

碩士 === 中原大學 === 企業管理研究所 === 107 === Previous studies have shown Voice behavior refers to the behavior that suggest to the supervisor, colleague, or other member of an organization when an employee expects a change in the organization. Voice toward the supervisor means “speak up”. In Western culture, speak up focuses on the work needs of subordinate individuals. When the subordinates make suggestions, they have expected change in the organization. Therefore, the subordinates will consider the "risk" and decide whether to make recommendations to the supervisor. In the Eastern culture, the Chinese have a greater power distance than the Western culture, causing the Chinese to regard “speak up” as a very risky thing and choose not to say, which makes “speak up” in the Chinese society difficult to capture. In Chinese culture, there has been a unique “wu lun”(五倫). “Wu lun” norms the social role obligations of Chinese, and defines the relationship between the upper and lower layers in the way of duality. Causing a strong interdependence on the social roles of Chinese. The key point to stabilizing the dual relationship between the upper and lower classes is the “loyalty” to the supervisor. Loyalty in Chinese society has three concepts: “Jian Yan”, “Ren Yuan”(任怨), and obedience. Previous studies refer to “Jian Yan” is “In Chinese hierarchical structure ordering relationships by status, Subordinate reject the wrong behavior from the Supervisor, and try to persuade the supervisor''s behavior”. But obedience and “Ren Yuan” emphasize the obedience to the supervisor. This allows the Chinese subordinate to still consider about the harmony with the supervisory relationship when express “Jian Yan”. Based on the previous studies, this study attempts to explore the particularity of “Jian Yan” in Chinese culture through the two concepts of loyalty and harmony. Through the two concepts of loyalty and harmony, this study has divided 11 themes related to speak up in Chinese. In addition, in this study, some examples of subordinates based on loyalty and choosing to give up their expressions are recorded. When the subordinates think that they may make suggestions or seek their own interests, they may cause trouble to the supervisor or hurt the organization and choose to give up expression. Finally, this study will summarize the two dimensions that are loyal to the supervisor, and find out the types and connotations of “Jian Yan". This study divides the “jian yan” into " zhen jie jian yan(箴誡型諫言)” and " gui feng jian yan(規諷型諫言)" by considering harmony or not. In these two types of “jian yan”, the most important common connotation is "doing the supervisor to accept the proposal."