Representation, Transformation and Discussion of the Collectivist Identity of Young Chinese Employees in Foreign-Invested Enterprises

Abstract

For a long time, Chinese employees were well recognized as generations with collective and cooperative spirits; nevertheless the once bloomed reputation has gradually disappeared among the majority of young Chinese employees today, who have presented increasing variations compared with the elder employees on the comprehension and demonstration of collectivism. The gap becomes typical phenomenon when these young Chinese employees conduct business with counterparts sharing similar cultural background from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan regions.
By conducting a thorough one-to-one interview with China’s young employees working in the transnational enterprises in China, we have found that though they have new understandings on the conception of collectivism compared with their parents, instead of completely abdicating the core philosophy of teamwork spirit in collectivism, they are just attenuating newly-bred spirits of individualism and free development.
These changes root from both inner and outer levels. The one-child policy, the intense social competition along with the development of china’s economy and the household registration reform constitutes the inner reasons. In terms of the outer level, the development of new technologies in the context of globalization and modernity, as well as easier access to Euro-American cultural productions strongly influences China’s young generations’ collectivist thoughts and behaviors.