Chinese Cultural Value Tendency Scale – Chinese Version

Description

The work “Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions” by the renowned American cultural anthropologists Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952) collected over 160 definitions of culture from 1871 to 1951, which can be broadly categorized into six types: descriptive definitions, historical definitions, normative definitions, psychological definitions, structural definitions, and genetic definitions (Bao Gongmin, 2004). Based on this, Kroeber and Kluckhohn defined culture as: “a configuration of explicit or implicit patterns of behavior and the modes of these behaviors, acquired and transmitted through symbols. The core of culture consists of traditional ideas, particularly those attached with values. It has a tendency to be shared by the entire group or shared by specific parts of the group for certain periods” (Wang Xuexiu, 2007). This definition has gained wide acceptance in cultural studies.

Authors and Contact Email

Information not available.

Purpose

This study aims to explore the characteristics of Chinese culture and the underlying cultural values that govern social behavior within Chinese society.

Test Year

Information not available.

Administration Method and Scoring

Empirical research has been conducted by various scholars to explore the dimensions and characteristics of Chinese culture. For instance, the “Chinese Cultural Connection” research team, drawing from Hofstede’s framework, identified four Chinese cultural factors: cooperation, benevolence, moral discipline, and long-term orientation. Taiwanese scholar Zheng Boxun (1987) created a scale suitable for measuring the socio-cultural measures across the Taiwan Strait, distilling five dimensions through extensive surveys and data analysis: benevolence orientation, familism, authority orientation, interpersonal relationships, and other orientation.

Mainland scholars Hu Jun, Wang Xiao, and Zhong Yongping’s research found that the family cultural orientation of Chinese organizations consists of four independent factors: family orientation, interpersonal relationship orientation, moderation orientation, and benevolence-authority orientation. Wang Xiao and Hu Jun argue that the three main aspects of Chinese cultural structure are harmony, collectivism, and hierarchy (Wang Xiao et al., 2005).

Reliability and Validity

Previous studies have established validated and mature scales for assessing Chinese cultural value tendencies. Based on “Dorfman & Howell’s personal cultural inclination scale,” Wang Guoming developed the “Collectivism Tendency Scale” and “Hierarchy Tendency Scale,” achieving Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.726 and 0.707, respectively. Additionally, a “Harmony Tendency Scale” was developed combining Leung’s three-dimensional harmony scale and Cheung et al.’s one-dimensional harmony scale, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.843. Using the relational and face scales by Qian, Razzaque & Keng, and those developed by Cheung et al. as well as the person-oriented tendency scales by Hu Jun, Wang Xiao, and Zhong Yongping (2005), the “Interpersonal Relationship Tendency Scale” and “Face Tendency Scale” were developed, achieving Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.721 and 0.735 respectively. The “Chinese Cultural Factors Measurement Scale,” composed of these five subscales, exhibits high reliability and validity. Chen Shuang revised the Chinese cultural value tendency scale based on this measurement scale, yielding final alpha coefficients of 0.746 for collectivism tendency, 0.781 for harmony tendency, 0.638 for hierarchy tendency, 0.735 for interpersonal relationship tendency, and 0.792 for face tendency.

Factors and Subscales

The overall cultural value tendencies measured include:
– 集体主义倾向 (Collectivism Tendency)
– 和谐倾向 (Harmony Tendency)
– 等级倾向 (Hierarchy Tendency)
– 人情倾向 (Interpersonal Relationship Tendency)
– 面子倾向 (Face Tendency)

Keywords

Cultural anthropology, Chinese culture, cultural values, empirical research, measurement scales.

Items in Chinese

1. 团体利益比个人报酬更重要。
2. 团体成就比个体成就更重要。
3. 只有在考虑了团体利益后才能追求个体目标。
4. 上司应该鼓励个体忠诚于团体，即使牺牲个体目标。
5. 个体需要为了团体成功而放弃自己的目标。
6. 做出大多数决策时，上司应当不用与下属商量。
7. 与下属打交道时，使用权威和权力对上司来说往往是必要的。
8. 上司不必经常询问下属的意见。
9. 工作之余，上司应当避免与下属的社会交往。
10. 员工不应该抵触管理层做出的决策。
11. 我强烈赞同“家和万事兴”的观点。
12. 与别人和谐相处是取得成功的重要条件。
13. 维持人际和谐是生活中的一个重要目标。
14. 维持与同事的和谐关系能使我工作愉快。
15. “钱债好还，人情债难还”，因此最好不要欠别人的人情。
16. 如果别人送给我一个人情，我也要还他一个人情。
17. 我赞同“礼尚往来。往而不来，非礼也;来而不往，亦非礼也”的古训。
18. 受了他人恩惠，应当想办法回报。
19. 我在乎别人如何看我。
20. 由于我不想被别人瞧不起，我很注意自己的言谈举止。
21. 我担心在他人面前丢面子。
22. 当别人拒绝我的帮助时，我会感到难堪。

Items in English

1. The interests of the group are more important than personal rewards.
2. The achievements of the group are more important than individual achievements.
3. Individual goals can only be pursued after considering the interests of the group.
4. Supervisors should encourage individuals to be loyal to the group, even at the cost of individual goals.
5. An individual needs to sacrifice their own goals for the success of the group.
6. In most decision-making processes, supervisors do not need to consult with subordinates.
7. It is often necessary for supervisors to use authority and power when dealing with subordinates.
8. Supervisors do not need to frequently ask for subordinates’ opinions.
9. Outside of work, supervisors should avoid socializing with subordinates.
10. Employees should not resist decisions made by management.
11. I strongly agree with the view that “a harmonious family ensures prosperity in all matters.”
12. Maintaining harmony with others is an important condition for success.
13. Keeping interpersonal harmony is an important goal in life.
14. Maintaining harmonious relationships with colleagues makes my work enjoyable.
15. “Debts of money can be settled easily, but debts of interpersonal favors are hard to repay,” thus it is best not to owe favors.
16. If someone does me a favor, I should also return the favor to them.
17. I agree with the ancient saying that “courtesy should go both ways; if one gives but does not receive, it is disrespectful; if one receives but does not give, it is also disrespectful.”
18. If I receive a favor from others, I should find a way to repay it.
19. I care about how others view me.
20. Because I do not want to be looked down upon, I pay attention to my words and actions.
21. I worry about losing face in front of others.
22. I feel embarrassed when others refuse my help.

References

陈爽.中国文化背景下本土社会工作者同事关系研究[D].西南大学,2020.DOI:10.27684/d.cnki.gxndx.2020.000282.
王国保.中国文化因素对知识共享、员工创造力的影响研究[D].浙江大学,2010.