Understanding survivors' reactions to downsizing in China
Abstract
Purpose
Using an organizational justice framework, this paper aims to examine survivors' attitudinal and behavioral correlates to downsizing in Chinese state‐owned enterprises (SOEs).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted one qualitative study involving personal interviews and one quantitative study involving structured surveys to develop an understanding of the phenomenon.
Findings
The studies revealed that justice‐enhancing managerial practices were associated with survivors' evaluations of their outcomes after the downsizing, which in turn, were related to survivors' positive attitudinal and behavioral reactions.
Research implications/limitations
The findings suggest that organizational justice provides a useful avenue for understanding survivors' perspectives in the downsizing context in China. However, retrospective, cross‐sectional data were used. Future research might investigate causality in the downsizing process by using a quasi‐experimental design.
Practical implications
Managerial practices that address the relational aspects of organizational justice (informational and interpersonal justice) can serve as effective downsizing strategies in China.
Originality/value
The studies are among the first to explore survivors' perspectives of downsizing from a micro‐level, organizational justice perspective in China. They contribute to the organizational justice literature by examining the relative importance of various justice perceptions in a collectivist culture.
Keywords
Citation
Guo, C. and Giacobbe‐Miller, J.K. (2012), "Understanding survivors' reactions to downsizing in China", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 27-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941211193848
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited