Pre-post Tiananmen square: Changing values of Chinese managers

Foreign investment and Western business interests in the People's Republic of China (PRC) have accelerated rapidly in recent years. When Western and Chinese managers are brought together in new enterprises, they must understand how to accommodate cultural differences in behaviour and often must adapt to unfamiliar value systems. This study examines the apparent evolution in work values among young Chinese managers in Shanghai over a 2 1/2-year period that spans the June 1989 Tiananmen Square incident. The findings suggest a growing spirit of “Chinese-style” individualism and also provide some indication that more Western ways of thinking are being adopted by these young Chinese managers. These changes are discussed in terms of their implications for Westerners doing business in China.