Investigating Reciprocity Dynamics in Chinese SOEs: Contextual Impacts on Social Support, HRM Practices, and Employee Attitudes Toward Organizational Change

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the relationship between employee attitudes toward organizational change, human resource management (HRM) practices, and social support in Chinese State-owned enterprises (SOEs). It also explores how the SOEs context impacts the above relationships. Quantitative research was conducted using 143 participants from Chinese SOEs. A hierarchical regression model was built to test how social support and HRM practices impact employee attitudes toward organizational change. The results indicate that social support and most HRM practices in SOEs are not statistically significant predictors of an employee’s positive attitude. This finding suggests that contextual influences of SOEs limit the effectiveness of HRM practices. This research contributes to our understanding of the Chinese government’s impact on employee attitudes in SOEs and the complexity of multi-party reciprocity dynamics.