Work values, employee engagement, and human resource development: an indigenous study

Employee engagement has gained significant attention in human resource development (HRD) globally over the past decades. The discourse has evolved into an interdisciplinary and international concept, leading scholars to advocate for a pluralistic perspective on understanding the conditions that foster an engaging workforce. However, knowledge of how employee engagement is shaped in indigenous work environments within non-Western cultures remains underexplored. Taking a cultural perspective, this study aims to explore the effects of common Chinese work values on employee engagement, considering the moderating role of HRD. We first identified five indigenous work values in the Chinese context related to employee engagement. We then recruited 677 participants from 16 Chinese organisations across various sectors and collected data on employees’ belief in these work values, perceived organisational support for HRD, and employee engagement at two time points. Results indicated positive relationships between hard work, tolerance, loyalty, and jingye, with employee engagement. HRD culture positively moderated the relationships between these values and employee engagement. These findings underscore the significance of incorporating both universal aspects and culturally specific dynamics of employee engagement into theory and practice. The study concludes with implications and recommendations for HRD scholars and practitioners.