Chinese Managers Leadership Style

Chinese Managers Leadership zeal3.1 IntroductionAmong various choices of question methodologies, this field of operations draws on a modeling within the soft look paradigm. The reputation takes an in potpourriative approach and adopts a information collection throw of participant interviews. The think of this section is to show the underpinning philosophical arguments regarding methodological consideration and to justify the appropriateness of qualitative design to the context of this study. Supportive theories for this choice as well as the take in methods, info collection methods, arrangements for interviews and the relevant enquiry considerations will be addressed. In order to link the methodological choices with the study purpose, investigate questions will in any case be reiterated.3.2Research questionsThe purpose of qualitative explore is to describe, explore, and beg off phenomena being analyse (Marshall and Rossman, 1999). Qualitative look questions, the refore, often take the form of what, how and why, and are more than(prenominal) upkeeped with the process quite than the out make do. As this study is to explore how Chinese culture, specifically Confucius philosophical doctrines have shaped Chinese lead direction, as well as how westbound theories have exerted a profound cogitation on on Chinese leading in modern Chinese society, the seek questions of this study go as numbersWhat are the main characteristics of Chinese managers leadership style in domain Sector in Tianjin?Given the above, to what point does Chinese culture, particularly Guanxi affect and shape Chinese leadership style?In this day and age, how is leadership in China influenced by Hesperian leadership models?What are the implications that Chinese leadership styles present for the future make?As a result, the query methodology was selected and utilize to explore the victimisation of the matter to answer the above questions.3.3 Methodological c hoice3.3.1 interpretive seek traditionAmong the three research traditions, i.e. Positivism and Postpositivism, Interpretive Research, and Critical Postmodernism (Gephart, 2004), Interpretive Research is generally considered the most appealingly employ by a momentous number of detectives. This study takes an interpretive approach to sympathise the Chinese managers leadership style as perceived by theirQualitative research can be either interpretive or positive depending on the philosophical premisss interpreted by the detective. According to Schwandt (2000), qualitative research is a diverse term keep oning an array of techniques seeking to describe, decode, translate, and somehow come to terms with the meaning, rather than the measuring or frequency of phenomena in the tender man. Interpretive research is a more specific term. Interpretive studies copy that people create and associate their own essential and inter innate meanings as they interact with the world around them. With regards to the epistemology, interpertivsts recognize that the office they make sense of the world is shaped by their goals, culture and experience (Creswell, 2003 Weber, 2004). Reality is viewed as kindly constructed and can non be objectively determined (Easterby- Smith et al., 1991). The foundation assumption for interpretive research is that knowledge is gained, or at least filtered, through complaisant constructions such as language, consciousness, and shared meanings. In addition to the emphasis on the complaisantly constructed nature of reality, interpretive research acknowledges the intimate apprisalship amidst the research worker and what is being explored, and the situational constraints shaping this process. Interpretivists believe that the researcher and the researched are mutualist and affect each other in their interactions (Gephart, 2004 Weber, 2004). Walsham (1995) indicates that interpretive research attempts to understand phenomena through the me anings that people assign to them. It does non predefine dependent and independent variables. Nor does it focalize out to test hypotheses, but rather aims to produce an intellectual of the social context of the phenomenon and the process whereby the phenomenon influences and is influenced by the social context.3.3.2 Qualitative study indoors the field of social research there have been opposing views on how the social world can be or should be understood. traditionally the positivist paradigm has been related to denary research techniques, scientific cakement and empirical findings (Silverman, 2000). However, recently research methodology is considered as a continuum amidst quantitative and qualitative designs with the approach adopted based on an strength to answer or add knowledge to a particular bare (Creswell, 2003 Miller and Brewer, 2003). According to Creswell (1994), a qualitative study is defined as an inquiry process of appreciation a social or human being worry, based on building a intricate, holistic picture, formed with lyric poem, report tiny views of informants, and conducted in a natural setting.Although a quantitative research method was useful in studying statistical differences among variables and factors for proofing assumptions, its limitation was the softness to fully fall apart the underlying meanings people associated with particular activities or social process (Esterberg, 2002). In favor of this argument, Silverman (1997) further extends that quantitative research whitethorn overlook the social and cultural construction of variables as well as the attitudes and meanings behind the variables.Qualitative studies, though perceived to be complex, time-intensive, and sometimes troubled with methodological challenges, can be the richest of studies, often illuminating complex phenomena in radically new ways (conger, 1998). They are responsible for paradigm shifts, insights into the eccentric of context, and longitudinal p erspectives that other methods often fall to capture (Isabella, 1990 Mintzberg, 1973 Roberts and Bradley, 1988).Qualitative research may take on contrasting traditions or assumptions such as phenomenology, hermeneutics and ethnography. However, mason (1996) indicates that there are three common elements that bind qualitative research strategies togetherQualitative research takes an interpretive position in relation to discretion interactions within a multi-layered social worldselective information generation is limber and sensitive to the social context in which selective information is producedData abridgment that use explanation building which involve understanding the relevant complexness, detail and content of the subject matter. (Mason, 19964)Such an argument provides a strong theoretical foundation for this study regarding the interaction surrounded by managers and their subordinates in populace Sector in China. As a result, having considered these arguments, qualitat ive methodology would be useful in exploring the meanings and perspectives in this dissertation, because it permits an exploration of participants models of Chinese leadership, the rendering of cultural effects on Chinese leadership style and the complexity of issues that contribute to the subject.3.3.3 Qualitative leadership studiesIt has been widely held that qualitative research in the social sciences exercises an important part only in the exploratory phases of a research. At this stage, the researcher knows astir(predicate) the subject he/she is to investigate, and his/her hypotheses are rigorously speculative. Once the researchers understanding gradually becomes well-defined, quantitative analysis can follow to refine and validate the hypotheses generated by the previous qualitative research.However, Conger (1998) challenged this assumption by arguing that in reality, qualitative research must play an important role on matter at what stage in the investigating of leadersh ip topics. The main reason, he points out, is the extreme and enduring complexity of the leadership phenomenon itself. Since leadership involves multiple levels of phenomena, possesses a dynamic character, and has a emblematical comp acent, quantitative methods, which are largely based on surveys in the leadership field, tend to focus on a single level of analysis such as behavioral dimensions (Yukl, 1994), and in turn overlook the organisational and environmental factors (Conger, 1998). Therefore, they are insufficient to investigate thoroughly phenomena as complex as leadership.In addition, other scholars have drawn limitations and narrowness of the investigation frame of quantitative analysis in the leadership study. For example, Phillips (1973) argues that quantitative surveys are usually influenced by social desirability concerns of respondents and only reflects behavior attitudes rather than actual observed behavior. Lantis (1987) also articulates that quantitative analysis i s unable to measure interactions, which is a critical element of leadership.Qualitative methods, as proposed by Conger (1998), when properly employed, may render leadership studies distinct advantages over quantitative methodsFirst, more room to explore leadership in depth (Bryman, 1992)Second, the flexibility to detect unexpected phenomena during the researchThird, more opportunities to sense the contextual factorsFourth, more effective to investigate symbolic dimensions (Morgan and Smircich, 1980).It is based on all these arguments, that this study adopts a qualitative method, trying to put into full play the advantages that qualitative method possesses in studying the Chinese leadership style in Public Sectors.3.4 Interviews3.4.1 Interviews as a qualitative methodBased on the methodological discussions, interview was chosen as the most appropriate method of information collection for the research at hand. This method is the most much used qualitative method and recommended in situations where a detailed understanding of complicated behavior is sought and where detailed probing of the respondent is anticipated. Kvale and Birnkmann (2009) strain a qualitative research interview as a professed(prenominal) conversation focusing on an alternation, which occurs on the ain interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee around a particular issue or range of topics and on the descriptive selective information conducted through that interaction.Unstructured interviews3.4.2 Semi-structured interviewsIn this study, semi-structured interviews were applied as a research tool. Semi-structured interviews form an important part of qualitative research (Cassell and Symon, 2004). In semi-structured interviews, the interviewer designs a general structure by deciding in advance what ground is to be covered and what questions are to be asked. This leaves the detailed structure to be worked out during the interview. The interviewee is given considerable freedom to getage his/her views on his/her own words. This results in them raising issues and topic that the researcher may not have thought about as important for the study (Banister and Booth, 2005).The interviewer can respond using prompts, and follow-up questions to encourage the interviewee to clarify or expand on their answers. He/She can also react via facial nerve expression and body language. This would allow the interviewer to innovate and give the interview a direction (King, 2004) and get explanatory answers for questions about peoples behavior and opinions (Saunders et al, 2003 Banister and Booth, 2005). This is one of the strengths of this kind of interviews. In summary, semi-structured interviews provide the opportunity for the researcher to probe profoundly to uncover new clues, open up new dimensions of a problem and to secure vivid, accurate inclusive accounts that are based on personal experienced (Easterby-Smith et al., 2002).In semi-structured interviews, the applicatio n of probing is one of the most significant techniques. Probing centers on assisting the interviewee in continuing to speak his/her mind by the interviewer posing questions fully and relevantly (Cooper and Schinder, 2000). Patton (1990) identifies three types of probing techniques, namely detail-oriented probes, participation probes, and clarification probes. In this study, the elaboration probe is employed to encourage the interviewee to express more feelings (Patton, 1990). The interviewer took the initiative and encouraged the interviewee by supplementing questions like What makes you think so? Can you give some examples? Can you tell me more about this? etc.For semi-structured interviews, basic structures and frameworks are necessary. Before conducting the interviews, boundaries were drawn with pertinence to the research questions and research objectives. In turn, boundaries and framework also provide reference for the public opinion of data to be obtained. Without boundaries and framework, the discussion can go on diametrical track and become too general (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000). With boundaries set to the interview, the interviewer can not only maintain the exploratory principles through the use of major topic themes within the questions but also had sufficient flexibility to extend the boundaries of the authentic theme or to vary the sequence and emphasis of the questions (Corbetta, 2003Kvale, 1996 Miller and Brewer, 2003).3.4.3 underframe the interview questionsFraming the questions for the interview is very important. The questions allow respondents to quantify singular experiences and convey the results or answers that are expected from the research (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000 Easterby-Smith et al., 2002). Silverman (2001) and King (2004) propose that research questions should not reflect the researchers own presuppositions or preconceived notiones. Saunder et al. (2003) also underline that the questions framed should not be leading or sugges ting a limit set of answers.The interview questions in this study include a serial publication of open-ended questions (Appendix). This is because open-ended questions provide the opportunity to gather an authentic understanding of peoples experience (Silverman, 1999). Moreover, they also allow the interview respondents to talk freely and explain their understanding on Chinese leadership style and Chinese and Western cultural effects on framing such kind of leadership style. As discussed above, discussion on these questions may move beyond the research boundaries, therefore sub-questions have been framed to direct the discussion in the needful directions.3.5 SamplingSampling for qualitative research seeks to provide explanations of attitudes and behavior rather than quantify their extent in the population. According to National Centre for kindly Research (2002), qualitative samples should not be as large as survey samples or to be statistically representative. Rather, qualitative samples should be selected purposively to cover the range and diversity present in the target population. Miles and Huberman (1994) also posit that qualitative researchers should work with small samples of people, bound by specific contexts, and analyse in depth. In this study, unstructured interviews were conducted privately with quintuplet senior managers from five organizations of the Public Sector in Tianjin, as well as semi-structured interviews were employed vii subordinates of these managers. Therefore the sample size of the study is twelve.Additionally, nonprobability take in, a non-random and subjective sampling method (Cooper and Schindler, 1999) is used for this research. Different from random sampling, this method allowed the interviewer to ingest sample members as she wished or wherever she could find them. Another concept related to nonprobability sampling is judging sampling. As one kind of nonprobability samplings, judgment sampling is used to select sample members to conform to some mensuration (Cooper and Schindler, 2000). With the application of judgment sampling, people who work as managers in Public Sector in Tianjin were selected for main target samples, and their subordinates for sub-target samples. Since the study is to investigate the general perception of the leadership style in Public Sector in Tianjin, the sampling frame of this study is the public in general who work in different managerial levels in Public Sector in Tianjin.3.6 Data collection3.6.1 Data collection procedureThe data accumulate for this dissertation has been obtained from a combination of both secondary coil and primary sources. The secondary data include a selection of variety of books, journals and articles. The primary data were gathered from a series of unstructured and semi-structured interviews. In total, 12 interviews were undertaken with interviewees form 5 organizations in Public Sector in Tianjin (Appendix). These multiple sources of data allo wed the researchers to address a broader range of historical, attitudinal, and observation issues (Yin, 1989). Furthermore, multiple sources of evidences provided multiple perspectives of the like phenomenon.Participants in this study ranged from general staff to senior managers. The judgment sampling method employed here correlates with one of the approaches described by Mason (1996) in that it seeks to provide a detailed view of particular units not with any intent to act in a representative way of the wider population but to generate theory that may be applied or evaluated within a broader context.Five senior managers form different organizations are researchers relatives. The close relationship, therefore, contributed to both fulfillment of the interviews and the in-depth exploration of the research. In addition, seven subordinates work with five managers respectively. Subordinates perception of their managers characteristics could enrich the performance of the research. As a r esult, this elicited 12 interviews that formed the database of this study. The five organizations from which 12 interviewees stemmed cover the following five sectorsEconomy and Trade CommissionJustice surenessDepartment of Cultural AffairsUrban Planning BureauPublic Primary SchoolInterviews were undertaken in June and July 2010. Among the 12 interviews, five with senior managers were conducted in their houses or the researchers house, and each interview lasted 40 minutes around. Others 7 were taped in interviewees offices, lasting 20-30 minutes respectively. Moreover, interviews were conducted in the interviewees native language (Chinese) so that the subject was able to express their ideas fully.All the interviews took place in a private and quiet environment with only the interviewer and interviewee present. All participants were made fully aware of the details of the study. The schedules were directly and respectively sent to all participants beforehand of the interviews so as to confirm the researchers intent to record the interview via audiotape and to get out the arrangements related to confidentiality. All participants consented to the using of the tape recorder during the interviews.Such pre-interview talk proved important, because on the one hand, it allowed the participants enough time to get into the purpose and questions of the interview on the other hand, it played an essential role in requesting informed consents (Kvale and Birnkmann, 2009) from the participants, assuring them of safety, showing respect to their dignity, rights, and well-being. Especially when conducting qualitative research with sensitive topics, such ethical issues need to be a concern of the researcher (Malhotra, 2004), since there is much closer interaction between the interviewer and the individual(a) examined (King, 2004) and usually more personal or sensitive information is shared. Therefore, the researcher had the responsibility to care for the rights and needs of th e respondents (Kvale and Birnkmann, 2009). All this also supported the ontogenesis of trust in the interaction of the interviewee with the interviewer to correspond that they would be as innocent and open about their experiences and feelings as possible (Easterby-Smith et al., 1999)3.6.2 Data analysisAs is typical in qualitative research (Creswell, 1994), data analysis proceeded in tandem with data collection. The interview transcripts served as the basis for the data analysis. later on a general sense of the information gathered through culture the transcripts several times (Creswell, 2003), coding of the data was used to analyze the interviews. code is defined as the formal process of selecting all the usable actual from the complete data collected (Fisher, 2004). To code the data, it would be useful to find out piddle themes at the initial stage. Hence, themes that consistently emerged in the interviews were identified and the framework was divided into chunks and alloca ted to the themes (Creswell, 2003 Fisher, 2004). This approach to data analysis has the advantage as it is flexible and can be adapted to the needs of the study while it hushed forces the researcher to take a well-structured approach to analyzing the data, which assists in creating a clear and organized account of the findings. Therefore, after the transcription of the interview data from the audiotapes, the data analysis was categorized into four theme sections.The process of coding and analyzing data was ongoing and continued throughout the formulation of the subsequent chapters. Therefore, codes remained open to allowance until the end of the study and were modified and developed as the analysis proceeded (Fisher, 2004). In the analysis process, the method of direct quotations was used to illustrate informants responses precisely. Additionally, examples of contradicting arguments of the interviewees were included to ensure a balanced account of the data gathered. This enhanced the validity and legitimacy of the research (Creswell, 2003 Spiggle, 1994). The presentation of the findings is structured around the main themes identified. Care was taken not to drift towards generalizations but keep in mind the individual experiences from which these themes were developed (Creswell, 2003 King, 2004).3.7LimitationsUndertaking any form of research regardless of methodology or study design takes the author on a expedition that is often challenging and frustrating. A potential major weakness of the research method employed in this study could be the problem of bias. chime and Opie (1999) suggested that interview as a qualitative method is highly subjective technique and therefore there is always the danger of bias. This is true because there is a strong possibility that interviewees might choose not to reveal all issues related to the research questions collectable to feelings of embarrassment or a lack of knowledge on the topic and confusion etc.The researcher m ay tend to seek out answers that support preconceived notions. This may not be deliberate but may arise due to the classification of information and the flow of analytical thinking. Such a bias may limit the scope of the available data in relation to the study themes (Miller and Brewer, 2003) and greatly influence the reliability of the data collected. However, as Gavron (1966) suggested, consciousness of the problem plus constant self-control can help quiet the degree of bias.Another challenge that this study was facing is the transcribing of data. Since all interviews were conducted in Chinese, transcribing from the record in the audiotape into English written words may tardily involve errors. This may occur due to the misunderstanding or mishearing of respondents words or ignoring the emotionally loaded intonations. Moreover, the language barrier constitutes another problem. Although the researcher tried her best to maintain the authenticity and reliability of the data, the sl angs, jargons, colloquial expressions and established phrases in one language may not be perhaps given a parallel in another language. Therefore, all that the researcher could do was to try to avoid any interventions and misunderstandings during the interview and repeated respondents notice points in front of the respondents so as to ensure that interviewees opinions were fully and accurately understood by the researcher.