Chinese vs South African Work Ethic

[G0pher]

A comparative analysis of the Chinese and South African work ethic
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/03068291111143929

Purpose
– South Africa is a developing country, and within this context, it is essential to be economically competitive and proactive. Various sources reveal that the national productivity has been traditionally low, and continues to remain low. Within the context of the international arena, this is unacceptable. If South Africa is to become a recognised role player in the international arena, it is imperative to increase productivity like China. This paper aims to focus on the issues involved.

Design/methodology/approach
– A 65‐item inventory which measures seven conceptually and empirically distinct facets of the work ethic construct, i.e. the multi‐dimensional work ethic profile (MWEP) was utilised to critically distinguish between the Chinese and South African workforces. The samples approximated 150 subjects in each grouping. Findings which emanate from this study have distinct ramifications for the South African economy.

Findings
– It appears as if a linkage exists between productivity and work ethic, as illustrated by amongst others, Hamilton‐Attwell and Du Gay and Pryke. Paradoxically, a number of other variables exist which impact on the productivity phenomenon, thus rendering a strict causal relationship between work ethic and productivity tenuous in nature. Despite this, it is a recognised reality that there is a substantive “negativity” in the work ethic of the South African labour force, possibly in relation to historical and cultural factors. The Chinese work ethic is diametrically opposed to that of South Africa.

Research limitations/implications
– In discussions with Chinese workers held in 2010, four primary schools of thought emerged: a firm belief that hard work will bring desired results; pride in personal accomplishments and hard work; fear of embarrassment or shame in case of failure; and immense patriotic pride in China and its achievements. It is the present authors' conviction that none of these apply to the South African labour force, and that most certainly could be partly responsible for the economic disparities between the two countries. Hence, additional research should be conducted to improve the current state of affairs.

Social implications
– Of the seven facets in the MWEP, six are positively slanted, while the other, leisure, can be construed as negatively aligned with a positive work ethic. Interestingly, if the Chinese sample is compared to the South African, this is the only facet where the latter obtains a superior score. The inference is clear: South Africans are essentially more concerned about having free time. In the overall context of the MWEP, this is a strikingly negative observation.

Originality/value
– One of the major challenges confronting South Africa, since the triumph of democracy in 1994, is low productivity of labour. Therefore, comparing South African work ethics with that of China will enable South Africa recognize the gaps in terms of behavior towards work and stimulate the countries international competitiveness.

 

[G0pher]

SUMMARY? Our leadership has failed us

 

[Arthur]

SUMMARY? Our leadership has failed us

Summary: Our leadership reflects us. We elected them and keep them in power. We get the leaders we deserve. Our leaders are corrupt, incompetent and lazy, just like us. That's democracy.

 

[deweyzeph]

Summary: It's easy to force people to be productive when you run the worlds biggest dictatorship and are one of the world's biggest human rights violators. China doesn't have leadership, it has coercion, subjugation, suppression and censorship.

 

[TheGuy]

Summary: Our leadership reflects us. We elected them and keep them in power. We get the leaders we deserve. Our leaders are corrupt, incompetent and lazy, just like us. That's democracy.

Speak for yourself I'm not corrupt, incompetent or lazy.

 

[Mortymoose]

I have a black partner, he is an old politician and has known me since I was a kid. A good friend to my father in the Union days and we have a strong relationship, in fact we talk openly about politics and I am not shy to call a spade a spade,

One day in a conversation, the old man mentioned that it was colonialism's fault that the majority of black folk were the way they were. Non achievers, unable to perform without supervision, not being able to improvise..... He reckons generations of being oppressed by white folk have made the black nation believe that they are unable to progress to the same level as the white man....

The reason why this topic came about was due to the fact that an old black man, had purchased an item in our store and was returning it. We watched him talk to the coloured front end manager, she then came and called us, said that the black customer wanted to speak to one of the owner managers about his complaint, so my black partner went to speak to the customers, the shook heads and within a minute my black partner came and called me.... The black customer wanted to speak to a white manager, so I went out and sorted the problem.... Later I asked my partner why the black customer did not want to speak to him, he replied that the black customers believed that over the years only a white manager could resolve their issues .... I found this way of thinking interesting.... This was a few years back, things are thankfully changing....

When one thinks about what backwaters Taiwan, thailand , Korea were 100 years ago and to what they are now....you can see that the mindset and eduction of the african masses needs to be changed, I for one believe that mobile technology will help to fasttrack this process..

 

[Arthur]

Speak for yourself I'm not corrupt, incompetent or lazy.

In case you don't realise, the "we" and "us" is our society. It refers not to any particular person but to the body politic in our country.

 

[FNfal]

Interesting study .
Unfortunately there are many problems in south African productivity .
One that has a major impact is our Christian background , Sundays and 5 day weeks not to mention labour laws that are pro worker and not neutral .
We will never compete with china with our labour laws as they are and the hang ups that we have as far as a Sunday goes .
There are many reason why we will never compete with china but these are just a few that I believe we are stuck with .

 

[HDS]

Summary: It's easy to force people to be productive when you run the worlds biggest dictatorship and are one of the world's biggest human rights violators. China doesn't have leadership, it has coercion, subjugation, suppression and censorship.

Really?

 

[chrisc]

There is no South African work ethic. The concept is foreign to them. When they start (MAN Diesel Engines) demanding payment for just turning up to work then you know productivity is furthest from their minds

Theft, slacking off, intimidating people who do some work, taking the maximum sick leave possible, that is SA work ethic

 

[Mortymoose]

We also experience the scenario, whereby I use a casual, give him a three month probation period, works like a dog, all over the place, the day after he signs as a permanent, his productivity drops by about 70% and he suddenly cannot communicate with you anymore....

 

[grok]

I have a black partner, he is an old politician and has known me since I was a kid. A good friend to my father in the Union days and we have a strong relationship, in fact we talk openly about politics and I am not shy to call a spade a spade,

One day in a conversation, the old man mentioned that it was colonialism's fault that the majority of black folk were the way they were. Non achievers, unable to perform without supervision, not being able to improvise..... He reckons generations of being oppressed by white folk have made the black nation believe that they are unable to progress to the same level as the white man....

The reason why this topic came about was due to the fact that an old black man, had purchased an item in our store and was returning it. We watched him talk to the coloured front end manager, she then came and called us, said that the black customer wanted to speak to one of the owner managers about his complaint, so my black partner went to speak to the customers, the shook heads and within a minute my black partner came and called me.... The black customer wanted to speak to a white manager, so I went out and sorted the problem.... Later I asked my partner why the black customer did not want to speak to him, he replied that the black customers believed that over the years only a white manager could resolve their issues .... I found this way of thinking interesting.... This was a few years back, things are thankfully changing....

When one thinks about what backwaters Taiwan, thailand , Korea were 100 years ago and to what they are now....you can see that the mindset and eduction of the african masses needs to be changed, I for one believe that mobile technology will help to fasttrack this process..

Didn't Malema recently show he believes the same thing?

ps. Breaking news just in .. Limpopo pupils still without books

Bet you none of the Chinese nationals responsible for textbooks will get off scott free like in Africa.

 

[f2wohf]

I might irritate some of you, but being white, I've never seen a country where whites are as crooked than in South Africa.

Most of the contracts I've negotiated here, the white CEO, procurement manager, MD of the buyer requests substantials commissions (obviously attained by overcharging the company he works for). This is valid for medium and big enterprises and is honestly rather scary.

I've had way less problems of this nature with non-whites in South Africa.

I'm actually astonished by the number of times I have to say no to a commission, it just seems normal to overcharge your company...

 

[deweyzeph]

I might irritate some of you, but being white, I've never seen a country where whites are as crooked than in South Africa.

Most of the contracts I've negotiated here, the white CEO, procurement manager, MD of the buyer requests substantials commissions (obviously attained by overcharging the company he works for). This is valid for medium and big enterprises and is honestly rather scary.

I've had way less problems of this nature with non-whites in South Africa.

I'm actually astonished by the number of times I have to say no to a commission, it just seems normal to overcharge your company...

I can think of a few countries with more crooked white people, like Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Italy, Albania, etc.

 

[f2wohf]

I can only compare to Western and Northern Europe but when I arrived here I was literally shocked and it is so common that South Africans actually find it abnormal that I refuse to get a cut of it.

 

[Sherbang]

Chinese work ethic
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13d17e40-a2ed-11e3-9685-00144feab7de.html#axzz3BVQF2zxe

China’s state media recently reported that 600,000 mainlanders die every year from working too hard.

But what is clear is that “occupational sudden death”, a term borrowed from the Japanese, has become a big social problem among China’s exhausted workforce. Xinhua, the state news agency, reported last year that almost 1,100 police officers had died of overwork in the previous five years – fully half of those who died in the line of duty. What they didn’t say is that a big part of the problem was being drunk in the line of duty. Alcohol seems to play a big part in many so-called overwork deaths, because many employees are expected to spend long hours entertaining clients or government officials, often lubricated by alcohol.

According to a report published last week by Boston Consulting Group, half of those surveyed – from the middle to affluent classes – said they had health problems because of “work pressures, family obligations and long work hours”. Insomnia, fatigue, lack of energy, obesity, frequent illness; all the diseases familiar to any western workaholic – but not the kind of thing to worry anyone much in the first few decades after communism.
Information technology workers are apparently especially vulnerable: one recent survey of 350,000 IT workers found that 98.8 per cent of them said they had health problems.

I'll stick to the the South African work ethic, thanks. Although, to be honest, I think it would be more ethical if we only worked 4 days a week...

 

[NiTeD]

Our work ethic is shocking but I don't think any country in the world can compete with the Chinese.