Climate and Work Values A Comparison of Cold, Warm, and Hot Regions in China

A comparison among Chinese employees in three different climatic areas revealed different scores on five work values of Hofstede's model. With regard to power distance, temperate regions showed greater scores than colder-than-temperate and hotter-than-temperate regions. In terms of masculinity, the results showed that temperate regions have greater scores than colder-than temperate and hotter-than-temperate regions. Regarding collectivism, hotter-than-temperate regions also showed a higher collectivism score than did colder-than-temperate regions. With regard to uncertainty avoidance, temperate regions showed greater scores than colder-than-temperate and hotter-than-temperate regions, even though colder-than-temperate and hotter-than-temperate regions did not present any significant differences. The results from this article show that China should not be considered as a homogeneous market and suggest that multinational corporations (MNCs) need to take differentiated management strategies across regions in China.