A Comparative Study of Korea, China and Taiwan on the Effect of Organizational Culture, Traditionality, and Modernity on Counterproductive Work Behavior from the Perspective of Interdependence Theory

Abstract

This study explores how traditionality and modernity moderate the relationship between organizational culture and counterproductive work behavior (CWB), and conducts an empirical analysis based on comparative data from China, Korea and Taiwan. Specifically, surveys were administered to 354 corporate members from China, 368 from Korea, and 160 from Taiwan, and the moderating effect model was tested using the SPSS PROCESS. The results show that organizational culture positively influences CWB, with traditionality further strengthening this positive effect, while modernity does not exhibit a significant moderating effect in China and Korea. In contrast, organizational culture negatively influences CWB, and both traditionality and modernity further reinforce this negative effect in Taiwan. Theoretically, this study reveals the persistent influence of traditional values and the diversity effects triggered by modernity within East Asian organizational cultures, thereby expanding the understanding of cross-cultural management. Practically, it is recommended that Chinese and Korean companies weaken traditional cultural elements that conflict with modern management practices and promote the integration of traditionality and modernity. Taiwanese companies are advised to strengthen cultural coordination mechanisms to mitigate value conflicts, and optimize organizational culture governance and employee management.