Counterproductive Work Behavior
16
Consistent with convergence theorists, the results suggest that managers in China conceptualize
CWB in ways similar to managers from the Western cultures. Specifically, many of the CWBs
reported by the Chinese participants are comparable to what has been reported in the Western
literature: conflict, low cooperation, harassment, absenteeism, abuse of organization time, fraud,
break organization rules, and theft and dishonesty. To conclude, the dimensions and utility of the
Chinese items are largely consistent with the findings in the Western literature.
Study 1 identified the content and dimensions of counterproductive work behavior in
China using two independent samples of Chinese managers. The results provide a basis for item-
level instruments that measure CWB among Chinese managers. Building on the results of Study
1, Study 2 investigates the extent to which a sample of Chinese managers and a comparable
sample of Canadian managers value task performance, OCB, and CWB when rating overall
performance. Thus, the item-level data gathered in Study 1 are validated in Study 2.
Study 2
There has been a general interest among Western researchers in demonstrating that task
performance, OCB, and CWB is uniquely valued by managers. Thus, a body of Western research
examined the unique contribution of these behaviors to ratings of overall job performance,
effectiveness, and rewards. A majority of this research focused on the importance of task
performance and OCB. This research employed a wide range of methodologies, some studies
measured relative weights or importance while others measured incremental variance explained
by each performance component. Generally, this research reported that task performance and
OCB independently contribute to ratings of overall performance. Limited research has considered
the relative importance of all three performance dimensions, namely task performance, OCB, and
CWB to ratings of overall performance. In a within-rater policy-capturing study Rotundo and