Intangible management and enterprise success in the Chinese transitional economy

Abstract

China has undergone extensive reform of its business system in its rapid transition to a market economy. In this process, the success of enterprises has depended heavily on changing structural conditions, such as the transformation of ownership and market competition, on the ability of management to adapt to new labour and product markets, and on new ways of getting workers to commit to the enterprises' goals. This study explores enterprise success by modelling organizational performance as a function of intangible management practices, either directly or through their effects on employee satisfaction, all within the context of transition. The findings of the research demonstrate that employee satisfaction is influenced by some forms of intangible management; that enterprise success is conditioned by employee satisfaction, by some measures of transition and by a range of intangible management practices.