Changing the Work Behaviour of Chinese Employees Using a Continuous Process Improvement Program and Action Research: A Case Study of an International Elevator Company Located in China

Abstract

The management of workplace change takes place in many industry contexts and micro-settings using a variety of approaches, all of which are widely reported in the academic and professional literature. There is less known about workplace change management in the context of an international company employing large numbers of Mainland Chinese employees. The company needed to improve its delivery of service quality; in this case to the maintenance of elevators and escalators, especially where breakdowns occur and customers get frustrated. It was imperative to change the mindset and work behaviour of the Chinese workforce. This case study reports the design, implementation and evaluation of a process improvement program ‘custom built’ for the Chinese employees of the international company.