Task and relationship orientation of Chinese students and managers in the automotive industry

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to study the management approach of automotive industry managers and students in China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper focused on comparing the leadership orientation of respondents and compared 200 working managers with 181 graduate students in the automotive industry. Findings – It appears that these Chinese respondents from the automotive industry have significantly higher scores on the relationship orientation than task orientation. Managers have significantly higher scores on both dimensions of leadership. Similarly, the female respondents in China had similar scores as their male colleagues. Research limitations/implications – It appears that being socialized in a collectivistic or high context culture can lead to higher focus on relationship orientation. Based on the results, practical implications and application for future research are explored. Originality/value – This paper is original and analyzes the leadership orientation of respondents.