In the Chinese context, leaders tend to require subordinates to possess “Wu-Xing” and be capable of “grasping the leaders’ intentions.” Existing research concepts do not address employees’ abilities to comprehend and execute leaders’ intentions through political skills, upward ingratiation, followership or subordinates’ moqi. To explain and explore this phenomenon, this study aims to present the concept of employees’ upward Wu-Xing.
Three studies were conducted to interpret and discuss employees’ upward Wu-Xing. Study 1 used grounded theory to derive an upward Wu-Xing scale. In Study 2, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to assess the reliability and validity of the scale. Study 3 examined the predictive validity of the upward Wu-Xing scale through an empirical study of the relationship between upward Wu-Xing and emotional exhaustion.
The concept of employees’ upward Wu-Xing and a validated four-item measurement tool were proposed. The results demonstrated that employees’ upward Wu-Xing refers to discerning, understanding, grasping and the ability to execute leaders’ intentions. The data also showed that emotional exhaustion was related to upward Wu-Xing, with higher upward Wu-Xing resulting in lower emotional exhaustion.
This study developed the employees’ upward Wu-Xing scale and explored its dimensions. It also revealed its positive impact on employee cognition.
This finding can help managers develop employees’ ability to grasp leaders’ intentions and reduce the consumption of psychological resources.
This study abstracts and theorizes a phenomenon and issue commonly found in practice, aiding the interpretation of the boundaries and roles of leaders’ expectations for employee capabilities within the context of Chinese organizations. This also facilitates research on similar issues in practical settings. Upward Wu -Xing among employees is a distinctive Chinese characteristic, signifying an ability that places leaders at ease and highlights qualified subordinates. Employees with upward Wu-Xing not only possess sensitivity and acumen toward the leader’s intentions but also excel in summarizing, extracting lessons and drawing parallels. They actively enhance the quality of their work efficiently. In this sense, upward Wu-Xing enhances organizational efficiency and fosters harmonious relationships between leaders and subordinates.
This study developed the employees’ upward Wu-Xing scale and explored its dimensions. It also revealed its positive impact on employee cognition.
