Exploring the Role of Jeong (情) as a Cultural Concept in Modern Organization

The research aims to explore the relationship between Jeong (情) - An indigenous cultural concept that Koreans usually have - and eight outcomes for organizations in Korea. Jeong can be translated to mean “uncalculated self-sacrifice and unconditional compassionate feelings or affects related to persons, objects, or things with which people may have relationships.” To demonstrate Jeong’s significant relationships with the eight outcomes in organization, we analyzed survey data collected from nurses (N = 548). We suggest a research framework comprised of demographics, six areas of work life, Jeong as a main predictor, and eight outcomes as predicted variables. After controlling for the major demographic variables, Jeong had a positive relationship with job engagement, affective commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, and customer orientation, and negative relationships with workplace deviant behavior. We also confirmed the moderating role of Jeong between six areas of work life and outcomes. When we apply some standard managerial practices taken from one country to another one, we must consider the indigenous variables and concepts embedded within other cultural or social contexts. However, the cross-sectional, single-source design prevents causal inferences and may limit the generalizability of the findings.