The structure and measurement of the work values of Chinese civil servants: the case of Hangzhou city government

A stable and efficient team of civil servants facilitates high performance for their government. With further standardization of civil servants’ salary and bonuses, the tendency of turnover becomes apparent in public service. Under this context, it seems to be a critical issue regarding how to reduce the turnover intention and how to motivate civil servants to improve their work performance. Hangzhou City in China has historically demonstrated high performance and a low turnover rate. We developed an instrument and conducted a mixed-methods research to measure the work values of 349 civil service employees from Hangzhou City. The results indicate that the work values of Chinese civil servants show a second-order structure, which includes self-actualization, interpersonal harmony, utilitarian orientation, personal growth, comfort, stability, autonomy, and flexibility. The results also show significant difference in the six factors of the work values of 349 civil servants who are from Hangzhou City. This study contributes to our understanding of the work values of Chinese civil servants and provides theoretical support to administrators who are making and implementing policies to reduce the turnover intention and enhance the performance of Chinese civil servants.