Compulsory citizenship behavior effects on work withdrawal of transcultural individual by sequential motivation mediation

Multicultural human resources are essential for organizational globalization, yet effectively managing cross-cultural motivation while reducing work withdrawal behavior remains challenging. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources model and Self-Determination Theory, this study investigates how compulsory citizenship behavior influences work withdrawal behavior through the sequential mediation of extrinsic and intrinsic work motivation among 1658 cross-strait employees from Mainland China and Taiwan. Results indicate that the mediation pathway operates consistently across groups, although its strength varies: the negative effect is strongest for Mainlanders (β = −0.16), followed by Taiwanese in Mainland (β = −0.13), and remains statistically significant, though weaker, for Taiwanese (β = −0.10), whereas it is not statistically significant for Mainlanders in Taiwan (β = 0.002).

This observed variability suggests a potential “culture–institution activation effect,” defined as the relatively stronger transformation from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation when cultural norms and institutional factors are aligned. Under these aligned conditions, motivational transformation appears more pronounced, which may influence employees’ behavioral responses to organizational pressures. By highlighting both universal and context-dependent aspects of motivational processes, this study contributes to the integration of JD-R and SDT frameworks and provides practical guidance for managing transcultural talent and improving work engagement in Chinese cultural settings.

The authors declare that there was no funding for this study. Department of Management Sciences, Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Department of Business Administration, Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC The authors declare no competing interests. This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, and received ethical approval from the National Taiwan University (NTU) ethics committee, with ethical approval reference number 202504ES041, dated May 28, 2025.

Informed consent was obtained digitally from all participants prior to their involvement in the study. The process was administered by the research team via the messaging platforms WeChat, Line, and SMS from June 14, 2025 to July 14, 2025. A comprehensive digital consent form, presented in Chinese, was delivered directly to each participant.

The corresponding author supervised and verified the entire consent process to ensure full compliance. The informed consent clearly explained the study’s purpose, confirmed participants’ voluntary participation with the right to withdraw at any time, assured anonymity and confidentiality in data handling and reporting, stated that the data would not be used for commercial or derivative purposes, and disclosed that no foreseeable risks were associated with participation. Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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