“Involution” or “Lying Down Flat”? Exploring Informal Workplace learning and Agency Development of Early Career Tech Workers in China

• In Event: Higher education for workforce development: Pathways, systems, and challenges

Proposal

Introduction
Informal learning in the workplace plays an essential role in shaping individuals’ fundamental relationship to the work and the workplace context. It encompasses “learning by doing the job itself, through reflection on one’s own work, through collaborating and interacting with other people, by participating in networks and tackling new challenges” (Tynjälä, 2008, p.134). Such learning does not restrict to the acquisition of knowledge and skills but also entails the process of identity construction and transformation (van-Dellen & Cohen-Scalie, 2015).
China's IT industry has thrived in the past two decades, emerging as a vital sector within the country's economy. Supported by government policies promoting innovation and talent, a liberalized and competitive market, and a growing pool of skilled STEM workers, the IT sectors in China are undergoing what Rosa (2019) termed as "dynamic stabilization" marked by accelerated growth and intense competition. This trend towards escalation, alongside prevalent ageism, sexism, and educational discrimination in the labor landscape, has significantly reshaped the workplace dynamics and the social positioning of young professionals with high skills.
In such context, China's young generations are characterized by two contrasting attitudes, reflected in two popular buzzwords. The first term is "neijuan" or "involution," depicting a state where individuals are trapped in an endless cycle of competitive pursuits with no clear winners. This concept is frequently used to describe the demanding '996' working culture prevalent in the tech companies (Wang & Ge, 2020). On the other hand, there is the notion of "tang ping" or "lying down flat," reminiscent of the Western notion of being a slacker. This philosophy and strategy contradict the involutionary lifestyle and are embraced by Chinese youths as part of their social resistance movement. Although these two perspectives are amplified online, the reality for early career workers is far more complex. Coming from academic institutions that often lack consistent guidance on career development, young professionals in the IT sector often find themselves overwhelmed and stressed by the fast-paced working environment and the hostile conditions. China's alarming increase in depression and anxiety disorders (Cai, 2019) raises crucial questions about the identity of this group: What kind of person do I aspire to become? What role do I play in society, and what is the purpose of my life?
This study seeks to investigate the intricate social dynamics within the workplace environment of the technology industry that impact the informal learning experiences and outcomes of early career tech professionals, particularly in relation to their development of agency. It has two main research questions:
1. What are the social dynamics operating at the societal, institutional, and interpersonal levels that influence their informal learning processes in the workplace?
2. How do the practices of informal workplace learning shape the formation of identity and agency among these early career tech professionals?

Conceptual Framework
Drawing on Giddens' (1984) structuration theory and Schuller and Desjardins' (2007) individual/collective agency and contextual features, I developed a conceptual framework to explore the agency development process among early-career tech workers through informal learning in the tech-related workplace. This framework comprises three main components: (1) the workplace learning context, encompassing the broader societal structure in China and the institutional workplace environment in high-tech sectors; (2) the micro-interpersonal environment, which involves the interaction between individuals and groups; and (3) the outcomes of informal workplace learning that contribute to their agency development.

Methods
This qualitative study uses narrative analysis as its primary mode of inquiry. I recruited 20 early-career tech workers who have less than five years of working experience in private IT sectors in China. The participants vary in age, gender, educational, and family background.
I used four methods to elicit diverse stories from the participants: (1) document collection of government documents, news articles, and social media discussions about the private tech-related workplace context in China; (2) virtual semi-structured interviews, each varying from 1 to 2.5 hours; (3) participants’ organizational mapping about the organizational structure and work division; (4) photo/hand-drawing collections about participants workplace environment and work-related activities.
After multiple rounds of reading transcripts, I began with open coding (Miles et al., 2014) by highlighting words and sentences that stood out or were directly related to research questions. Next, I applied axial coding (Miles et al., 2014) to compare and categorize the codes, linking them to the research questions and conceptual framework. These categorized codes were used for developing findings. Member checks and triangulation based on multiple and different sources of information were utilized to support validity (Ravitch & Carl, 2016).

Findings
1. Three hegemonic narratives are produced, disseminated, and received in China’s tech industry and shape the organizational behaviors of early-career tech workers. They are the neoliberal logic of market rules that elevates competition, productivity, and individual responsibility; the cultural logic of Confucianism that promotes social conformity and undermines individual autonomy; and the political logic of one-party authoritarian system that distrusts civil society institutions and impedes workers’ collective agency to resist.
2. The early-career tech workers in this study engage in counter-storytelling within their workplace community of practice through informal conversations and interactions. Through informal workplace learning, they develop and exercise their agency to challenge gender discrimination, the hustle culture, and unequal power dynamics. Furthermore, they construct and negotiate their professional identity by engaging in a sensemaking process that builds trust.
3. As an outcome of informal workplace learning, participants have been fostering a workplace pedagogy centered around humanizing colleagues, upholding dignity, and demonstrating empathy towards the community of practice.

Significance
By examining the influence of various social dynamics on the agency development of tech workers in China, this study can potentially contribute to theories of workplace learning, organizational behaviors, and identity formation in the context of the knowledge-intensive industry in East-Asian societies. Furthermore, it contributes to the design and implementation of equitable learning programs and supportive environments within technology organizations that enhance the professional growth and development of early career tech professionals. Lastly, it has practical implications for national policies and strategies for lifelong/workplace learning that promotes employability, competitiveness, individual development, and social cohesion.

Author

• Hui Huang, UCLA