Does Technology Need Cultural Impetus? Evidence From Chinese Manufacturing Enterprises

The relationship between technology and culture is a topic of significant interest in the field of social development. The advent of ChatGPT has prompted a re-examination of this relationship, particularly in the context of the role of technology in driving social change. However, the phenomenon of prioritising technology over culture is a common occurrence in contemporary enterprises. In light of this, this study focuses on information techonology (IT) investment behavior in China’s manufacturing enterprises as a case study to investigate the impact of corporate culture on the advancement of technology within these organisations. Using panel data from A-share listed manufacturing enterprises from 2013–2022, a series of regression analyses using the fixed effects model finds that Chinese enterprises’ IT investment has a positive impact on corporate performance and that corporate culture strength can further promote the positive effect of corporate IT investment on corporate performance. In addition, this paper examines how distinct corporate culture dimensions influence IT investment outcomes, and the results show that there are differences in the impact of various corporate culture dimensions on IT investment performance, with honesty-oriented cultures exerting a particularly strong positive effect. This study deepens the understanding of the relationship between culture and technology development, highlighting how corporate culture construction shapes IT investment performance. It therefore holds important theoretical and practical significance.