Twenty-fourth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

Traditionally, Filipino promotions are based on tenure, rather than competence. Seniority refers to a superior rank that an employee holds in an industrial setting based on position withheld in a company. Yet, seniority also holds the paradigm for Filipino family structures. With this, the researchers believe that Filipinos have a deeper take on seniority, which became the motivation for this study. The researchers wanted to contextualize the Filipino concept of seniority, perception and reactions of Filipino employees to its existence, and uncover their relevant experiences within the industrial setting to contribute to the development of modern organizational management strategies. Following a phenomenological research design, data collected from ten (10) participants with various demographic backgrounds, chosen through purposive sampling, and interviewed utilizing a semi-structured interview and analyzed using thematic analysis revealed seven primary themes: (1) Reality of Tenureship and Competence, (2) Disparity in Age Influence, (3) Special Power of Seniority, (4) Seniority is Necessity, (5) The Filipino Industrial Values, (6) Art of Seniority in Human Resource , and (7) Confessions of the Inner Child. The findings suggest that seniority exists, based on a ranking system created through human resource management, and mirrored from traditional Filipino values. Also, the researchers identified three Filipino industrial values: respect, pakikipagkapwa-tao, and utang na loob. Lastly, birth order was found to have direct and indirect effects on their conduct in an industrial context.