Staff profile

Dr. Yanjun Guan obtained his PhD in Psychology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2009 and then worked as Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for one year. From 2010 to 2014, Yanjun worked for School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China. In 2014, Yanjun moved to the UK and worked as Senior Lecturer at School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey. In 2016, Yanjun joined Durham University Business School and was promoted to Professor level in 2017. In 2021, Yanjun accepted a Professor position in The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), China, and became an Adjunct Professor in Durham University Business School. 

As a researcher, Yanjun is interested in the antecedents and consequences of person-environment (P-E) fit in cross-cultural settings. Based on these projects, Yanjun has co-authored papers on "Journal of Vocational Behaviour" (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), "Journal of Management" (2017), "Personnel Psychology" (2016, 2020), "Journal of Organizational Behavior " (2020), "Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology" (2020), and so on. Yanjun is currently serving as an Associate Editor for "Journal of Vocational Behavior".

Yanjun is also working with many overseas scholars to examine the role of national culture in individuals' social cognition and behavior. Their cross-cultural research has been published on "Psychological Science" (2018)", "Social Psychological and Personality Science" (2018), "Nature Climate Change" (2016), "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" (2015, 2016), "Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin" (2012, 2015), "Social Psychological and Personality Science" (2017), "Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology" (2012, 2015), "British Journal of Social Psychology" (2017), "Frontiers in Psychology" (2016), "European Journal of Social Psychology" (2016), "Journal of Happiness Studies (2013), "Judgment and Decision-making" (2012), "International Journal of Inter-cultural Relations" (2010, 2011, 2012), "Asian Journal of Social Psychology" (2004, 2009), and so on.

Mini Biography

Yanjun is working as Professor (Adjunct) in Management at Durham University Business School. He used to work for University of Surrey (Senior Lecturer, 2014-2016), Renmin University of China (Assistant Professor, 2010-2013; Associate Professor, 2013-2014), and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Postdoc Fellow, 2009-2010).

• Vocational Psychology
• Cross-cultural Psychology
• Leadership Development
• Person-Organization Fit

• Leadership and Followership
• Management & Marketing Department

Journal Article

• Fan, Lanyue Cai, Di Li, Zehua, Xu, Lingxiao, Wen, Shanshan, Li, Fangmin, Guan, Ziqing & Guan, Yanjun (2023). Sustaining newcomers' career adaptability: The roles of socialization tactics, job embeddedness and career variety. The Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
• Guan, Yanjun, Zhou, Xinyi, Zheng, Yuyan, Wen, Shanshan, Fu, Yue, Hu, Nan, Fu, Anguo, Han, Yue & Wang, Zhimei (2022). Role of Perceived Events in University Graduates' Job Search Self-efficacy and Success. Journal of Vocational Behavior 136: 103741.
• Wang, Xiaoyu (Christina), Zheng, Xiaotong (Janey), Guan, Yanjun & Zhao, Shuming (2022). Do High Performers Always Obtain Supervisory Career Mentoring? The Role of Perspective-Taking. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 95(2): 332-357.
• Jiang, J. Dong, Y. Hu, H., Liu, Q. & Guan, Y. (2022). Leaders' response to employee overqualification: An explanation of the curvilinear moderated relationship. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 95(2): 459-494.
• Wang, F., Xu, Y., Zhou, X. Fu, A., Guan, Y. She, Z. Wang, Z. & Bi, Y. (2022). Are adaptable employees more likely to stay? Boundaryless careers and career ecosystem perspectives on career adaptability and turnover. Applied Psychology 71(4): 1326-1346.
• Xu, Y., Liu, S., Li, R., Guan, Y. & Zhou, W. (2021). Self-consistency and self-determination perspectives of career value changes: A cross-lagged panel study among Chinese university students. Journal of Vocational Behavior 127: 103584.
• Guan, Y., Deng, H., Fan, L. & Zhou, X. (2021). Theorizing person-environment fit in a changing career world: Interdisciplinary integration and future directions. Journal of Vocational Behavior 126: 103557.
• Deng, Hong, Lam, Catherine K., Guan, Yanjun & Wang, Mo (2021). My fault or yours? leaders’ dual reactions to abusive supervision via rumination depend on their independent self‐construal. Personnel Psychology 74(4): 773-798.
• Baranski, E., Sweeny, K., Gardiner, G., Members of International Situations Project & Funder, D. C. (2021). Who in the World is Trying to Change Their Personality Traits? Volitional Personality Change Among College Students in 56 Countries. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
• Guan, Y, Deng, H & Zhou, X (2020). Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Career Development: Insights from Cultural Psychology. Journal of Vocational Behavior 119: 103438.
• Deng, H. Walter, F. & Guan, Y. (2020). Supervisor-Directed Emotional Labor as Upward Influence: An Emotions-as-Social-Information Perspective. Journal of Organizational Behavior 41(4): 384-402.
• Yang, X., Guan, Y., Zhang, Y., She, Z., Buchtel, E., Mak, M. & Hu, H. (2020). A relational model of career adaptability and career prospects: The roles of leader-member exchange and agreeableness. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 93(2): 405-430.
• Buchtel, E. E., Ma, P. P. L. & Guan, Y. (2019). Assessing the Similarity of Injunctive Norm Profiles across Different Social Roles: The Effect of Closeness and Status in the USA and China. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 50(10): 1140-1160.
• Zhu, Fei, Cai, Zijun, Buchtel, Emma & Guan, Yanjun (2019). Career construction in social exchange: a dual-path model linking career adaptability to turnover intention. Journal of Vocational Behavior 112: 282-293.
• Chen, S.X., Hui, C.-M., Ng, J.C.K. & Guan, Y. (2019). How Long Can Cultural Events Elevate Group Identity Salience? The Mediating Role of Affective Adaptation. Self and Identity 18(2): 126-143.
• Guan, Y., Arthur, M. B., Khapova, S. N., Hall, R. & Lord, R. G. (2019). Career Boundarylessness and Career Success: A Review, Integration and Guide to Future Research. Journal of Vocational Behavior 110(Part B): 390-402.
• Guan, Y., Wang, Z., Gong, Q., Cai, Z., Xu, S., Xiang, Q., Wang, Y., Chen, S., Hu, H. & Tian, L. (2018). Parents’ Career Values, Adaptability, Career-specific Parenting Behaviors, and Undergraduates’ Career Adaptability. The Counseling Psychologist 46(7): 922-946.
• Pan, J., Guan, Y., Wu, J., Han, L., Zhu, F., Fu, X. & Yu, J. (2018). The interplay of proactive personality and internship quality in Chinese university graduates' job search success: The role of career adaptability. Journal of Vocational Behavior 109: 14-26.
• Hornsey, M.J., Bain, P.G., Harris, E.A. Lebedeva, N., Kashima, E., Guan, Y., González, R., Chen, S.X. & Blumen, S. (2018). How much is enough in a perfect world? Cultural variation in ideal levels of happiness, pleasure, freedom, health, self-esteem, longevity, and intelligence. Psychological Science 29(9): 1393-1404.
• Deng, H., Guan, Y., Wu, C-H., Erdogan, B., Bauer, T. & Yao, X. (2018). A Relational Model of Perceived Overqualification: The Moderating Role of Interpersonal Influence on Social Acceptance. Journal of Management 44(8): 3288-3310.
• Guan, Y., Liu, S., Guo, M.J., Li, M., Wu, M., Chen, S.X., Xu, S.X. & Tian, L. (2018). Acculturation Orientations and Chinese Student Sojourners’ Career Adaptability: The Roles of Career Exploration and Cultural Distance. Journal of Vocational Behavior 104: 228-239.
• Milfont, T.L., Bain, P.G., Kashima, Y., Corral-Verdugo, V.C., Pasquali, C., Johansson, L.-O., Guan, Y., Gouveia, V.V., Garðarsdóttir, R.B., Doron, G., Bilewicz, M., Utsugi, A., Aragones, J.I., Steg, L., Soland, M., Park, J., Otto, S., Demarque, C., Wagner, C., Madsen, O.J., Lebedeva, N., González, R., Schultz, P.W., Saiz, J.L., Kurz, T., Gifford, R., Akotia, C.S., Saviolidis, N.M. & Einarsdóttir, G. (2018). On the relation between social dominance orientation and environmentalism: A 25-nation study. Social Psychological and Personality Science 9(7): 802-814.
• Guan, Y., Dai, X., Gong, Q., Deng, Y., Hou, Y., Dong, Z., Wang, L., Huang, Z. & Lai, X. (2017). Understanding the trait basis of career adaptability: A two-wave mediation analysis among Chinese university students. Journal of Vocational Behavior 101: 32-42.
• Chen, S.X., Ng, J.K., Buchtel, E., Guan, Y., Deng, H. & Bond, M.H. (2017). The Added Value of World views over Self-Views: Predicting Modest Behaviour in Eastern and Western Cultures. British Journal of Social Psychology 56(4): 723-749.
• Guan, Y., Zhuang, M., Cai, Z., Ding, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, Z. & Lai, X. (2017). Modeling dynamics in career construction: Reciprocal relationship between future work self and career exploration. Journal of Vocational Behavior 101: 21-31.
• Hornsey, M.J., Schumann, K., Bain, P.G., Blumen, S., Chen, S.X., Gómez, Á., González, R., Guan, Y., Kashima, E., Lebedeva, N. & Wohl, M.J.A. (2017). Conservatives are more reluctant to give and receive apologies than liberals. Social Psychological and Personality Science 8(7): 827-835.
• Guan, Y., Jiang, P., Wang, Z., Mo, Z. & Zhu, F. (2017). Self-referent and Other-referent Career Successes, Career Satisfaction and Turnover Intention among Chinese Employees: The Role of Achievement Motivation. Journal of Career Development 44(5): 379-393.
• Zhang, R., Noels, K.A., Guan, Y. & Weng, L. (2017). Making sense of positive self-evaluations in China: The role of sociocultural change. European Journal of Social Psychology 47(1): 36-52.
• Takemura, K., Hamamura, T., Guan, Y. & Suzuki, S. (2016). Contextual effect of wealth on independence: an examination through regional differences in China. Frontiers in Psychology 7: 384.
• Zhou, W., Guan, Y., Xin, L., Mak, M.C.K. & Deng, Y. (2016). Career success criteria and locus of control as indicators of adaptive readiness in the career adaptation model. Journal of Vocational Behavior 94: 124-130.
• Chen, S.X., Lam, B., Hui, B., Ng, J., Mak, W., Guan, Y., Buchtel, E., Tang, W. & Lau, V. (2016). Conceptualizing psychological processes in response to globalization: Components, antecedents, and consequences of global orientations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 110(2): 302-331.
• Guan, Y., Yang, W., Zhou, X., Tian, Z. & Eves, A. (2016). Predicting Chinese human resource managers' strategic competence: Roles of identity, career variety, organizational support and career adaptability. Journal of Vocational Behavior 92: 116-124.
• Zhang, X., Xing, C., Guan, Y., Song, X., Melloy, R., Wang, F. & Jin, X. (2016). Attitudes toward older adults: A matter of cultural values or personal values? Psychology and Aging 31(1): 89-100.
• Chen, S.X., Lam, B., Wu, W., Ng, J., Buchtel, E., Guan, Y. & Deng, H. (2016). Do people’s world views matter? The why and how. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 110(5): 743-765.
• Bain, Paul G., Milfont, Taciano L., Kashima, Yoshihisa, Bilewicz, Michał, Doron, Guy, Garðarsdóttir, Ragna B., Gouveia, Valdiney V., Guan, Yanjun, Johansson, Lars-Olof, Pasquali, Carlota, Corral-Verdugo, Victor, Aragones, Juan Ignacio, Utsugi, Akira, Demarque, Christophe, Otto, Siegmar, Park, Joonha, Soland, Martin, Steg, Linda, González, Roberto, Lebedeva, Nadezhda, Madsen, Ole Jacob, Wagner, Claire, Akotia, Charity S., Kurz, Tim, Saiz, José L., Schultz, P. Wesley, Einarsdóttir, Gró & Saviolidis, Nina M. (2016). Co-benefits of addressing climate change can motivate action around the world. Nature Climate Change 6(2): 154-157.
• Deng, H., Wu, C.H., Leung, K. & Guan, Y. (2016). Depletion from Self-Regulation: A Resource-based Account of the Effect of Value Incongruence. Personnel Psychology 69(2): 431-465.
• Yang, W., Guan, Y., She, Z., Lai, X. & Lockwood, A. (2015). Career adaptability and perceived overqualification: Testing a dual-path model among Chinese human resource management professionals. Journal of Vocational Behavior 90: 154-162.
• Buchtel, E., Guan, Y., Peng, Q., Su, Y., Sang, B., Chen, S.X. & Bond, M.H. (2015). Immorality East and West: Are immoral behaviors especially harmful, or especially uncultured? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 41(10): 1382-1394.
• Guan, Y., Chen, S.X., Levin, N., Bond, M., Luo, N., Xu, J., Zhou, X., Chen, P., Li, C., Fu, R., Zhang, J., Ji, Y., Mo, Z., Li, Y., Fang, Z., Jiang, D. & Han, X. (2015). Differences in career decision-making profiles between American and Chinese university students: The relative strength of mediating mechanisms across cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 46(6): 856-872.
• Li, Y., Guan, Y., Wang, F., Zhou, X., Guo, K., Jiang, P., Mo, Z., Li, Y. & Fang, Z. (2015). Big-five personality and BIS/BAS traits as predictors of career exploration: The mediation role of career adaptability. Journal of Vocational Behavior 89: 39-45.
• Guan, Y., Zhou, W., Ye, L., Jiang, P. & Zhou, Y. (2015). Perceived organizational career management and career adaptability as predictors of success and turnover intention among Chinese employees. Journal of Vocational Behavior 88 : 230-237.
• Willner, T., Gati, I. & Guan, Y. (2015). Career decision-making profiles and career decision-making difficulties: A cross-cultural comparison among US, Israeli, and Chinese samples. Journal of Vocational Behavior 88: 143-153.
• Cai, Z., Guan, Y., Li, H., Shi, W., Guo, K., Liu, Y., Li, Q., Han, X., Jiang, P., Fang, Z. & Hua, H. (2015). Self-esteem and proactive personality as predictors of future work self and career adaptability: An examination of mediating and moderating processes. Journal of Vocational Behavior 86: 86-94.
• Liu, L., Bond, M.H., Guan, Y., Cai, Z., Sun, J., Yu, Q., Fu, R. & Wang, Z. (2015). Parents’ music training motivation and children’s music learning achievement: An investigation in the Chinese context. Psychology of Music 43(5): 661-674.
• Guan, Y., Wang, F., Liu, H., Ji, Y., Jia, X., Fang, Z., Li, Y., Hua, H. & Li, C. (2015). Career-specific parental behaviors, career exploration and career adaptability: A three-wave investigation among Chinese undergraduates. Journal of Vocational Behavior 86: 95-103.
• Guo, Y., Guan, Y., Yang, X., Xu, J., Zhou, X., She, Z., Jiang, P., Wang, Y., Pan, J., Deng, Y., Pan, Z. & Fu, M. (2014). Career adaptability, calling and the professional competence of social work students in China: A career construction perspective. Journal of Vocational Behavior 85(3): 394-402.
• Guan, Y., Guo, Y., Bond, M.H., Cai, Z., Zhou, X., Xu, J., Zhu, F., Wang, Z., Fu, R., Liu, S., Wang, Y., Hu, T. & Ye, L. (2014). New job market entrants’ future work self, career adaptability and job search outcomes: Examining mediating and moderating models. Journal of Vocational Behavior 85(1): 136-145.
• Guan, Y., Wen, Y., Chen, S.X., Liu, H., Si, W., Liu, Y., Wang, Y., Fu, R., Zhang, Y. & Dong, Z. (2014). When do salary and job level predict career satisfaction and turnover intention among Chinese managers? The role of perceived organizational career management and career anchor. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 23(4): 596-607.
• Tian, L., Guan, Y., Chen, S.X., Levin, N., Cai, Z., Chen, P., Zhu, C., Fu, R., Wang, Y. & Zhang, S. (2014). Predictive validity of career decision-making profiles over time among Chinese college students. Journal of Career Development 41(4): 282-300.
• Roets, A., Soetens, B., Au, E. & Guan, Y. (2014). Personal choice: a blessing or a burden, or both? A cross-cultural investigation on need for closure effects in two western and two East-Asian societies. International Journal of Psychology 49(3): 216-221.
• Guan, Y., Deng, H., Sun, J., Wang, Y., Cai, Z., Ye, L., Fu, R., Wang, Y., Zhang, S. & Li, Y. (2013). Career adaptability, job search self-efficacy and outcomes: A three-wave investigation among Chinese University Graduates. Journal of Vocational Behavior 83(3): 561-570.
• Zhou, W.X., Sun, J., Guan Y., Li, Y., & Pan, J. (2013). Criteria of career success among Chinese employees: Developing a multi-dimensional scale with qualitative and quantitative approaches. Journal of Career Assessment 21: 265-277.
• Ho, M.Y., Chen, S.X., Hoffman, E., Guan, Y. & Iversen, V. (2013). Cross-cultural comparisons of adults’ childhood recollections: How are peak-experiences described in China and Portugal? Journal of Happiness Studies 14: 185-197.
• Guan, Y., Wang, Z., Zhou, W., Liu, Y., Yue, Y., Zhang, Y., Liu, H. & Liu, H. (2013). Career locus of control and career success among Chinese employees: A multi-dimensional approach. Journal of Career Assessment 21: 295-310.
• Zhang, H., Chan, D.K.S. & Guan, Y. (2013). Plans are more helpful when one perseveres: The moderating role of persistence in the relationship between implementation intentions and goal progress. Basic and Applied Social Psychology 35: 231-240.
• Bain, P., Vaes, J., Haslam, N., Kashima, Y. & Guan, Y. (2012). Folk psychologies of humanness: Beliefs about distinctive and core human characteristics in three countries. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology 43: 53-58.
• Mottus, R. et al. & Guan, Y. et al. (2012). The effect of response style on self-reported conscientiousness across 20 countries. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 38: 1423-1436.
• Roets, A., Schwartz, B. & Guan, Y. (2012). The tyranny of choice: a cross-cultural investigation of maximizing-satisficing effects on well-being. Judgment and Decision Making 7: 689-704.
• Mottus, R. et al. & Guan, Y. et al. (2012). Comparability of self-reported conscientiousness across 21countries. European. Journal of Personality 26: 303-317.
• Chen, S.X., Guan, Y. & Hui, C.M. (2012). Responding to news about a natural disaster: The interplay of group identification and social cynicism in perceived prototypicality. International Journal of Inter-cultural Relations 36 : 586-597.
• Guan, Y., Deng, H., Risavy, S.D., Bond, M.H. & Li, F. (2011). Supplementary fit, complementary fit and work-related attitudes: The role of self-construal. Applied Psychology: An International Review 60: 286-310.
• Deng, H., Guan, Y., Bond, M.H., Zhang, Z. & Hu, T. (2011). The interplay between social cynicism beliefs and person-organization fit on work-related attitudes among Chinese employees. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 41: 160-178.
• Guan, Y., Verkuyten, M., Fung, H., Bond, M.H., Chan, C.C. & Chen, S.X. (2011). Outgroup value incongruence and intergroup attitude: The roles of common identity and multiculturalism. International Journal of Inter-cultural Relations 35: 377-385.
• Guan, Y., Deng, H. & Bond, M.H. (2010). Examining the stereotype content model in a Chinese context: Intergroup structural relations and Mainland Chinese stereotypes towards Hong Kong Chinese. International Journal of Inter-cultural Relations 34(4): 393-399.
• Guan, Y., Deng, H., Bond, M.H., Chen, S.X. & Chan, C.C. (2010). Person-job fit and work-related attitudes among Chinese employees: Need for cognitive closure as moderator. Basic and Applied Social Psychology 32: 251-260.
• Guan, Y., Bond, M. H., Zhang, Z., Huang, Z., Hu, T. & Gao, H. (2009). The role of personal endorsement of out-group members' distinctive values and need for cognitive closure in attitude towards the out-group. Asian Journal of Social Psychology 12: 54-62.
• Ji, L., Zhang, Z., Usborne, E. & Guan, Y. (2004). Optimism across cultures: In response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak. Asian Journal of Social Psychology 7: 25-34.