Your next boss is Chinese: clashes of two cultures in working life

Research summary

The objective of the study is to describe the complex and implicit process in which organizational culture are produced in the everyday working life. Drawing on the work of Schein (1992), I described organizational culture perceived by employees and analyze in three levels: artifacts (language, clothes) espoused values (prioritizing your work) and basic assumption (What’s the most important). From my ethnographic study at two large Chinese multinational companies located in Northwestern Europe, I found that Chinese and non-Chinese employees do not really communicate between each other, there are a lot of misunderstanding, tension, conflict on both side. My intention is to build dialog between Chinese and Western 1) experiences 2) theoretical models of organizational culture.

Description

Content analysis of interview indicates that the main issue raised by the local employees working in Chinese companies are: Organizational structure, communication, motivation, empowerment, language, trust and equality.

The main reason of employee turnover are:
1) Lack of authority to take the decision.
2) Hierarchy organization structure.
3) Troubled communication.

Sentiment analysis (opining mining) of interview shows that the attitude of local employees toward Chinese company are:
1) Ambivalent (dilemma): A mixture feeling of love and hate. Love: still hope the company could improve. Hate: the situation at the moment.
2) stereotype of “Chinese quality” are deeply rooted in the westerns.
3) Local employees perceive themselves in a much higher level than Chinese: Chinese should learn and adapted to the European market.

Research info

Research title
Your next boss is Chinese: clashes of two cultures in working life

Research timeline
1.4.2011 - 1.4.2016

Keywords
Chinese multinational leadership organizational culture

Region
Asia

Countries
China, Finland

Institution
University of Eastern Finland
Psychology
Joensuu, Finland

Funding instrument
Other

Project budget
0 - 200,000 euros

Head of research
Shuo Wang

Research team
Professor Hannu Räty, Dr Matti Kuittinen

Contact information
shuo wang
358401758879
shuowangpsy@gmail.com

Record last updated
15.5.2015