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Chinese expatriates’ adjustment process in Portugal: on the road to guanxi replication

Li Jingjing (Nova School of Business and Economics, Lisbon, Portugal)
Nuno Guimarães Costa (Department of Human Resources and Organisational Behaviour, ICN Business School, Nancy, France)
Pedro Neves (Nova School of Business & Economics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal)

Management Research

ISSN: 1536-5433

Article publication date: 16 November 2015

345

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the adjustment experience of Chinese expatriate managers in Portugal.

Design/methodology/approach

This exploratory study is based on the qualitative analysis of 12 semi-structured, open-ended interviews to Chinese expatriate managers in Portugal. Expatriates varied in terms of international experience, stage of career and industry. All expatriates had at least one-year working experience in Portugal. The coding process followed a reflexive approach between data and existing theory.

Findings

The process of adjustment of Chinese expatriate managers to the Portuguese context is arranged in five dimensions: perception: expatriates tend to perceive the differences between China and Portugal as not significant; guanxi replication: similarities between the two countries raised the question of whether the guanxi model could be replicated; resistance: although the two countries are perceived as close, there are significant differences, namely, in terms of some cultural aspects, the legal framework and the level of acceptance of the guanxi; adaptation: given these resistances, it is necessary for expatriates to change some practices that are commonly used in the Chinese context; and identity construction: Chinese expatriates are particularly concerned by their identity as foreigners and of the corresponding need to adjust.

Originality/value

This exploratory study revealed that guanxi should not be seen as a purely cultural product grounded in the Confucian tradition but instead should be taken as a business strategy that depends on the existence of specific factors, such as the relevance and quality of interpersonal relationships in a business context.

Keywords

Citation

Jingjing, L., Guimarães Costa, N. and Neves, P. (2015), "Chinese expatriates’ adjustment process in Portugal: on the road to guanxi replication", Management Research, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 247-266. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRJIAM-09-2014-0566

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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