Intercultural communication within a Chinese subsidiary of a Western MNC: Expatriate perspectives on language and communication issues

This study investigates Polish expatriates’ stories of encounters with local personnel in a Chinese subsidiary of a Western multinational company. A narrative analysis of the stories produced important insights into Polish-Chinese communication in an intra-subsidiary context. Low proficiency in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Multilingua 2018-11, Vol.37 (6), p.587-611
Main Authors: Wilczewski, Michał, Søderberg, Anne-Marie, Gut, Arkadiusz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Barriers
Business Communication
Case studies
Chinese
Chinese languages
Collaboration
Communication
Communication Problems
Competence
Comprehension
Corporations
Decision making
Employees
expatriate
Expatriates
Foreign Nationals
Frustration
Immigrants
intercultural collaboration
Intercultural Communication
International Trade
Interpersonal Communication
Language acquisition
Language attitudes
Language Proficiency
multinational company (MNC)
narrative
Negative Attitudes
Occupational stress
Participative Decision Making
Polish
Polish language
Social Isolation
Socialization
Sociolinguistics
Stress Variables
Teams
Teamwork
Work Environment
Workplaces
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Summary:This study investigates Polish expatriates’ stories of encounters with local personnel in a Chinese subsidiary of a Western multinational company. A narrative analysis of the stories produced important insights into Polish-Chinese communication in an intra-subsidiary context. Low proficiency in the host language was a serious obstacle to expatriate socialization and a source of expatriates’ exclusion and social isolation in the workplace, which often led to stress, frustration, and negative attitudes toward collaboration with local personnel. Language-related issues prevented the expatriates from acquiring information from Chinese superiors, learning about problems within a team, and participating in decision-making. The findings of this case study relate to communication challenges in the Chinese subsidiary, expatriates’ accounts of how they overcame communication difficulties, and their reflections on what fostered and hampered intercultural communication.
ISSN:0167-8507
1613-3684
DOI:10.1515/multi-2017-0095