Expatriate Adjustment among Chinese Expatriates from Chinese Multinational Corporations: Context and Culture

Moon Zhuo

Expatriate adjustment (EA), commonly defined as the psychological comfort and functional adaptation of individuals during international assignments (IAs), remains a critical yet inconsistently conceptualized construct in global mobility research. Existing models focus on how Western expatriates adjust to non-Western environments. This raises questions about their applicability to Chinese expatriates from Chinese multinational corporations (CMNCs), whose global expansion creates unique cultural and organizational challenges. This thesis addressed these gaps by investigating how Chinese expatriates from CMNCs perceived and experienced EA, and how this shaped the predictors and consequences of adjustment in culturally embedded and organizationally specific ways. Adopting a two-phase research design, the study first conducts a structured literature review of 129 empirical studies (2005-2018), highlighting persistent conceptual ambiguities, narrow operationalizations, and a lack of cultural diversity in existing models. The second phase employed Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) of semi-structured interviews with 14 Chinese expatriates from CMNCs. The findings revealed that EA was a dynamic and evolving process, seen not only as personal adaptation but also as a professional obligation grounded in relational duty, hierarchy, and endurance. Participants emphasized personal initiative, language proficiency, and Chinese peer networks as key facilitators, while formal training was inconsistently mentioned. Interactional adjustment, especially with host-country nationals, merged as the most difficult yet consequential domain. By integrating insights from both studies, the thesis proposed a revised conceptual model of EA that frames adjustment as a dynamic, reciprocal process shaped by cultural values, individual agency, and organizational conditions. The model offers a context-sensitive alternative to dominant Western-centric paradigms, emphasizing the role of cultural framing and relational obligations in shaping adjustment. This research advanced expatriation theory by deepening the conceptual understanding of EA in non-Western contexts and offered practical value by identifying culturally specific challenges and overlooked support needs. For CMNCs, the findings underscore the importance of moving beyond logistical support to implement targeted training, role clarity, and structured engagement with HCNs, ultimately fostering more effective cross-cultural integration and sustainable global talent development.

Expatriate Adjustment among Chinese Expatriates from Chinese Multinational Corporations: Context and Culture

Files and links (1)

Abstract

Details

Metrics