Expatriate culture shock in China: a study in the Beijing hotel industry

Explores the occurrence of culture shock in the population of expatriate managers working in the joint venture hotels in Beijing, China. In particular, seeks to gauge the importance of a variety of factors that might influence the level of culture shock. Proposes a model which envisages culture shock as determined by situational factors and by the level of inter‐cultural sensitivity of an expatriate. In turn, the level of inter‐cultural sensitivity is seen as a function of biographical factors and cross cultural training. The findings demonstrate a strong inverse relationship between inter‐cultural sensitivity and culture shock. Training before and/or after arrival in China is received by only a small minority of expatriates but is associated with a higher level of inter‐cultural sensitivity. Among situational factors, a managerial emphasis on motivating employees is associated with lower culture shock. A surprising finding is the tendency for Asian expatriates to experience greater culture shock for a given level of inter‐cultural sensitivity. Outlines implications for personnel policy in selecting expatriate managers.