Since the start of the recent economic boom in Mainland China (ML), the Chinese
construction industry has undergone continuous expansion. As a result, many
construction companies in Hong Kong (HK) have expanded their business into
ML. The strategic changes in the direction of company business that this has
made necessary have led to an increasing number of HK expatriate construction
professionals working in ML (HKE-CPs-M). Taking up an expatriate
assignment in ML involves not only job relocation, but also potentially having to
face a language barrier, experiencing difficulties in cooperating with local
colleagues who might have different personal and work traits, and facing barriers
arising from different construction standards and systems, poor public security,
poor-quality medical services, and so on. All these issues may escalate their
stress levels. In addition, due to the misconception that there are a lot of cultural
similarities between HK and ML, HKE-CPs-M are often not equipped with
effective coping behaviors nor provided with appropriate organizational
motivations. Clinical studies have shown that stress has a significant impact on
an individual's performance. Thus, the purpose of this research study is to
understand how the performance of HKE-CPs-M can be improved through stress
management. To achieve this aim, three sequential studies were conducted in
accordance with the triangulation method.
The first step of the research was conducted by means of a focus group study with
the aim of refining the conceptual Expatriate Stress Management model
developed based on an extensive literature review. Six focus groups were
organized in which group interviews were conducted with 44 HK-CPs who were
working in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Macau, or HK, or who had returned to
HK from the ML. Participants shared their experience about and points of view
on the stressors, stresses, stress consequences (i.e., performances), coping
behaviors, individual motivations to cope, and organization motivations in the ML
context. The contextual data collected were analyzed and used to refine the
conceptual research model. The refined model acted as the basis for the
questionnaire survey design in the next stage of the study.
The second stage was conducted by means of a large-scale questionnaire survey
targeting HKE-CPs-M. Out of 500 set questionnaires distributed, a total of 137
were returned, accepted, and included in the study, representing a response rate of
27.4%. The quantitative data were analyzed by statistical techniques including
factor analysis, reliability tests, Pearson correlation analysis, and curvilinear
regression modeling. Based on the results of these statistical findings, structural
equation modeling was adopted to develop a primary Expatriate Stress
Management model for HKE-CPs-M.
The third stage of the current study was conducted by means of case studies with
the aim of cross-validating the above quantitative analysis results. Three case
studies were organized, on which 22 HKE-CPs-M who were involved in three
representative construction projects in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou were
interviewed personally. Based on the contextual data collected on the stress
management processes experienced by the interviewees in the ML context, a
qualitative Expatriate Stress Management for HKE-CPs-M was developed.
The two models resulting from the questionnaire survey and cases studies were
used for cross-validation. The final Expatriate Stress Management model was
developed by corroborating the two models and identifying those hypotheses
supported by both studies. The final model revealed that i) a poor workgroup
relationship induces job stress, emotional stress, and physical stress; ii)
quantitative work overload induces job stress, emotional stress, and physical
stress; iii) a poor transportation system induces physical stress; iv) a pay
differential induces physical stress; v) job stress worsens task performance but
enhances interpersonal performance; vi) emotional stress enhances task
performance; vii) physical stress worsens interpersonal performance; viii)
instrumental support seeking reduces job stress; ix) motivation facilitates
instrumental support seeking; x) financial support mitigates the negative impact of
job stress on task performance, strengthens the positive impact of job stress on
interpersonal performance, and mitigates the positive impact of emotional stress
on task performance; and xi) career support mitigates the negative impact of job stress on task performance and strengthens the positive impact of emotional stress
on task performance.
Based on the results revealed by the model, recommendations were made for
construction organizations and individual HKE-CPs-M respectively, which aim to
manage the stress and optimize the performance of HKE-CPs-M through
managing the stressors, motivating them to adopt effective coping behaviors, and
providing them with appropriate organizational motivations. All in all, the
current research study was completed successfully with all objectives being
achieved.
| Date of Award | 3 Oct 2011 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | - City University of Hong Kong
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| Supervisor | Mei-yung LEUNG (Supervisor) |
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