Tài liệu Chiến lược thích nghi văn hóa trong môi trường làm việc của giáo viên tiếng anh ngoại quốc tại hà nội việt nam một nghiên cứu định tính

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER ADJUSTMENT STRATEGIES IN WORKING ENVIRONMENT OF SELF-INITIATED EXPATRIATE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN HANOI: A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Hạnh, PhD. Student: Nguyễn Xuân Hạnh Course: QH2010.F1.E2 HÀ NỘI - 2014 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP CHIẾN LƯỢC THÍCH NGHI VĂN HÓA TRONG MÔI TRƯỜNG LÀM VIỆC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH NGOẠI QUỐC TẠI HÀ NỘI, VIỆT NAM: MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU ĐỊNH TÍNH Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Hoàng Thị Hạnh, PhD. Sinh viên: Nguyễn Xuân Hạnh Khóa: QH2010.F1.E2 HÀ NỘI – 2014 ACCEPTANCE PAGE I hereby state that I: Nguyễn Xuân Hạnh, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor‟s Graduation Paper deposited in the library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper. Signature Date i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the contributions of many people. I would like to express my gratitude for:  My supervisor, Dr. Hoang Thi Hanh. I have been and will always be thankful for her unfailing support, professionally and personally. Dr. Hanh has been there constantly from the beginning to provide me with knowledge, advice, and comments with strict academic integrity and respect to my autonomy. She is the person I feel indebted to the most, for her loving, positive, and responsible outlook on life has been my constant inspiration to carry on with this thesis, even in the face of illness and desperation. But for her supervision, I would not have been able to successfully complete this study. I learned so much from her, and owed so much to her.  The expatriate teachers who have devoted their precious time to take part in this study.  The two anonymous expatriate teachers of English that inspired this study.  My lecturers at University of Languages and International Studies, who have taught and inspired me in the last four years. Especially, I would like to thank Ms. Dinh Hai Yen, my lecturer, for being the wonderful teacher who always showed great patience and perseverance that I strive to resemble.  My friends at class QH.2010.E2, my friend Nguyen Lan Phuong and Tran Ngoc Viet Hoai, for the emotional support and constructive comments. Phuong and Hoai inspired me the most with their care and encouragements.  Michael “Aki” Atkinson, whose independence and integrity has inspired me every step of the way.  My family, including my Mother and Father, whose love I cannot even describe, who have always encouraged and inspired me to move forward and be the person I can be. ii ABSTRACT NFL Project 2020 addressed Vietnam‟s compelling need for improving communication in English that, as a consequence, has transformed the country as a destination for “self-initiated expatriate (SIE)” English teachers. They are the people who choose to set out to work in a foreign country without the assignment or the help of a home company. Analyzing the content of transcripts and field notes from six semi-structured individual interviews with six selfinitiated expatriate teachers of English who have spent from about 9 months to 7 years in Hanoi about their process of adjusting to culture in the Vietnamese workplace, this study provides researchers, HRM practitioners, and policy makers an insight into the self-initiated expatriate work life in this South-East Asian country. Participants exhibited a passive approach to cultural adjustment, a lack of preparation, tendency to display ethnocentrism, and reported a critical need for better training, job descriptions and organizational support. The findings suggest that further research and certain HRM practices should be conducted to encourage integration between Vietnamese teachers and managers and this diverse group of foreign teachers, not only to foster a work environment that embraces support and diversity, but also to ensure the quality of the English training programs they are directly involved with as teachers. Key words: Self-initiated expatriate; expatriate adjustment; intercultural communication; Vietnam; NFL Project 2020; Human resource management. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACCEPTANCE PAGE.............................................................................................. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................ii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii LISTS OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................vii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale for the study..................................... 1 1.2 Research questions.......................................................................................... 2 1.3 Significance of the study ................................................................................ 4 1.4 Scope of the study ........................................................................................... 4 1.5 Organization ................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2: Literature Review ....................................................................................... 6 2.1 Expatriate Adjustment at individual level ...................................................... 6 2.2 Black et al (1991)‟s model of expatriate adjustment ...................................... 6 2.2.1 Degrees of adjustment ................................................................................. 6 2.2.2 Modes of adjustment .................................................................................... 7 2.2.3 Facets of adjustment .................................................................................... 9 2.2.4 Adtecedents of expatriate adjustment at work ........................................... 10 2.3 Self-initiated expatriates ............................................................................... 13 2.3.1 Definition and overview ............................................................................ 13 2.3.2 Self-initiated expatriates versus international assignees ........................... 14 2.4 An overview of studies concerning self-initiated expatriates adjustment .... 16 iv Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................ 18 3.1 Selection of participants ............................................................................... 19 3.1.1 Method of sampling ................................................................................... 19 3.1.2 Descriptions of the participants ................................................................. 20 3.2 Data Collection Instrument ........................................................................... 22 3.3 Procedures of Data Collection ...................................................................... 22 3.4 Procedures of Data Analysis ........................................................................ 23 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ..................................................... 25 4.1 The self-initiated expatriate teachers of English‟s perception of the importance of cultural adjustment at work ................................................................. 25 4.1.1 Lack of pre-arrival preparation .................................................................. 25 4.1.2 Lack of initiative to adjust to the culture ................................................... 27 4.1.3 Existence of negative attitude towards adjustment .................................... 30 4.2 The problems faced by self-initiated expatriate teachers of English at work and their adjustment strategies ................................................................................... 32 4.2.1 Problems regarding individual skills ......................................................... 37 4.2.2 Problems concerning job factors ............................................................... 38 4.2.3 Problems concerning organizational factors .............................................. 50 4.3 Summary ....................................................................................................... 55 4.4 Implications and applications ....................................................................... 55 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 57 5.1 Summary of findings .................................................................................... 57 5.2 Limitations and suggestion for future studies............................................... 59 5.2.1 Methodological limitations ........................................................................ 59 v 5.2.2 The researcher‟s own limitations ............................................................... 59 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 61 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................ 71 APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................ 72 vi LISTS OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Berry (1997)‟s model of acculturation strategies......................................8 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Modes of work adjustment ........................................................................ 9 Table 2.2 Overview of differences between self-initiated expatriates and international assignees ............................................................................................. 15 Table 2.3 Overview of differences between self-initiated expatriates and international employees organisational culture ....................................................... 16 Table 1.1. Descriptions of the participants...............................................................21 Table 4.1 Modes of work adjustment adopted by participants ................................ 33 Table 4.2 List of job related and organization-related problems............................. 34 Table 4.3 Frequency of negative emotions recorded from interviews .................... 35 Table 4.4 Frequency of positive reactions recorded from interviews ..................... 36 Table 4.5 Type of support received by participants ................................................ 41 Table 4.6 The paticipants‟ values vs. what they perceived to be their employers‟ values ....................................................................................................................... 44 viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM AND RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY Nowadays, the role of English in Vietnam is becoming more and more important. In order to integrate with a global market economy after Doi Moi economic reform in 1986, the Vietnamese government adopted the socialist-oriented market economy, which allows the establishment of private businesses and foreign investment, including foreign owned enterprises. Since then, fluency in English has intriguingly become a compulsory requirement in almost every job description. Along with the promotion of the free market economy came the development in tourism, leading to Vietnam‟s transformation into an appealing tourist attraction. According to the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, in 2013, Ha Noi is on the eighth place of TripAdvisor‟s list of the top travel destinations on the rise, after only two other Asian cities, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Sapporo (Japan). The need to communicate in English has become tremendous, resulting in the multitudinousness of English learners. Replacing Russian, English is now the main foreign language studied in Vietnamese schools and tertiary institutions. The need for native speakers of English who can teach the language, therefore, has become compelling. In January 2013, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) signed an agreement with Australia‟s English Language Company (ELC), under which thousands of native English speakers will come to teach their language in Vietnam in the coming years. Those teachers, coming from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa, will teach English in K-12 schools, junior colleges, and universities, as a part of Project 2020, a national English improvement project. Within this year, up to 350 teachers will be sent to Vietnam on this project. Predictably, these teachers will be coming to the big cities, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. A study on their adjustment will be of value to the field of human resource management and intercultural studies, especially when so far, very little has been done in the field of expatriate management in Vietnam in general and on English language expatriate teachers in particular. However, unlike the Vietnamese teachers of English, who are accustomed to the culture of their own nation, the success of those expatriate teachers of English has been often not just dependent on their qualifications but also their expatriate adjustment. Failing to adjust to the Vietnamese way of working, interacting, and living can lead to underperformance and lots of obstacles in remaining devoted to the profession, and even abandoning it. As cited in by Johnston (1997), in his article “Do EFL teachers have careers?”, Maley (1992) described EFL/ESL teaching as permeable, meaning that it is “an easy occupation to enter and to leave” (Johnston, 1997, p. 686). In case of expatriate teachers, the pressure to cope with and accustom oneself to a foreign culture makes it even more challenging for this occupation to be followed. The demand for expatriate teachers to stay in Vietnam as long as possible, therefore, puts a big emphasis on assisting these teachers in the process of acculturation – “the process by which group members from one cultural background adapt to the culture of a different group (Rieger & Wong-Rieger, 1991, as cited in Poole, p. 176). 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS This study focuses on an under-research group of expatriates, the self-initiated expatriates. To date, research on international management has provided a body of literature focused on the perception, selection, training, in both home and host countries, of international assignees, the people who are sent abroad on job assignment. However, there exists a group called self-initiated expatriates, for the simple reason that they choose to become expatriates in a foreign country on their own initiative. Self-initiated expatriation does not only happen in neighboring countries, but between different continents. For example, the willingness of Europeans to migrate within and beyond the continent for employment has become an identifiable trend (Strack et al., 2007). They have recently been recognized as an important element of the global workforce (Tung, 1988), but studies about them are severely lacking (Bozionelos, 2009; Al-waqfi, 2012) In the particular context of Vietnam and the particular profession of teaching, there is a need for empirical research on self-initiated expatriate teachers‟ cultural adjustment, as little has been done on the subject. This inspired the researcher to do this study to investigate the way expatriate teachers view and adapt to Vietnamese culture. It will be superficial to explore the way the expatriates deal with coping with and learning about Vietnamese culture without knowing the way they perceive the process of acculturation. The more important they view adjustment, the more effort and willingness they put into adjusting themselves. In other words, the perception of an expatriate about the adjustment can intensely affect the success of his adjustments. Tung (1998) highlighted the importance of the expatriates‟ perception when she addressed the fact that “little is known about whether expatriates perceive international assignments as having a positive or negative effect on their subsequent career advancement” as a deficiency and advocated focusing on expatriates‟ attitudes towards career development opportunities and cultural experience abroad. The study will focus on the adjustment strategies that self-initiated expatriate teachers of English in Hanoi use to handle cultural challenges in the workplace. The main research questions are: 1. How do self-initiated expatriate teachers of English language in Hanoi perceive about the importance of expatriate adjustment to their occupation? 2. What are the main problems that self-initiated expatriate teachers of English language encounter in the work place in Hanoi? 3. What are the adjustment strategies used by them in the face of these problems? 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The objectives of this empirical study are to: (1) Explore incoming expatriate English teachers‟ adjustment to teaching and living etiquettes in Hanoi, Vietnam. (2) Help institutions and educational organizations, such as universities, schools, English training centers, develop more detailed job descriptions and training guidelines. (3) Help bridge the gap in self-initiated expatriate research in the context ò Vietnam. This study was done with hope to tighten the relationship between the Western expatriates and Vietnamese nationals and provide a background for further studies on expatriate adjustments and acculturation in Vietnam, especially there is a lacking of value studies in this field of research. Later studies can draw from the findings of this study to later build up a database serving the purpose of studying intercultural communication and human resource management. 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY This investigation was conducted to determine the importance of cultural adjustment as perceived by the group of self-initiated expatriate teachers living and teaching in Hanoi, Vietnam, as well as the strategies they used to solve conflicts and challenges at the workplace. The study looked into various aspects of their work life, such as intercultural interaction with host nationals, support and assistance, organizational culture, and problems of expectation and beliefs. 1.5 ORGANIZATION This study includes five chapters. Chapter 1, Introduction, introduces the research problems and questions, significance and scope of the study. Chapter 2 reviews the available literature about expatriation and self-initiated expatriation and provides a conceptual framework, and explains terminology used in the study. Chapter 3 outlines the methodology, research instruments and procedures. Chapter 4 is divided into 4 sections, the first 3 of which answer the research questions, while the last draws out the implications of the study. Chapter 5, Conclusion, sums up the findings and reviews the study‟s limitations, and makes suggestions for further studies. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 EXPATRIATE ADJUSTMENT AT INDIVIDUAL LEVEL Expatriate adjustment is an important focus of expatriate research and acculturation research. It is commonly perceived as the process in which an individual induces necessary changes to achieve a fit and reduced conflict between his/her own inclinations and the demands of an unfamiliar cultural environment (Black et al., 1991). This fit is important because it is a predictor of an expatriate„s job performance (Parker & McEvoy, 1993) and turnover (Black & Stephens, 1989). 2.2 BLACK ET AL (1991)’S MODEL OF EXPATRIATE ADJUSTMENT Different models have been developed to understand the process of expatriate adjustment (Gudykunst & Hammer, 1987; Aycan, 1997; Black et al., 1991), among which, the most prominent is probably Black and colleagues (1991)‟s framework in which expatriate adjustment is treated at three levels: Degrees, facets, and modes. 2.2.1 DEGREES OF ADJUSTMENT Black et al (1991) addressed the fact that degree of adjustment can be viewed as “both a subjective and objective concept”. Subjectively, it is the degree of comfort the expatriate feels in the new role and how adjusted he or she is to the role requirements. Objectively, it can be used to measure the degree to which the person has mastered the role requirements through measurement his or her performance. This study views adjustment as a subjective issue. Dawis & Lofquist (1984) pointed out that the degree of adjustment is determined by satisfaction (the gap between the extent to which the work environment meets the needs of the individual) and satisfactoriness (the gap between the extent to which the individual's abilities meet the demands of the work role). From the work of Lysgaand (1955); Oberg (1960); and Torbiorn (1982), the U-curve of the cross-cultural adjustment model was developed. The model has four phases. The first is the “honeymoon phase”, when the expatriates just arrived at the new culture and is fascinated by it (Gullahorn & Gullahorn, 1963). In stage two, culture shock, the Ucurve goes through a dip when the expatriate is confronted with a new environment (Adler, 1986; Church, 1982). Over time as adjustments are made and they become more adjusted to the new culture, learn the appropriate behaviors, they undergo the third phase (Harris & Moran, 1989), when the dip subsides and the curve starts to rise. In the fourth stage, the individual's adjustment is generally complete. They now can properly perform the necessary behaviors to function effectively and without anxiety due to cultural differences. (Oberg, 1960) A correlation between degree of adjustment with the time the expatriate spends in the host country is found. (Lu, 1990; Nash, 1991) 2.2.2 MODES OF ADJUSTMENT The concept of mode stem from the work of Berry (1980, 2001) on theory of acculturation, especially acculturation attitudes. According to him, there are two dimensions of acculturation: (1) Cultural maintenance, and (2) contact and participation with the national/host group, which has become known as acculturation attitudes (Berry, 1980). The former deals with the question “To what extent do people wish to maintain (or give up) their cultural attributes?”, the latter “To what extent do people wish to have contact with (or avoid) others outside their group?”. Based on these two dimentions, four acculturation strategies are distinguished by Black and colleagues.  Assimilation (individuals do not wish to preserve their cultural norms and seek daily interaction with members of the other group);  Separation (individuals wish to preserve their cultural norms and wish to avoid interaction with members of the other group);  Integration (individuals wish to maintain original culture and interact daily with other group);  Marginalization (individuals show little interest in neither cultural maintenance nor interaction with members of the other group). Figure 2.1. Berry (1997)‟s model of acculturation strategies The modes of expatriate work adjustment were developed from the studies of Nicholson (1984) and Black (1991). Nicholson (1984) identifies the four modes of expatriate work adjustment based on two dimensions: (1) The alteration of one‟s own behaviors and attitudes and (2) the alteration of the working environment (such as role requirements and expectations). Many other scholars (Dawis and Lofquist, 1984; Feldman and Brett, 1983; Van Maanen and Schein, 1979) also advocate the same argument. The modes of expatriate adjustment, are:  Replication: individuals make few alterations in their identity or behaviors to fit the role and make a few alterations in the work role.  Absorption: individuals change their behaviors and attitudes to fit the role and make no or very few changes in the role.  Exploration: individuals change both their behaviors and attitudes and the role.  Determination: individuals remain relatively unaffected but the role is altered. Table 2.1 summarizes the four modes of work adjustment. Table 2.1. Modes of work adjustment Mode of work adjustment Changing the self Changing the role Replication No No Absorption Yes No Determination No Yes Exploration Yes Yes 2.2.3 FACETS OF ADJUSTMENT Three facets of adjustment are identified in Black et al (1991)‟s work: adjustment to work, adjusting to intercultural interaction with host country nationals, and adjustment to the general environment. Work adjustment concerns job responsibilities, supervision, and performance expectation. It reflects the degree of psychological comfort at work. Intercultural interaction adjustment refers to the degree of psychological comfort regarding different communication with host nationals and the interpersonal styles used in the host culture. General adjustment refers to the degree of psychological comfort with regard to various aspects of the host culture conditions. The distinction of different facets is important because each of the facets is related to different sets of variables, some of which overlap whilst others are unique. In the context of this study, only adjustment at work is examined; however, the examination of work adjustment will also sometimes involve looking into the other facets, for they and interconnected. 2.2.4 ADTECEDENTS OF EXPATRIATE ADJUSTMENT AT WORK Reviewing the theoretical literature on domestic adjustment and delineating the important variables influencing international adjustment found in previous studies, Black et al. (1991)‟s model viewed adjustment as an outcome contingent upon two antecedents: pre-departure factors, and post-arrival factors. Pre-departure factors, or anticipatory factors, including previous overseas experience, cross-cultural training, and selection processes, are considered to be the determinants of „anticipatory adjustment‟, the degree to which a prospective expatriate is adjusted prior to arriving on their assignment. Post-arrival factors, or in-country factors include the expatriate‟s individual skills, job factors (e.g., role conflict), organization culture factors, organization socialization factors, and non-work factors. 2.2.4.1 Pre-departure factors Black et al (1991) stressed the importance of pre-departure factors, because if there are appropriate anticipatory adjustments, the process of post-arrival adjustment will be quicker and more effective. Many other scholars (Tung, 1988; Church, 1982; Mendenhall, Dunbar, & Oddou, 1987; Nicholson & Imaizumi, 1993) agreed on the positive influence of the pre-departure factors - previous oversea experience, cross-