跨国公司外派人员社会网络、配偶支持对其工作绩效的影响研究

【作者】 曹礼平；

【导师】 李元旭；

【作者基本信息】 复旦大学 ， 企业管理， 2009， 博士

【摘要】 随着全球经济一体会程度的加深和跨国公司的日益增多,跨国公司在全球经济中扮演着越来越重要的角色。与此同时,有越来越多的外派人员被派往国外工作。他们在国外通常会遇到很多困难和问题从而导致外派的失败,外派失败的成本又非常高昂,因此加强对外派人员失败原因的研究,提高外派人员外派成功率非常重要。随着我国改革开放的不断推进和对外开放水平的不断提高,随着我国综合国力以及经济实力的不断增强,有越来越多的外国跨国公司在中国设立子公司、研发机构或者地区总部;与此同时,也有越来越多的跨国公司外派人员到中国工作。上海作为中国改革开放的前沿阵地和中国最大的经济中心城市,自然成为跨国公司进入中国的“桥头堡”和首选地区之一。这些在沪跨国公司的外派人员如何尽快调整适应上海的当地环境,如何尽快融入上海的当地生活,成为摆在他们面前的重要问题。这不但与他们的日常工作和生活息息相关,而且也在某种程度上影响到他们个人和跨国公司的绩效。本文基于以上原因,将在沪跨国公司外派人员作为研究对象,运用社会网络理论来实证研究跨国公司外派人员社会网络、配偶支持与工作绩效的关系,构建外派人员社会网络、配偶支持与工作绩效的关系模型,剖析外派人员社会网络、配偶支持与工作绩效三者之间的关系,用以指导跨国公司科学管理外派人员,提高跨国公司外派人员在上海生活和工作的调整适应能力及其工作绩效。在梳理总结前人研究的基础上,本研究首先介绍了国内外有关外派人员研究的最新理论成果。(1)对外派人员作为跨国公司战略的三个视角进行了系统阐述,提出了外派人员作为跨国公司控制机制、调节机制和知识转移机制的思路。(2)对外派人员失败问题进行了视角较为独特的解释,提出了是个人因素和组织因素的共同作用导致了外派失败。(3)对外派人员的特殊问题进行了介绍,分别对自己寻找外派工作的人群,政府、非政府组织、慈善机构以及政府间组织等国际组织的外派人员,女性外派人员和双职工家庭的外派人员等群体进行了介绍,并提出了进一步研究的努力方向。其次,本研究对外派人员的社会网络理论进行了发展。(1)从外派人员社会网络规模、文化多样性、东道国政府工作人员所占比例、密度、紧密度和频率等六个维度对社会网络特征进行了分析。(2)对社会网络特征与调整适应和工作绩效的关系进行了系统阐述。(3)对社会网络特征产生的原因及其带来的后果进行了分析。再次,本研究对外派人员配偶支持理论进行了发展。认为外派人员配偶更为难以调整适应海外的生活,并对影响外派人员配偶调整适应的因素进行了分析,认为这与个人因素、社会因素和环境因素等都有关系。最后,本研究对外派人员调整适应和工作绩效研究进行了发展。(1)提出了外派人员调整适应的三个维度,并对三个维度之间的关系进行了研究分析。(2)分为外派出发前和出发后对外派人员调整适应的影响因素进行了分析。(3)对调整适应与工作绩效之间的关系进行了论述。基于外派人员社会网络、配偶支持对工作绩效影响的全面考察,本研究构建了在沪跨国公司外派人员社会网络、配偶支持对工作绩效影响关系的研究模型,并提出了相应假设。在对各变量进行测度的基础上,对在沪跨国公司外派人员进行了问卷调查。利用SPSS13.0统计软件和层次回归分析方法,实证检验了所提假设。统计结果显示:(1)外派人员社会网络对工作绩效影响的具体结论为:外派人员社会网络规模对工作绩效有正向影响;外派人员社会网络东道国政府工作人员所占比例对工作绩效有正向影响;外派人员社会网络紧密度对工作绩效有正向影响;外派人员社会网络频率对工作绩效有正向影响。外派人员社会网络文化多样性对工作绩效有正向影响以及外派人员社会网络密度对工作绩效有正向影响没有得到检验的支持。(2)外派人员配偶支持对工作绩效有正向影响。(3)外派人员调整适应对工作绩效有显著影响,具体结论为:外派人员总体调整适应越好,其工作绩效越好;外派人员互动调整适应越好,其工作绩效越好;外派人员工作调整适应越好,其工作绩效越好。(4)调整适应在社会网络对工作绩效影响中起中介作用,具体结论为:总体调整适应在外派人员社会网络规模对工作绩效影响中起中介作用;总体调整适应在外派人员社会网络东道国政府工作人员所占比例对工作绩效影响中起中介作用;互动调整适应在外派人员社会网络规模对工作绩效影响中起中介作用;互动调整适应在外派人员社会网络东道国政府工作人员所占比例对工作绩效影响中起中介作用;工作调整适应在外派人员社会网络东道国政府工作人员所占比例对工作绩效影响中起中介作用;工作调整适应在外派人员社会网络紧密度对工作绩效影响中起中介作用。(5)外派人员调整适应之间的相互关系。外派人员总体调整适应越好,其互动调整适应就越好;外派人员总体调整适应越好,其工作调整适应就越好;外派人员互动调整适应越好,其工作调整适应就越好。(6)调整适应在外派人员配偶支持对工作绩效影响中起中介作用,具体结论为:互动调整适应在配偶支持对工作绩效影响中起中介作用;工作调整适应在配偶支持对工作绩效影响中起中介作用。总体调整适应在配偶支持对工作绩效影响中起中介作用没有得到验证的支持。本文研究以现有外派人员相关研究为基础,同时克服了以前研究中的不足,主要创新点可能有以下几方面:首先,研究视角的创新。本文把外派人员社会网络和配偶支持整合在同一模型中,对其与外派人员调整适应和工作绩效之间的关系进行研究。其次,研究内容的创新。一是将东道国政府工作人员所占比例引入外派人员社会网络特征之中,并对东道国政府工作人员所占比例与工作绩效和调整适应之间的关系进行了实证研究。二是引入了调整适应的三个维度,并对三个维度与工作绩效的关系及其中介作用进行了实证研究。再次,研究成果的创新。一是本文实证研究了在沪跨国公司外派人员社会网络、配偶支持对工作绩效的影响。二是对于互动调整适应和工作调整适应中介作用的研究,检验发现互动调整适应和工作调整适应分别在外派人员配偶支持对工作绩效影响中起完全中介作用。本文存在着以下局限性:首先,样本局限在上海的跨国公司的外派人员,并且由于语言和文化上的原因,外派人员可能对于问卷的理解和认识上也存在偏差。其次,研究社会网络时只选取了其中的几个维度进行研究,没有对其之间的相互关系进行实证研究;没有专门针对中国和上海情况适当修正和调整问卷的相关内容;对于社会网络、配偶支持、调整适应和工作绩效之间的逻辑关系的分析还需要进一步加强。更多还原

【Abstract】 With the deepening of the integration of global economy and the increase of the multinational corporations (MNCs), MNCs are now playing more and more important role in the global economy. At the same time, more and more expatriates have been dispatched to the foreign countries. They usually confront lots of difficulties and problems in foreign countries, which will result in expatriate failure. Because expatriate failure will cost lots of money, so it is very important for us to do more research on the issue of expatriate failure and enhance the possibility of expatriate success. With the implementation of opening up and reform policies, more and more MNCs set up factories, R&D centers or regional headquarters in China. At the same time, more and more expatriates come to China. As the frontier of China’s opening up and reform policies and the largest economical center city of China, Shanghai has became the first choice of MNCs. It is very important for expatriates of MNCs in Shanghai to adjust to the local environment. It is not only critical for the daily life of expatriates, but the performance as well. From abovementioned reasons, the paper selects the expatriate as research subject and studies the relationship between social network, spousal support and performance through social network theory, constructs the relational model of social network, spousal support and performance and analyzes the relationship among them, so as to offer a guideline for MNCs to manage expatriates scientifically and improve the adjustment and performance of expatriates of MNCs in Shanghai.In the first place, based on the comprehensive review of already existed researches, the paper introduces the newly research progress of expatriates home and abroad. (1)Detailed illustrates three dimensions of expatriates of MNCs and put forward the idea of expatriate as control mechanism, regulating mechanism and knowledge transferring mechanism.(2) A unique explanation of expatriate failure and put forward that it is individual and organizational factors that influence the expatriate failure.(3) Introduces the special issue of expatriates, such as self-initiated expatriates, government and non-governmental organization expatriates, female expatriates and dual-career expatriates.In the second place, the paper develops the theory of social network of expatriates. (1)Analyzes the theory of social network from six angles, that is size, cultural diversity, proportion of host-country governmental officials, density, closeness and frequency. (2)Elaboratelly illustrates the relationship between social network, adjustment and performance. (3) Analyzes the antecedents and consequences of features of social network.In the third place, the paper develops the theory of spousal support of expatriates. The paper put forward that the spouses of expatriates are more difficult to adjust to the overseas life and analyzes the factors that influence the adjustment of spouses of expatriates.In the fourth place, the paper develops the theory of adjustment and performance of expatriates.(1)Put forward the three dimensions of adjustment of expatriates and analyzes the relationship between them.(2)Analyzes the factors that influence adjustment of expatriates from the pre-departure and after-departure angles.(3) Analyzes the relationship between adjustment and performance of expatriates.On the basis of comprehensive review of the theory of social network, spousal support and performance, this paper establishes the relational model among social network, spousal support and performance and brings forward corresponding hypotheses. After measuring the variables, this paper makes a questionnaire on the expatriates of MNCs in Shanghai. Using social network method, SPSS13.0 and hierarchical regression analysis, this paper tests all of hypotheses.The statistical outcomes display:(1) Social network of expatriate has notable influence on performance and idiographic conclusions are as following: the size of social network has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; proportion of host-country governmental officials of social network has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; the closeness of social network has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; the frequency of social network has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate. The cultural diversity of social network and the density of social network have no positive influence on the performance of expatriate respectively.(2)Spousal support of expatriate has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate.(3) Adjustment of expatriate has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate and idiographic conclusions are as following: general adjustment has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; interaction adjustment has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate; work adjustment has notable positive influence on the performance of expatriate.(4)Adjustment has mediating effect between social network and performance of expatriate. The conclusions are as following: general adjustment has mediating effect between size of social network and performance, general adjustment has mediating effect between proportion of host country governmental officials of social network and performance; interaction adjustment has mediating effect between size of social network and performance, interaction adjustment has mediating effect between proportion of host country governmental officials of social network and performance; work adjustment has mediating effect between proportion of host country governmental officials of social network and performance, work adjustment has mediating effect between closeness of social network and performance.(5)The relationship among three dimensions of adjustment. The general adjustment has notable positive influence on the interaction adjustment of expatriate. The general adjustment has notable positive influence on the work adjustment of expatriate. The interaction adjustment has notable positive influence on the work adjustment of expatriate.(6)Adjustment has mediating effect between spousal support and performance of expatriate. The conclusions are as following: interaction adjustment has mediating effect between spousal support and performance, work adjustment has mediating effect between spousal support and performance. But, general adjustment has no mediating effect between spousal support and performance.The paper is based on the previous studies and overcomes some defects of them. The contributions are as following: Firstly, new research angle. The paper put the social network and spousal support of expatriate into one research model and analyzes the relationship among social network, spousal support and performance of expatriate. Secondly, new research content. One is that brings forward the proportion of host country governmental officials of social network into the research of social network features of expatriate and empirically tests the relationship among the proportion of host country governmental officials of social network, adjustment and performance of expatriate. Two is that brings forward the three dimensions of adjustment and empirically tests the relationship among three dimensions of adjustment and performance and their mediating effects. Three is that new research results. (1) Empirical studies of relationship among social network, adjustment and performance of expatriates of MNCs in Shanghai. (2) Empirical studies of mediating effect of interaction adjustment between spousal support and performance. Empirical studies of mediating effect of work adjustment between spousal support and performance. The two studies support the hypotheses.The study is subject to several limitations: First, the city in which the research samples are selected is only Shanghai. Because of the barriers of culture and language, the respondents may have different opinions about the questionnaire. Secondly, the paper only selects the several dimensions of social network as subjects. There are no enough explanations of the relationship between these dimensions and the logical relationship among social network, spousal support, adjustment and performance of expatriate.更多还原