Gaining acceptance from local colleagues: Evidence from Indian expatriates in China

The previous chapters in this book have focused predominantly on the role of the host country language in China and looked specifically at Western expatriates. In this and the following chapter, we turn our attention towards issues related to culture and identity and investigate two very different groups of expatriates: Indian expatriates and overseas Chinese expatriates. Here, we investigate what acceptance means to expatriates and local employees, given that it is an essential factor in expatriates’ adjustment to the host country and in their interaction with local employees. We start by outlining the historical, political and cultural background to the relationship between India and China to set the scene for discussing interactions between Indian expatriates and Chinese local employees. We then present a three-level acceptance model and elaborate on each level of acceptance. The chapter concludes with a discussion of both the implications of this model and how understanding acceptance affects expatriates and MNCs.