5th Sino-Australia Forum, CASS-Flinders, Beijing, 2015 1
Out of their Comfort Zone and Out of Depth: Understanding the challenges of Urbanites working in Remote Areas in
Australia and China 离乡背井:理解中澳扩散式移民的融合障碍
Associate Professor Pi-Shen Seet (薛丕声) Dr Janice Jones
Flinders University, Australia Dr Tim Acker
Curtin University, Australia Michelle Whittle
Flinders University, Australia
7/20/2015
Agenda • Background to Research (研究的背景) -
internal migration in Australia and China • Literature Review and Gaps(文献综述) • Research Objective and Methodology (研究目标)
• Research Study Findings and Implications (研究性学习)
• Conclusion (结论和未来研究)
7/20/2015 5th Sino-Australia Forum, CASS-Flinders, Beijing, 2015
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Research Background – Internal Migration Trends Australia (1)
• For most of 20th century, Australia has seen movement of people from rural to urban areas (从乡村转移到城市)
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Distribution of Australian Population (Source: Hugo & Smailes, 1985)
乡村 城市
Research Background – Internal Migration Trends Australia (2)
• Last 10-15 years, trend has been reversing (扭转这一趋势)
• >7.5 million Australians now live outside capital cities - increase of almost 500,000 since 2001.
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Population Change for Métropolitain and Non-métropolitain areas, 2006-11; Source: ABS Census Data 2011 (based on Usual Place of Residence)
乡村 城市
Research Background – Internal Migration Trends China
• Similar trends in China for most of 20th century (从乡村转移到城市)
• Some recent trends
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Internal Migration Flows 1985-1990; Source: 1990 Census data and Chan, Liu and Yang (1999)
2010 Chinese Population Census (NBS, 2012) – 21-28% of internal migrants moving from cities/towns to rural areas
Research Background – Reasons for Internal Migration Changes
• Escape stress, congestion and pollution (逃避压力,交通堵塞和空气污染) (Seet et al. 2015; Zhao, 2002)
• Better economic opportunities (经济机会)(Chan, 2013; Hugo & Smailes, 1985)
– increasing competition for jobs in major cities – key skill shortages in more remote areas
• Government policy and incentives (政府激励) – Australia - Rural Health Workforce Strategy Incentive
Programs (Chan, 2011)
– China - Great Western Development Strategy (西部大开发) (Holbig, 2004)
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Sea changers and Tree Changers in Australia (海边跳槽者)
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Literature Review and Gaps (文献综述)
• Many who move face significant problems coping / adjusting to new settings (新的环境应困难). (Dowling, Festing, & Engle, 2013; Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1997)
• Most current research on how people from rural/ remote settings face difficulties in urban life (Ragusa, 2011) (乡村移民适应生活城市的障碍)。
– Lack of research in challenges people with mainly urban upbringing and backgrounds face, when they move to and work in rural/ remote parts.
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Research Objective (研究目标) • Research objective = Understanding the Challenges
of Workers from Urban Backgrounds working in Rural/ Remote areas through a cultural competence perspective. (理解中澳城乡移民的融合障碍)
• Focus on intangibles, specifically cultural competence (跨文化能力). – Cultural competence: the integration and transformation
of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, policies, practices, and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services; thereby producing better outcomes (Davis, 1997).
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Conceptual Research Model
Urbanites (城市居民)
• Young: early 20’s/ 1st job
• Females (女子) • Art degrees (文
学士) • Lack of
experience in remote/ rural communities (缺乏乡村工作经验)
Outcomes (结果)
• Reduced turnover ( 减少人员流动)
• Improved attraction (改善吸引力)
• Realistic worker expectations
• Better quality of services and performance (更好的服务质量)
Cultural Competence
• Integration of knowledge about individuals and groups of people
• Specific standards, policies and practices
• Appropriate cultural attitudes (文化态度)
During Before After
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Slide Number 10
跨文化能力
之前 期间 之后
Research Methodology • Australia:
– Conducted in association with the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP).
– In-depth exploratory interviews with 21 workers with Urban backgrounds in Remote areas (城乡移民)
• China: – Secondary research among Chinese Non-Governmental
Organisation (NGO - 非政府机构) workers living and working in interior parts of China
• Data analysed using thematic analysis (主题分析法)
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Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars (2000) Cultural Competence model
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• Has been applied at different levels: individual (个人), organisational (组织) and national (国族).
• Has looked at the cultural differences within one country, across subcultures.
Research Findings - Australia • Individualism vs Communitarianism (个体与集体)
– Urbanites have a strong individualistic culture (Muecke et al., 2011) whereas rural/ remote people are often more communitarian
• Universalism vs Particularism (普遍性与特殊性) – Rural/ remote people are particularistic, placing more
value on relationships (Pearson et al., 2013). • Specific vs Diffuse (专一型与扩散型)
– Much of what is conveyed in face-to-face interactions in rural/ remote communities consists of non-verbal communication (Braysich, 1979).
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Research Findings - China • Specific vs Diffuse (专一型与扩散型)
– Urbanites have too general/ diffuse skills and lack the specific farming knowledge needed (Xinhua, 2012)
• Achievement vs Ascription (成就型与归属型) – “Provinces have better all-round living environments --
you will have everything you need and prospects to keep moving up the career ladder outside of Beijing and Shanghai too.” (Shi, 2013)
– If you’re a Beijing-based college grad who enjoys ordering anything you want on Taobao in the morning and getting it by courier that same afternoon, the prospect of going to a place where the chickens outnumber the people … may not be that appealing.” (Custer, 2015)
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Research Findings - China • Inner-directed vs Outer directed (内控与外控)
– “as for university graduates, there are incentives. For example: guaranteed job placement if you transfer your hukou, or a 3,000 RMB gift" (Shi, 2013)
– Government encouraging urban entrepreneurs to move to rural areas to help catch up - “a noble goal” (Custer, 2015).
– “much better air quality … the advantage of owning a car in an environment in which one would actually be able to use it, rather than on Beijing's congested ring roads. (Shi, 2013)
– “the withering disrespect, the arrogant glares and the disparaging comments from urbanites” (Siggins, 2011).
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Conclusion & Future Research (结论和未来研究)
• Evidence of cultural competence gaps (跨文化能力) among urbanites in remote/ rural settings in Australia and China – Different dimensions for the 2 countries (中澳文化尺度不一样)
• Policy response – Need to better select, prepare and support these urbanites to work in new environment (更好的选择,制备和支持)
• Further research – primary data study in China with interviews/ a larger-scale survey (中国初级资料研究 - 访谈, 调查)
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Thank you 谢谢 Associate Professor Pi-Shen Seet (薛丕声)
[email protected] Flinders University, Australia
Dr Janice Jones Flinders University, Australia
Dr Tim Acker Curtin University, Australia
Michelle Whittle Flinders University, Australia
7/20/2015
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