Korean Expatriates Adjustments and Job Satisfaction in Malaysia: Analysis of Corporate Cultural Asymmetry

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to discover how Korean expatriates that are currently employed in Korean subsidiaries operational in Malaysia possibly suffer from career dissatisfaction due to differences between Korean Corporate Culture (KCC) and Malaysian Corporate Culture (MCC). The integration of KCC into MCC is discussed. Research design, data, and methodology – The analysis herein is via a qualitative research. Forty-six interviewees voluntarily participated in in-depth interviews. Document analysis and qualitative interviews were utilized to develop participant profiles and to generate the framework. Interview data were transcribed and subsequently analysed to facilitate the development of themes and ultimately led to emerging patterns. The framework discusses the following Confucian pillars pronounced in KCC: Control Systems, Power Structures, Organisational Structures, Authority and Harmony and Stories and Myths. Those pillars are analysed and the results of the interviews are discussed in detail. Results – Korean expatriates on assignment in Malaysia endure struggles in all five selected Confucian pillars as they are not symmetrical with Korean Corporate Culture common at head companies in Korea. Conclusion – As a consequence, there is substantial disharmony which needs to be rectified if Korean companies are to continue their ‘miraculous’ economic movement into the country.