IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/chnrpt/v53y2017i3p331-353.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Examining Leader–Follower Interactions through the Lens of Chinese Politeness

Author

Listed:
  • Alexis P. I. Goh

    (Department of Management Sciences, College of Business and Management, Tamkang University, New Taipei City, Taiwan phaikimm.goh@gmail.com)

  • Peirchyi Lii

    (Professor, Department of Management Sciences, College of Business and Management, Tamkang University, New Taipei City, Taiwan 100679@mail.tku.edu.tw)

Abstract

This article proposes an exploration of language as a cultural voice in the research of leadership, and the conception that the dyadic relationship between leader and follower can be further looked into semiotically within the discourses of language. In particular, this research hopes to bring into view the plausible relationship between Chinese politeness and leader–follower interactions as well as its impact on followers’ career development. The appropriate (non)usage of second-person pronoun nín ( 您 ) by followers while interacting with superiors is the exemplar vernacular examined in this article. We engaged 32 eMBA students on the usage of this second-person polite pronoun in official organisation settings. Many agreed that Chinese politeness is both expected and required by interlocutors involved, and it is a form of ‘face-giving’ and an acknowledgement of hierarchical differences. In most Chinese organisations, status and hierarchical positions are specified clearly and must be properly acknowledged as linguistic politeness is both expected and required. The authors hope to raise the possibility that the linguistic and cultural influences, particularly politeness, involved in face-to-face verbal interactions within formal Chinese corporate environment may signal a possible discursive variation in leader–follower communication studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexis P. I. Goh & Peirchyi Lii, 2017. "Examining Leader–Follower Interactions through the Lens of Chinese Politeness," China Report, , vol. 53(3), pages 331-353, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:chnrpt:v:53:y:2017:i:3:p:331-353
    DOI: 10.1177/0009445517711508
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0009445517711508
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0009445517711508?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. N/A, 2003. "Research in Progress," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 56(3), pages 564-565, April.
    2. Nancy J Adler & Nigel Campbell & André Laurent, 1989. "In Search of Appropriate Methodology: From Outside The People's Republic of China Looking In," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 20(1), pages 61-74, March.
    3. N/A, 2003. "Research in Progress," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 56(2), pages 369-369, January.
    4. Marschan, Rebecca & Welch, Denice & Welch, Lawrence, 1997. "Language: The forgotten factor in multinational management," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 591-598, October.
    5. Usunier, Jean-Claude, 2011. "Language as a resource to assess cross-cultural equivalence in quantitative management research," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 314-319, July.
    6. Jiing-Lih Farh & Bor-Shiuan Cheng, 2000. "A Cultural Analysis of Paternalistic Leadership in Chinese Organizations," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: J. T. Li & Anne S. Tsui & Elizabeth Weldon (ed.), Management and Organizations in the Chinese Context, chapter 4, pages 84-127, Palgrave Macmillan.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Christian Resick & Gillian Martin & Mary Keating & Marcus Dickson & Ho Kwan & Chunyan Peng, 2011. "What Ethical Leadership Means to Me: Asian, American, and European Perspectives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(3), pages 435-457, July.
    2. Stephen Jenkins & Philippe Van Kerm, 2014. "The Relationship Between EU Indicators of Persistent and Current Poverty," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 611-638, April.
    3. Harzing, Anne-Wil & Pudelko, Markus, 2013. "Language competencies, policies and practices in multinational corporations: A comprehensive review and comparison of Anglophone, Asian, Continental European and Nordic MNCs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 87-97.
    4. Fan, Shenggen & Johnson, Michael E. & Saurkar, Anuja & Makombe, Tsitsi, 2007. "Investing in African agriculture to halve poverty by 2015," ReSAKSS issue notes 4, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Kafle, Kashi & Jolliffe, Dean & Winter-Nelson, Alex, 2018. "Do different types of assets have differential effects on child education? Evidence from Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 14-28.
    6. Dejun Tony Kong & Roger Volkema, 2016. "Cultural Endorsement of Broad Leadership Prototypes and Wealth as Predictors of Corruption," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(1), pages 139-152, May.
    7. Karun Pratoom & Gomon Savatsomboon, 2012. "Explaining factors affecting individual innovation: The case of producer group members in Thailand," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 1063-1087, December.
    8. Dobrescu, Emilian, 2011. "Sectoral Structure and Economic Growth," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 0(3), pages 5-36, September.
    9. Ashish Malik & Ralf Bebenroth, 2017. "Mind Your Language! : Role of Target Firm Language in Post-Merger Integration," Discussion Paper Series DP2017-15, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    10. Chukwudi Gbadebo Njoku & Joel Efiong & Nse-Abasi Ndiyo Ayara, 2020. "A Geospatial Expose of Flood-Risk and Vulnerable Areas in Nigeria," International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research (IJAGR), IGI Global, vol. 11(3), pages 87-110, July.
    11. Hao-Chieh Lin & Trang Thi Ha Dang & Yu-Sheng Liu, 2016. "CEO transformational leadership and firm performance: A moderated mediation model of TMT trust climate and environmental dynamism," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 981-1008, December.
    12. Adrian Tiong Weng, 2017. "Leadership and Communication in HCMC, Vietnam," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(6), pages 111-111, May.
    13. Lam Nguyen & Bahaudin Mujtaba & Alexander Ruijs, 2014. "Stress, Task, and Relationship Orientations of Dutch: Do Age, Gender, Education, and Government Work Experience Make a Difference?," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 305-324, September.
    14. Cristiano PERUGINI & Paolo POLINORI & Marcello SIGNORELLI, 2005. "An empirical analysis of employment and growth dynamics in the Italian and Polish regions," Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia, Finanza e Statistica 06/2005, Università di Perugia, Dipartimento Economia.
    15. Nikos Bozionelos & Konstantinos Kostopoulos & Beatrice van Der Heijden & Denise M. Rousseau & Giorgos Bozionelos & Thomas Hoyland & Izabela Marzec & Piotr Jędrzejowicz & Olga Epitropaki & Aslaug Mikke, 2016. "Employability and Job Performance as Links in the Relationship Between Mentoring Receipt and Career Success. A Study in SMEs," Post-Print hal-01294990, HAL.
    16. Marc Steinmann & Carlo Pugnetti, 2021. "Leading in Switzerland and Poland: A Case Study of Leadership Practices in Financial Services," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, January.
    17. Lam Nguyen & Tobias Boehmer & Bahaudin Mujtaba, 2012. "Leadership and Stress Orientations of Germans: An Examination Based on Gender, Age, and Government Work Experience," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 401-420, December.
    18. Marian Catalin Voica & Mirela Panait & Eglantina Hysa & Arjona Cela & Otilia Manta, 2021. "Foreign Direct Investment and Trade—Between Complementarity and Substitution. Evidence from European Union Countries," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, November.
    19. Radha R. Sharma, 2019. "Evolving a Model of Sustainable Leadership: An Ex-post Facto Research," Vision, , vol. 23(2), pages 152-169, June.
    20. Logan L Watts & Logan M Steele & Deanne N Den Hartog, 2020. "Uncertainty avoidance moderates the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation: A meta-analysis," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(1), pages 138-145, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:chnrpt:v:53:y:2017:i:3:p:331-353. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.