On 20 July, Pi-Shen Seet, Janice Jones, Tim Acker and Michelle Whittle presented at the 5th Sino-Australia Forum, CASS-Flinders

1. 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

2. 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)
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Slide Number 2

3. 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

4. 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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2015
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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

5. 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

6. 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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7. Sea changers and Tree Changers
in Australia (海边跳槽者)
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2015
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8. 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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9. 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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10. 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)
DuringBefore After
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2015
Slide Number 10
跨文化能力
之前 期间 之后

11. 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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12. 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.

13. 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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14. 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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15. 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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16. 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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2015
Slide Number 16

17. 5th Sino-Australia Forum, CASS-Flinders, Beijing, 2015 17
Thank you 谢谢
Associate Professor Pi-Shen Seet (薛丕声)
pi-shen.seet@flinders.edu.au
Flinders University, Australia
Dr Janice Jones
Flinders University, Australia
Dr Tim Acker
Curtin University, Australia
Michelle Whittle
Flinders University, Australia
7/20/2015