All work and no play? Antecedents of the leisure involvement of Taiwan expatriate managers in Mainland China

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to construct and test an antecedent relationship path model for the leisure involvement of Taiwan expatriate managers working in Mainland China. A leisure temporal-spatial involvement (LTSI) was developed. Design/methodology/approach Burnout, perceived freedom in leisure and leisure coping strategies were proposed in the conceptual model as antecedents of leisure involvement. A questionnaire survey gathered information on the characteristics of respondents, including demographic/socio-economic details, expatriate profile and leisure activity participation. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used in this research to measure the relationships among the four scale variables (job burnout, perceived freedom in leisure, leisure coping strategies and leisure involvement). Findings The expatriate managers experienced high burnout levels, particularly in the form of exhaustion. Their leisure involvement was mainly influenced by perceived freedom in leisure. Research limitations/implications This work contributes to the research on leisure and expatriation in several ways. It is one of the first empirical studies to examine prominent leisure concepts (freedom, coping and involvement) within the milieu of expatriation. The findings provide further support to the notion of the “presumed cultural similarity paradox,” in that expatriates of Chinese ethnicity still had significant adjustment difficulties in Mainland China. The research again confirms the challenges of Mainland China as an expatriation destination. Practical implications The research results have significant practical value and may assist Taiwan-capital enterprises in improving expatriates’ leisure life management. The section on Managerial and policy implications outlines the implications for the actors involved. Social implications This work has social implications since the Taiwan expatriate managers are not effectively adjusting to their work–life environments in Guangzhou. Greater social contact between locals and these managers is recommended in the future. Originality/value A new scale for leisure involvement (LTSI), expressed in temporal and spatial dimensions, is developed to fit the particular situations faced by expatriates. This is also one of only a few empirical research studies to consider leisure involvement within an expatriation framework.