ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author investigates the hierarchical dependent relationship at Chinese workplaces in Zambia. The author suggests that boss–worker relationships depend on a cultural schema, ideal as well as practical, that both Chinese and Zambians use to comprehend, negotiate and practice every day when they encounter each other. It can be plausible to argue that this misunderstanding is caused by different forms of dependency across social groups; notwithstanding, in my opinion, the everyday misunderstanding at work is more significantly due to the mismatch of the affective component bundled in the structure. The chapter goes one step further to document how Chinese-Zambian communication is further hindered by the effect of affection even when interaction becomes inevitable at work. The dependency implied within hierarchical relations in China has also been well documented by sinologists.
