Experiences of Chinese and Tanzanian cooperation in a Chinese organisation in Tanzania

In this chapter, the authors focus on three main aspects: the cooperation experiences of Chinese and Tanzanian employees; the perception of the societal and organisational work environment; and the experience of cultural values within the Chinese and Tanzanian cooperation in a Chinese organisation investing in Tanzania. Through a qualitative research approach based on hermeneutic phenomenology, we used semi-structured interviews with employees of Chinese and Tanzanian decent within a Chinese organisation in Tanzania to show that Chinese and Tanzanian employees refer to selected themes in managing the organisation, such as strategy and strategic decision-making, organisational structure, decision-making and participation, leadership styles, staff and managers (hierarchies), recruitment, qualification and training, knowledge sharing, working conditions and work atmosphere and motivation, benefits and rewards. Chinese and Tanzanian employees highlighted their differences in experiences and perceptions and hardly refer to similarities whilst working together. On both sides, there appears to be a lack of intercultural understanding. Based on these findings, the authors make recommendations for future research and organisational practice.