Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of mobile phone use in meetings among Chinese professionals. We replicated and extended surveys conducted in North America in order to draw cross-cultural comparisons. We surveyed 186 Chinese professionals about their attitudes toward mobile phones in meetings, their actual mobile phone actions in meetings, and their attitudes about appropriate response time to digital messages. Based on survey results, we concluded the following: (a) Chinese professionals are far more accepting of mobile phone use in meetings than are American professionals; (b) older Chinese professionals are more accepting of mobile phone use in meetings than are younger Chinese professionals – exactly opposite the pattern among American professionals; (c) Chinese women are less accepting then Chinese men of mobile phone use in meetings – similar to the pattern seen among American professionals; (d) multicommunicating via mobile phones in meetings is mostly client-based and relationship-based, and to a lesser extent team-based; and (e) meeting size strongly impacts attitudes toward mobile phone use in meetings. Many of our conclusions point toward a seniority-based, high-context approach to mobile phone use in meetings among Chinese professionals.
Recommended Citation
Cardon, Peter W. and Dai, Ying
(2014)
"Mobile Phone Use in Meetings among Chinese Professionals: Perspectives on Multicommunication and Civility,"
Global Advances in Business Communication:
Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://commons.emich.edu/gabc/vol3/iss1/2