In response to the problem of high expatriate failure rates in China, this study investigates organisational commitment issues in relation to a community of Western expatriate managers working in a private, Chinese-owned, academic college in China. Through individual interviews, the study examines the various processes, experiences, and interactions of six expatriate managers in order to gain a deeper insight into the factors that are most influential to their organisational commitment. Organisational commitment is found to be most likely increased as the expatriates improve their managerial effectiveness through promoting organisational and cultural harmony, maintaining supportive spousal/familial relationships, and establishing influential hierarchical relationships within the organisation.