IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/worlde/v30y2007i2p329-341.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Cultural Roots of Guanxi: An Exploratory Study

Author

Listed:
  • John H. Dunning
  • Changsu Kim

Abstract

This paper first describes the cultural roots and characteristics of guanxi in Chinese society. It then goes on to test some propositions about the perceived relationship between these characteristics and (i) Hofstede's conceptualisation of collectivism and power distance and (ii) the content and quality of formal institutions. The sampling frame used consisted of three groups of students –viz. Chinese Singaporeans, Non‐Chinese Singaporeans and Mainland Chinese, studying in tertiary institutions in Singapore. Our findings suggest that, while the perceptions of guanxi were positively and significantly related to Hofstede's culturally related variables, this was not so in the case of formal institutions. This latter result suggests that, in East Asian countries, guanxi may well be regarded as, at least, a partial substitute for formal institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • John H. Dunning & Changsu Kim, 2007. "The Cultural Roots of Guanxi: An Exploratory Study," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 329-341, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:30:y:2007:i:2:p:329-341
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.00885.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.00885.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.00885.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John H. Dunning & Rajneesh Narula, 2004. "Multinationals and Industrial Competitiveness," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3343.
    2. Alston, Jon P., 1989. "Wa, Guanxi, and Inhwa: Managerial principles in Japan, China, and Korea," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 26-31.
    3. Douglass C. North, 2005. "Introduction to Understanding the Process of Economic Change," Introductory Chapters, in: Understanding the Process of Economic Change, Princeton University Press.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Dong & Newburry, William & Park, Seung Ho, 2009. "Improving sustainability: An international evolutionary framework," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 317-327, September.
    2. Yina Mao & Kelly Peng & Chi-Sum Wong, 2012. "Indigenous research on Asia: In search of the emic components of guanxi," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 1143-1168, December.
    3. Bao Cheng & Yan Peng & Ahmed Shaalan & Marwa Tourky, 2023. "The Hidden Costs of Negative Workplace Gossip: Its Effect on Targets’ Behaviors, the Mediating Role of Guanxi Closeness, and the Moderating Effect of Need for Affiliation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(1), pages 287-302, January.
    4. Papageorgiadis, Nikolaos & McDonald, Frank, 2019. "Defining and Measuring the Institutional Context of National Intellectual Property Systems in a post-TRIPS world," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 3-18.
    5. Susanne Rühle, 2011. "A Different Capitalism for China? The Role of Guanxi and the Family for Chinese Economic Development," Chapters, in: Werner Pascha & Cornelia Storz & Markus Taube (ed.), Institutional Variety in East Asia, chapter 8, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Murray, Janet Y. & Fu, Frank Q., 2016. "Strategic guanxi orientation: How to manage distribution channels in China?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 1-16.
    7. Long Zhang & Yulin Deng & Qun Wang, 2014. "An Exploratory Study of Chinese Motives for Building Supervisor–Subordinate Guanxi," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(4), pages 659-675, November.
    8. Long Zhang & Yulin Deng & Xin Zhang & Enhua Hu, 2016. "Why do Chinese employees build supervisor-subordinate guanxi? A motivational analysis," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 33(3), pages 617-648, September.
    9. Cheng, Jao-Hong, 2011. "Inter-organizational relationships and knowledge sharing in green supply chains—Moderating by relational benefits and guanxi," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(6), pages 837-849.
    10. Dan Wang & Di Fan & Susan Freeman & Cherrie Jiuhua Zhu, 2017. "Exploring cross-cultural skills for expatriate managers from Chinese multinationals: Congruence and contextualization," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 123-146, March.
    11. Daniel McCarthy & Sheila Puffer & Denise Dunlap & Alfred Jaeger, 2012. "A Stakeholder Approach to the Ethicality of BRIC-firm Managers’ Use of Favors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(1), pages 27-38, August.
    12. Meyer Susanne, 2012. "The world’s factory and informal ties – organisation of firm networks in the electronics industry in the Greater Pearl River Delta, China," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 56(1-2), pages 9-24, October.
    13. Yang, Chin-Fang & Lai, Chi-Shiun, 2012. "Relationship learning from organizational knowledge stores," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(3), pages 421-428.
    14. Bickenbach, Frank & Dohse, Dirk & Liu, Wan-Hsin, 2014. "An inquiry into the determinants of graduate entrepreneurship in Hong Kong and Guangzhou (Mainland China)," Kiel Working Papers 1940, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    15. Bickenbach, Frank & Liu, Wan-Hsin, 2011. "Firm characteristics and informal governance of business operations in the PRD, China," Kiel Working Papers 1728, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    16. Bickenbach, Frank & Liu, Wan-Hsin, 2010. "The role of personal relationships for doing business in the GPRD, China: evidence from Hong Kong electronics SMEs," Kiel Working Papers 1589, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    17. Helen Perks & Kenneth B. Kahn & Cong Zhang, 2010. "The Nature Of R&D-Marketing Integration In Chinese High-Tech Companies," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 14(01), pages 19-40.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Luis Alfonso Dau & Jiatao Li & Marjorie A. Lyles & Aya S. Chacar, 2022. "Informal institutions and the international strategy of MNEs: Effects of institutional effectiveness, convergence, and distance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 1257-1281, August.
    2. Gregorio Rius-Sorolla & Sofía Estelles-Miguel & Carlos Rueda-Armengot, 2020. "Multivariable Supplier Segmentation in Sustainable Supply Chain Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-16, June.
    3. Kerekes, Carrie B. & Williamson, Claudia R., 2008. "Unveiling de Soto's mystery: property rights, capital formation, and development," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(3), pages 299-325, December.
    4. Laura E. Grube, 2015. "The role of culture in the persistence of traditional leadership: evidence from KwaZulu Natal, South Africa," Chapters, in: Laura E. Grube & Virgil Henry Storr (ed.), Culture and Economic Action, chapter 17, pages 375-397, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Daniel Alonso-Martínez & Nuria González-Álvarez & Mariano Nieto, 2021. "Does international patent collaboration have an effect on entrepreneurship?," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 539-559, December.
    6. Richard Langlois, 2013. "The Institutional Revolution: A review essay," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 26(4), pages 383-395, December.
    7. Gani, Azmat & Scrimgeour, Frank, 2014. "Modeling governance and water pollution using the institutional ecological economic framework," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 363-372.
    8. Chih-Ting Shih & Cheng-Chen Lin, 2014. "From good friends to good soldiers: A psychological contract perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 309-326, March.
    9. Gianluca Marchi & Giuseppe Nardin, 2014. "Alleanze internazionali e mercati emergenti: l?esperienza del distretto ceramico di Sassuolo," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2014(2), pages 44-54.
    10. Luis Alfonso Dau & Aya S. Chacar & Marjorie A. Lyles & Jiatao Li, 2022. "Informal institutions and international business: Toward an integrative research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 985-1010, August.
    11. Hao Liang & Bing Ren & Haikun Zhu, 2011. "Revisiting the OLI Paradigm: The Institutions, the State, and China's OFDI," CESifo Working Paper Series 3642, CESifo.
    12. Jeffery S. McMullen & Dimo Dimov, 2013. "Time and the Entrepreneurial Journey: The Problems and Promise of Studying Entrepreneurship as a Process," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(8), pages 1481-1512, December.
    13. repec:mje:mjejnl:v:12:y:2017:i:2:p:25-70 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Emil Evenhuis, 2017. "Institutional change in cities and regions: a path dependency approach," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 10(3), pages 509-526.
    15. Karla Hoff & Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2010. "Equilibrium Fictions: A Cognitive Approach to Societal Rigidity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(2), pages 141-146, May.
    16. Tan, Justin & Yang, Jun & Veliyath, Rajaram, 2009. "Particularistic and system trust among small and medium enterprises: A comparative study in China's transition economy," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 544-557, November.
    17. Tracy Xiao Liu & Jenna Bednar & Yan Chen & Scott Page, 2019. "Directional behavioral spillover and cognitive load effects in multiple repeated games," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 22(3), pages 705-734, September.
    18. Ricardo Moutinho & Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira & Arnaldo Coelho & José Pires Manso, 2016. "Determinants of knowledge-based entrepreneurship: an exploratory approach," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 171-197, March.
    19. Fiona Kun Yao & Kaifeng Jiang & Danielle R. Combs & Song Chang, 2022. "Informal institutions and absorptive capacity: A cross-country meta-analytic study," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 1091-1109, August.
    20. Weber, Daniela, 2011. "Agri-environmental attitudes of Chinese farmers – The impact of social and cognitive determinants," 85th Annual Conference, April 18-20, 2011, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 108964, Agricultural Economics Society.
    21. Joachim Ahrens & Patrick Jünemann, 2011. "Adaptive Efficiency and Pragmatic Flexibility: Characteristics of Institutional Change in Capitalism, Chinese-style," Chapters, in: Werner Pascha & Cornelia Storz & Markus Taube (ed.), Institutional Variety in East Asia, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:30:y:2007:i:2:p:329-341. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0378-5920 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.