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Indigenous research on Asia: In search of the emic components of guanxi

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Abstract

Despite attempts to identify Asian indigenous concepts in the past 10 years, we found that a lot of proposed concepts have not been described clearly. People who are not familiar with Asian indigenous cultures may have difficulty in understanding why the concepts are distinct. Using the Chinese guanxi as an example, we attempt to describe its etic and emic components. In contrast to existing concepts about interpersonal relationship in the literature, the dominant element of the Chinese guanxi concept is the role of obligations and social and ethical norms. Thus, we define guanxi as “the closeness of a relationship that is associated with a particular set of differentiated behavioral obligations based on social and ethical norms.” The specific situation in Chinese society is described in details and agenda for future research questions is highlighted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Yina Mao

  2. Department of Business Administration, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Braemar Hill, Hong Kong

    Kelly Z. Peng

  3. Department of Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong kong

    Chi-Sum Wong

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  1. Yina Mao
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  2. Kelly Z. Peng
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  3. Chi-Sum Wong
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Correspondence to Chi-Sum Wong.

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An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2011 Taiwan Academy of Management Conference. We are especially in debt to Professor Wang Ching-wen for her valuable insights and comments.

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Mao, Y., Peng, K.Z. & Wong, CS. Indigenous research on Asia: In search of the emic components of guanxi . Asia Pac J Manag 29, 1143–1168 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-012-9317-5

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