WHERE GUANXI MATTERS - RELATIONAL DEMOGRAPHY AND GUANXI IN THE CHINESE CONTEXT

This article explores the indigenous concept of guanxi and its applica tions in the Chinese context. Guanxi is defined as the existence of di rect particularistic ties between two or more individuals. We relate t his concept to the idea of relational demography, which has been used by U.S. scholars in recent years to explain and predict a variety of i ndividual-, group-, and organizational-level outcomes in U.S. employme nt settings. By comparing and contrasting the ideal of guanxi to relat ional demography, we aim to develop an integrative framework that will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics underlying demographic and background similarities between people in the Chinese context than by using either concept alone. We offer several illustra tive hypotheses on how and when relational demography and guanxi will matter most in influencing work outcomes in Chinese organizations.