Collective, Emotion, Leadership, Informal social tie, Korea, Japan, China, Confucianism,

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In this study, we analyze the core assumptions and ideals of social network characteristics in East Asia and the West. By using an analytical frame derived from the literature and consisting of key antecedents of social networks, we find differences between the conventional assumptions of social network characteristics when comparing them with those found in East Asia. Moreover, we find remarkable intra-regional differences. Among these, and contrary to common beliefs about social networks, we find weak ties are neither truly effective nor preferably used in East Asia, where strong ties are both more preferred and more powerful. Further, social ties tend to be rather consummatory and networks rather closed. Also, depending on the nature of the network, bridging either does not work or is not intended. We recommend further studies explicitly taking local context into account in order to refine or reframe extant knowledge on social networks.

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Following the recent call for advancement in knowledge about business ethics in East Asia, this study proposes a complementary perspective on business ethics in South Korea. We challenge the conventional view that South Korea is a strictly collectivist country, where group norms and low trust determine the norms and values of behavior. Using the concept of civil religion, we suggest that the center of the South Korean civil religion can be seen in the affective ties and networks pervading the economic, political, and social institutions, embedded in and guided by Confucian ideals. We argue that South Korea should be seen not as a collectivist low‐trust society, but rather as an affective‐relational society, in which the relational context determines whether collectivism or individualism prevails. Further, we assert that trust, the cohesive factor of affective ties and networks, has until now been inadequately captured by conventional surveys. Our proposed perspective contributes to a more holistic picture and a more firmly grounded understanding of business ethics in South Korea.

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