Guanxi and high performance work systems in China: evidence from a state-owned enterprise

Xian, Huiping; Atkinson, Carol; Meng-Lewis, Yue

doi:10.1080/09585192.2017.1332670

Cited by 32 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Management scholars and practitioners have a strong interest in the effective management of an increasingly service-dominated workforce to maximize organizational performance (Cooke et al, 2019;Fu et al, 2019). HPWS is important because it promotes people as a source of competitive advantage by developing human capital through a "bundle" of HRM practices that are designed to enhance employees' knowledge, skills, commitment and performance (Miao et al, 2020;Xian et al, 2019;Wattoo et al, 2020). Researchers theorize that certain HRM practices (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-performance work systems and job performance: the mediating role of social identity, social climate and empowerment in Chinese banks

Bartram

Cooper

Cooke

et al. 2020

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PurposeDespite the utility of social identity and social climate theories in explaining individual and group behaviour within organizations, little research has been conducted on how these approaches interconnect to explain the way high-performance work systems (HPWSs) may increase job performance. This study extends one’s understanding of the human resource management (HRM)–performance relationship by examining the interconnections between these disparate social approaches within the Chinese banking context.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a sample of 561 employees working across 62 bank branches in China, the authors test four hypotheses: (1) HPWS is positively related to social climate; (2) social climate mediates the relationship between HPWS and social identification; (3) psychological empowerment mediates the relationship between social identification and job performance; and (4) social climate, social identification and psychological empowerment sequentially mediate the relationship between HPWS and job performance. Data were collected over two waves and job (in-role) performance was rated by managers.FindingsThe authors confirm the four hypotheses. Social climate, social identification and psychological empowerment sequentially mediate the relationship between HPWS and job performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contains some limitations. First, the authors’ research sites were focussed on one main region in state-owned banks in China. Second, this study examined only one industry with a relatively homogeneous workforce (i.e. relatively young and highly educated employees).Practical implicationsHPWS may translate into individual performance through a supportive social climate in which staff identify themselves with their work team. This suggests that organizations should pay close attention to understanding how their HPWS system can foster a strong social climate to enhance employee identification at the work group level. Second, as the nature of work is becoming increasingly more complex and interdependent, enabling not just individuals but also work groups to function effectively, it is critical for departments and work groups to promote a collective understanding of HRM messages with shared values and goals.Originality/valueThis research contributes towards a more comprehensive understanding of the HRM–performance chain as a complex social process underpinned by social identity theory. The authors demonstrate that social identification and social climate both play an important role in explaining how HPWS positively affects psychological empowerment and subsequent job performance.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-performance work systems and job performance: the mediating role of social identity, social climate and empowerment in Chinese banks

Bartram

Cooper

Cooke

et al. 2020

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“…Management in SOEs is more traditional than in multi‐national corporations (MNCs). SOEs remain an important feature of the Chinese economy, controlling more than half the total industrial assets and accounting for about 30% of urban employment (Xian, Atkinson and Meng‐Lewis 2019). Yet, existing research has tended to focus on MNCs (Chen and Tjosvold 2006; Davidson, Van Dyne and Lin 2017; Law et al 2000) or private companies (Cheung et al 2009; Wei et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supervisor‐subordinate guanxi and employee thriving at work: the key role of relation‐generated resources

Guan

Frenkel

2020

Asia Pac J Human Res

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This study explores the influence of guanxi with supervisors on subordinates' thriving at work. Drawing on the socially embedded model of thriving, we propose supervisor-subordinate guanxi as an important interpersonal relationship that generates three resourcesfit, leader-member exchange and work meaningfulnessfor subordinates in the workplace. Use of these resources, in turn, contributes to individuals' positive experience of thriving. The ensuing multiple mediation model is tested on a sample of 221 employees in China. The results extend Spreitzer's model by supporting the theoretical framework and related hypotheses revealing the underlying mechanisms linking guanxi and thriving. Important practical implications are drawn regarding the relationship between leadership, employees' work resources and thriving at work.

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“…For instance, reciprocity and mutual loyalty between employers and managers (Guanxi) has been found to influence recruitment and promotion [ 41 , 42 ]. Guanxi is mainly based on existing family ties; if a Chinese person has a relative working in SOEs, he or she may benefit from such social connections [ 43 ]. Although guanxi also plays an important role in private-owned enterprises (POEs) in China, an SOE employee may obtain more advantage from guanxi than a POE employee because SOEs provided various scarce resources before the 1990s, such as free housing, childcare, and even spousal employment [ 44 ].…”

Section: Empirical Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Divide of the Shattered “Iron Rice Bowl”: Economic Insecurity and ICT Access in China

Yin

Teng

2021

Journal of Healthcare Engineering

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Although economic factors account for the digital divide, the effect of economic insecurity on information communication technology (ICT) access has not been determined. The market-oriented reform of Chinese state-owned enterprises in the 1990s resulted in massive layoffs, encouraging us to investigate the relationship between economic insecurity and the digital divide. We draw on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). To handle the endogeneity related to economic insecurity, we use experience in a management position and the number of siblings as instruments for economic insecurity. With the introduction of these two instrumental variables, we find a negative relationship between economic insecurity and ICT access. This study provides insight into ICT policies involving underprivileged people in developing countries.

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Guanxi and high performance work systems in China: evidence from a state-owned enterprise

Cited by 32 publications

References 57 publications

High-performance work systems and job performance: the mediating role of social identity, social climate and empowerment in Chinese banks

High-performance work systems and job performance: the mediating role of social identity, social climate and empowerment in Chinese banks

Supervisor‐subordinate guanxi and employee thriving at work: the key role of relation‐generated resources

Digital Divide of the Shattered “Iron Rice Bowl”: Economic Insecurity and ICT Access in China

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