Guanxi Civility: Processes, Potentials, and Contingencies

Abstract

Building on research that analyzes how social relations and networks ( guanxi) shape the Chinese market, this article asks a less-studied question: How is the market changing guanxi? The authors trace the transformation of guanxi from communal, kin-based ties to a cultural metaphor with which diverse individuals build flexible social relationships in late-socialist China. As a “generalized particularism,” this cultural metaphor provides something analogous to the culture of civility in Western societies. The authors discuss the political potential of guanxi in terms of its dual tendency toward the “publicization” and “privatization” of power. The development of guanxi civility suggests the diverse cultural origins of civility and serves as a reminder of the particularistic roots in the universalistic assumption of Western civility.

Social Value Chains: A New Organizational Framework for Studies on State-Society Relations in China

“…They regarded a civil society as a crucial factor and subsequently looked for a civil society in China. Yet other scholars, including Philip Huang and Eileen Otis, took an alternative approach by using cultural contextualized concepts, such as the third realm (Huang, 1993) and Guanxi civility (Lo & Otis, 2003), rather than civil society, to refute the binary opposition between the state and society in the Chinese context.…”

Guanxi as a governance mechanism in business markets: Its characteristics, relevant theories, and future research directions

“…Another key element of Guanxi in the business setting is li, which is partially reflected by reciprocity (Millington, Eberhardt, & Wilkinson, 2006). Extending from traditional Guanxi, which is based on family and friends, business Guanxi evolves from an initial rigid interpersonal relationship to voluntary, flexible applications (Lo & Otis, 2003). Thus, pursuing economic benefits (liyi in Chinese) is an essential goal in business relationships, although economic goals are often embedded in qing and li.…”

Guanxi practice and Chinese buyer–supplier relationships: The buyer's perspective

“…Chinese people are engaged extensively in practicing guanxi for building voluntary business relationships (Lo & Otis, 2003). Participating in guanxi, however, requires one to fulfill guanxi obligation in the form of reciprocation of gifts and favors, that is, to pay back renqing.…”