Understanding the Double-Level Influence of Guanxi on Construction Innovation in China: The Mediating Role of Interpersonal Knowledge Sharing and the Cross-Level Moderating Role of Inter-Organizational Relationships

Yingmiao Qian, Mengjun Wang, Yang Zou, Ruoyu Jin, Ruijia Yuan and Qinge Wang
Additional contact information
Yingmiao Qian: School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Mengjun Wang: School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Yang Zou: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Ruoyu Jin: Department of Built Environment, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4AT, UK
Ruijia Yuan: School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Qinge Wang: School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-19

Abstract: Guanxi, a Chinese term that defines social networks of power and benefits, can be divided into inter-personal and inter-organizational relationships. Guanxi significantly influences construction innovation in China. Many studies have examined the relationship between guanxi and construction innovation at the project or organizational level. However, few of these studies explain how guanxi might affect an individual’s innovative behaviour from a double-level perspective. This paper builds on social capital theory and social exchange theory to examine guanxi’s role in motivating innovative behaviour in a China-specific construction context. It investigates the main effects of inter-personal relationships on innovative behaviour, the mediating effects of knowledge sharing, and the cross-level moderating effects of inter-organizational relationships. These elements were tested using a survey that received 178 responses from 35 different organizations. The results were analysed using Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) and revealed that inter-personal relationships have positive influences on innovative behaviour, thus highlighting the partial mediating effects of knowledge sharing. In addition, the analyses showed that inter-organizational relationships augment inter-personal relationships and knowledge sharing on innovative behaviour by cross-level interaction. The research findings enhance an understanding of guanxi and innovative behaviour in China-specific construction project settings, as well as verifying the significance of guanxi in stimulating innovative behaviour.

Keywords: inter-personal relationships; construction innovation; knowledge sharing; inter-organizational relationships (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/6/1657/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/6/1657/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:6:p:1657-:d:215281

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().