Coworker Guanxi and job performance: Based on the mediating effect of interpersonal trust

Bijun Xie and Min Li

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2021, vol. 171, issue C

Abstract: Guanxi is one of the most special phenomena in China, which is considereded as the center of Chinese social order. No matter from politics to business, or from official circles to ordinary people, Guanxi plays a pivotal role. Employees’ behavior is important to the operation of an organization, while what do employees think determines what they will do. Based on Guanxi, trust and related theories and empirical studies, this paper classified coworker Guanxi as acquaintances relationship, and presued its structural composition. Besides this paper proposed the model between coworker Guanxi, interpersonal trust and job performance, and made an empirical analysis using questionnaire to collect data by SPSS25.0 and AMOS21.0. This research findings are as follows:(1)coworker Guanxi are composed of four dimensions: affective relationship, instrumental relationship, obligatory relationship, and face;(2)the effect of coworker Guanxi on interpersonal trust was discussed. Affective relationship, obligatory relationship, instrumental relationship and face all have a positive impact on Guanxi trust, both affective and obligatory relationship have positive effects on moral trust and ability trust. The effect of face on moral trust is negative; (3)the influence of interpersonal trust on job performance was expolored. Moral trust, ability trust and Guanxi trust have positive effects on job dedication, task performance and interpersonal promotion; (4)the mechanism of the influence of coworker Guanxi on job performance was expolored. Research shows that Guanxi is a basis of trust, which is still valued in Chinese organizations. Empirical analysis shows that ability and moral trust play an important influence in coworker Guanxi mechanism, while the impact of Guanxi trust is limited, which indicates that in organizational operation, it main depends on ability and integrity that is different from general dual relationship.

Keywords: Guanxi; Coworker Guanxi; Interpersonal trust; Job performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:171:y:2021:i:c:s0040162521004133

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120981

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