The Role of the Guanxi Institution in Skill Acquisition Between Firms: A Study of Chinese Firms
研究了中国的关系制度如何影响企业间关系纽带、信息共享和技能获取，基于338家制造企业数据发现，强关系制度既促进信息共享和技能获取，也存在负面影响。
The prevalence of personal connections in China, or guanxi , constitutes an institution that governs how people exchange favors. This study explores the effects of the guanxi institution on interfirm relational ties, information sharing, and the acquisition of skills across firms. According to social network theory, the marginal benefit of interfirm relational ties on information sharing should decrease with the strength of ties; according to information overload theory, information sharing should have an inverted U‐shaped effect on the acquisition of skills. Institutional theory further suggests that the links across these three constructs are subject to the influence of the guanxi institution. With data collected from 338 manufacturing companies, this study shows that the links differ across environments that have strong versus weak guanxi institutions. A strong guanxi institution generally promotes information sharing and skill acquisition, but it also has a dark side.