Business ethics and workplace guanxi in Chinese SOEs: a qualitative study

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese employees' perceptions on their ethical decision making in relation to the workplace guanxi context in state‐owned enterprises (SOE).

Design/methodology/approach

Using a qualitative method, two rounds of interviews were conducted with 18 participants in two SOEs “to explore Chinese employees” ethical perceptions and experiences in the workplace. A qualitative thematic strategy was adopted to analyze and interpret the data.

Findings

The authors identified three major themes on SOE employees ethical decision making in relation to workplace guanxi: the ethical self; malleable ethical standards; and submission to authority. The authors derived a conceptual framework to outline the relationship between the invisible hand of guanxi and the SOE employees' ethical decision making.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the business ethics literature by presenting a three‐dimensional profile and a conceptual framework for Chinese business ethics research. It provides an in‐depth understanding of a complex dynamics of guanxi and its impact on employees' ethical decision‐making behavior.

Citation

Li, J. and Madsen, J. (2011), "Business ethics and workplace guanxi in Chinese SOEs: a qualitative study", Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 83-99. https://doi.org/10.1108/20408001111179140