WorkplaceGuanxi: Its Dispositional Antecedents and Mediating Role in the Affectivity–Job Satisfaction Relationship

Qingguo Zhai, Margaret Lindorff, Brian Cooper

Journal of Business Ethics · 2013 · Volume 117 · Issue 3

Abstract

This paper examines dispositional sources of workplaceguanxiand the mediating role of workplaceguanxion the affectivity and job satisfaction relationship. Data were collected from 808 respondents in multiple industries in a city in China’s northeast. The study found that both positive affectivity and negative affectivity have an effect on supervisor–subordinateguanxiand co-workerguanxi, which supports the proposition that workplaceguanxihas a dispositional source. Supervisor–subordinateguanxihas a positive relationship with job satisfaction, although co-workerguanxiis not significantly related to job satisfaction. The research also found a mediating role of supervisor–subordinateguanxion the affectivity and job satisfaction relationship, which suggests that supervisor–subordinateguanxican extend the influence of affectivity to job satisfaction. Taken together, these results suggest that in a high power distance country such as China, supervisor–subordinateguanxiplays a more important role than co-workerguanxiin influencing job satisfaction. Theoretically, this study suggests the as yet unexplored possibility of dispositional antecedents of workplaceguanxiand the role of workplaceguanxion the relationship between dispositions and workplace attitudes such as job satisfaction.

Keywords

Supervisor–subordinateguanxi, Co-workerguanxi, Job satisfaction, Negative affectivity, Positive affectivity

Enable JavaScript for citation tools and additional paper interactions.