Curious about…Guanxi.
At its most basic, guanxi describes a personal connection between two people in which one is able to prevail upon another to perform a favor or service, or be prevailed upon. The two people need not be of equal social status. Guanxi can also be used to describe a network of contacts, which an individual can call upon when something needs to be done, and through which he or she can exert influence on behalf of another. In addition, guanxi can describe a state of general understanding between two people: “he/she is aware of my wants/needs and will take them into account when deciding her/his course of future actions which concern or could concern me without any specific discussion or request.
What Of It? Guanxi is the concept of relationship-management in China. It’s not about having 700 so-called friends on Facebook, but a network of trusted-sources that you actually use as opposed to collect. It’s deeply personal, analog and well-guarded. As technology encroaches the notion of digitizing guanxi appropriately is something to ponder.
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