An Empirical Study of the Importance and Uniqueness of Stakeholder Management in China
Affiliation(s)
1 Department of Business and Management, Huizhou University, Huizhou, China. 2 Huiyun Titanim Co. Limited, Yunfu, China.
1 Department of Business and Management, Huizhou University, Huizhou, China. 2 Huiyun Titanim Co. Limited, Yunfu, China.
ABSTRACT
Chinese economic reform in the early 1980s had introduced China modern project management theories and techniques, which had been widely observed in various industries and business sectors ever since. However, empirical studies of project stakeholder practice presented before indicate that Chinese people have learned the definition of modern projects but they give a new definition to project success according to their own working environment [1], and that stakeholder management is one of the areas where major differences between Chinese and Western projects exist. Therefore, understanding the uniqueness of stakeholder relationship in Chinese projects is one of the key factors for project success. This paper a) explores informal relationship among key stakeholders in Chinese projects and b) examines the influences their relationships have on project success in China. The final findings of this paper aim to provide best practice for understanding and managing key stakeholders in Chinese projects.
Chinese economic reform in the early 1980s had introduced China modern project management theories and techniques, which had been widely observed in various industries and business sectors ever since. However, empirical studies of project stakeholder practice presented before indicate that Chinese people have learned the definition of modern projects but they give a new definition to project success according to their own working environment [1], and that stakeholder management is one of the areas where major differences between Chinese and Western projects exist. Therefore, understanding the uniqueness of stakeholder relationship in Chinese projects is one of the key factors for project success. This paper a) explores informal relationship among key stakeholders in Chinese projects and b) examines the influences their relationships have on project success in China. The final findings of this paper aim to provide best practice for understanding and managing key stakeholders in Chinese projects.
KEYWORDS
Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Stakeholder Relationships, Chinese Projects, Project Success, Guanxi
Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Stakeholder Relationships, Chinese Projects, Project Success, Guanxi
Cite this paper
Jing, L. and Jian, Y. (2014) An Empirical Study of the Importance and Uniqueness of Stakeholder Management in China. Open Journal of Business and Management, 2, 298-304. doi: 10.4236/ojbm.2014.24035.
Jing, L. and Jian, Y. (2014) An Empirical Study of the Importance and Uniqueness of Stakeholder Management in China. Open Journal of Business and Management, 2, 298-304. doi: 10.4236/ojbm.2014.24035.
References
[1] Lee, R.E. (2003) It Doesn’t Matter: “Mei Guanxi,” Cultural Difference, and Business Opportunities in the People’s Republic of China. In: Alon, I., Ed., Chinese Culture, Organizational Behaviour, and International Business Management, Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., Santa Barbara, 165-168. [2] Hutchings, K. and Michailova, S. (2004) Facilitating Knowledge Sharing in Russian and Chinese Subsidiaries: The Role of Personal Networks and Group Membership. Journal of Knowledge Management, 8, 84-94. [3] Su, C., Ronald K.M. and Joseph M.S. (2007) Enabling Guanxi Management in China: A Hierarchical Stakeholder Model of Effective Guanxi. Journal of Business Ethics, 71, 301-319.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9140-3 [4] Batjargal, B. (2007) Comparative Social Capital: Networks of Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists in China and Russian. Management and Organization Review, 3, 397-419.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8784.2007.00080.x [5] Morgan, R.M. and Hunt, S.D. (1994) The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 22, 20-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1252308 [6] Pearce, J.A. and Robinson Jr., R.B. (2000) Cultivating Guanxi as a Foreign Investor Strategy. Business Horizons, 43, 31-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0007-6813(00)87385-1 [7] Laaksonen, O. (1988) Management in China during and after Mao in Enterprises, Government, and Party. Walter De Gruyter Inc., Berlin, 378. [8] Ghauri, P. and Fang, T. (2001) Negotiation with the Chinese: A Socio-Cultural Analysis. Journal of World Business, 36, 303-325. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1090-9516(01)00057-8 [9] Wang, X.J. and Huang, J. (2006) The Relationships between Key Stakeholders’ Project Performance and Project Success: Perceptions of Chinese Supervising Engineers. International Journal of Project Management, 24, 253-260. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2005.11.006 [10] Ruane, J.M. (2005) Essentials of Research Methods: A Guide to Social Science Research. Blackwell Publishing, Hoboken. [11] Judgev, K. and Muller, R. (2005) A Retrospective Look at Our Evolving Understanding of Project Success. Project Management Journal, 36, 19-31. [12] Turner, J.R. (2004) Five Necessary Conditions for Project Success. International Journal of Project Management, 22, 349-350. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2004.02.001 [13] Bannerman, P. (2008) Defining Project Success: A Multilevel Framework. Project Management Institute Research Conference, Warsaw, 5-6. [14] Gutiérrez, E. and Magnusson, M. (2014) Dealing with Legitimacy: A Key Challenge for Project Portfolio Management Decision Makers. International Journal of Project Management, 32, 30. [15] Yang, L., Shuai, C. and Ghazanfar, F. (2012) Factor Analysis of the Trust Structure between Owners and Contractors of Construction Projects Based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM): A Case Study in China. African Journal of Business Management, 6, 2152-2161.
[1] Lee, R.E. (2003) It Doesn’t Matter: “Mei Guanxi,” Cultural Difference, and Business Opportunities in the People’s Republic of China. In: Alon, I., Ed., Chinese Culture, Organizational Behaviour, and International Business Management, Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., Santa Barbara, 165-168. [2] Hutchings, K. and Michailova, S. (2004) Facilitating Knowledge Sharing in Russian and Chinese Subsidiaries: The Role of Personal Networks and Group Membership. Journal of Knowledge Management, 8, 84-94. [3] Su, C., Ronald K.M. and Joseph M.S. (2007) Enabling Guanxi Management in China: A Hierarchical Stakeholder Model of Effective Guanxi. Journal of Business Ethics, 71, 301-319.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9140-3 [4] Batjargal, B. (2007) Comparative Social Capital: Networks of Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists in China and Russian. Management and Organization Review, 3, 397-419.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8784.2007.00080.x [5] Morgan, R.M. and Hunt, S.D. (1994) The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 22, 20-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1252308 [6] Pearce, J.A. and Robinson Jr., R.B. (2000) Cultivating Guanxi as a Foreign Investor Strategy. Business Horizons, 43, 31-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0007-6813(00)87385-1 [7] Laaksonen, O. (1988) Management in China during and after Mao in Enterprises, Government, and Party. Walter De Gruyter Inc., Berlin, 378. [8] Ghauri, P. and Fang, T. (2001) Negotiation with the Chinese: A Socio-Cultural Analysis. Journal of World Business, 36, 303-325. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1090-9516(01)00057-8 [9] Wang, X.J. and Huang, J. (2006) The Relationships between Key Stakeholders’ Project Performance and Project Success: Perceptions of Chinese Supervising Engineers. International Journal of Project Management, 24, 253-260. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2005.11.006 [10] Ruane, J.M. (2005) Essentials of Research Methods: A Guide to Social Science Research. Blackwell Publishing, Hoboken. [11] Judgev, K. and Muller, R. (2005) A Retrospective Look at Our Evolving Understanding of Project Success. Project Management Journal, 36, 19-31. [12] Turner, J.R. (2004) Five Necessary Conditions for Project Success. International Journal of Project Management, 22, 349-350. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2004.02.001 [13] Bannerman, P. (2008) Defining Project Success: A Multilevel Framework. Project Management Institute Research Conference, Warsaw, 5-6. [14] Gutiérrez, E. and Magnusson, M. (2014) Dealing with Legitimacy: A Key Challenge for Project Portfolio Management Decision Makers. International Journal of Project Management, 32, 30. [15] Yang, L., Shuai, C. and Ghazanfar, F. (2012) Factor Analysis of the Trust Structure between Owners and Contractors of Construction Projects Based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM): A Case Study in China. African Journal of Business Management, 6, 2152-2161.