Why Chinetworking?

Throughout this blog I'll use the term "Chinetworking" to refer to social networking for business purposes in China rather than just plain old networking. My reason for doing this is that when we use the word networking we bring our own cultural assumptions and understanding of the way networks operate. Even though we may use the term "Chinese Networking" to differentiate social networks in China from social networks in Australia, the modular nature of this linguistic coupling suggests that the underlying network frameworks and purposes remain the same and the main differences are either geographic or lingual. While some macro-level similarities do exist, over the coming weeks I'll be demonstrating just how far removed from Western thought the underlying principles of Chinetworks are.

Another alternative to "Chinese Networking" that is proposed by many authors is "The Art of Guanxi". Guanxi is a tortuously misunderstood concept in English language business literature. In this blog I use Chinetworking to differentiate what I am writing about from a concept that has become a faddish buzzword and an excuse for unethical behaviour or the depiction of the Chinese as corrupt. A further point of differentiation will be the synthesis of Chinese homegrown Guanxi literature with Social Network Analysis frameworks to allow a dynamic exploration of the fundamental differences and similarities between networking in China and the rest of the world.

Over the next few days I will be contrasting the concept of Guanxi as it is seen in the English speaking world, and the concept of Guanxi as seen through the Chinese worldview. Issues that will be covered include "What is the Meaning of Guanxi?", "Is Guanxi Corruption?" and "Does Guanxi Matter?". Where applicable, Social Network Analysis frameworks will be utilised in discussion to illuminate structural similarities and differences between networking and Chinetworking.

This blog is an amalgamation of two topics I am passionately interested in - Chinese culture and social networks.

Since I was a child I've been fascinated by patterns and social structures. Over the years my questions derived from my observations evolved from "Why does everyone want to collect basketball cards when no one plays or watches basketball?" when I was in primary school, to "Why did everyone vote for the beautiful yet vapid girl rather than the intelligent yet plain one when choosing school captain?" in high school.

There was patterns and structures at play that few others seemed to see, comprehend or care about. Everyone was playing the game - they just didn't realise. But what was the game? What were the rules? What was at stake? Why were some successful and others not? How was success defined? Did success in this game really matter? Was everyone really even playing the same game? As someone who spent more than his fair share of time on the outer, figuring out the way society worked seemed especially important at an age when group membership was critical for protection of the developing ego.

A major turning point in my life came at age 17 when I took my first trip to China with three Chinese high school classmates. Up until this point I was aware that the rest of the world did not work the way that Australia did but, as they say, seeing is believing. Here was a country that operated using a social system that seemed as though it would be doomed to failure. It went against everything I had ever learnt about society. It was built from and greased using guanxi. It was absolutely fascinating and terrifying at the same time! It not only turned my assumptions upside down, it threw them out the window of the 20 storey building I was staying in.

That month in China awoke in me a burning curiosity that pestered me throughout my first year of university and so, with the help of some Chinese friends, I arranged a 6 month teaching gig in Anshan in 2005. There were three requirements for the job: Be over 21, hold at least a bachelor degree and be a native speaker. I was an 18 year old native speaker with 6 months of undergrad under his belt who was friendly with the school in Anshan's vice-president. I got the job and learnt that in China, the written rules need not be the ones that matter. China was ruled by relationships.

My experiences in learning the language and culture of China throughout 2005 inspired me to head back to university, change my major to Chinese Language and Culture, and to work on unravelling the mysteries of the East. Like many before me, I became ensnared in what Joe Studwell calls "The China Dream" and have travelled all over China over the past 4 years. I'm now undertaking an Honours Year in the University of Queensland Business School working with Jon Heales, Tim Kastelle and Zhu Yun Xia to explore the mysteries of Chinese social networks using a blend of China's homegrown sociology and western-developed Social Network Analysis.

I'll be using this blog to post my thoughts on topics related to China, Chinese social networks and social networks in general. I'll be exploring answers to the questions that have fascinated me since childhood and the new questions that I ask when I observe the world around me these days. Finally I'll be using this blog to develop my writing skills in preparation for penning my thesis. Feel free to join the ride and offer discussion and advice where you feel fit!