Zhongjian Ren: How to borrow Guanxi to make Guanxi and generate business success in China
August 19, 2010 2 Comments
In an earlier article I discussed the importance of Guanxi to your likely business success in China (http://wp.me/pS6DN-37). Building your Guanxi and social capital is critical. However, unfortunately it is not possible to instantly create Guanxi, which poses a problem if you are new to the business game in China. But the Chinese have a way of navigating around this issue of building Guanxi. As I mentioned in the previous article, it is best to think of Guanxi in terms of a bank deposit, and we all know the adage that you need money to make money…..well we can probably say the same thing for Guanxi: you need Guanxi to make Guanxi. So how do you build Guanxi if you need Guanxi in the first place?
Just as in a normal business setting, you can go to the bank and borrow some money to invest, and eventually make more money. With Guanxi it is the same…..essentially you can borrow someone else’s Guanxi in the short and medium term until your own Guanxi has had time to become established. Instead of borrowing from the Guanxi from a bank, you will borrow the Guanxi from the Zhongjian Ren or ‘the Intermediary’. There is a strong and traditional importance of the Zhongjian Ren or ‘The Intermediary’ in the Chinese business context, and this is a tried and tested method of transferring Guanxi and social capital from one person to another. In a practical sense using Zhongjian Ren is the principle of guaranteeing the quality of a business partner, and putting one’s own Guanxi up as a guarantee of their good standing. The Zhongjian Ren in many cases will continue to play a part in the deal as a formal partner, until a sufficient level of Guanxi has been established. Why does this work? and why Guanxi be transferrable if it is so important?
The answer to these questions are quite simple. When the Zhongjian Ren or Intermediary provides an introduction of one person or business to another person or business, there is a lot of risk involved. If the new party that is introduced behaves poorly, unethically or fails to respect the relationship then this poor behaviour will reflect upon the Zhongjian Ren. This poor reflection is essentially a negative on your level of Guanxi of the Zhongjian Ren. The person or business acting as the Zhongjian Ren loses social capital, if the offence is serious enough the Zhongjian Ren could lose a substantial amount of social capital which will impact severely on their standing and status within the network. This risk that the Zhongjian Ren holds is the reason why they will often be part of the formal deal. If the Zhongjian Ren is not part of the formal deal, there could be another way they can be compensated for the risk they are taking.
This is why Guanxi is transferrable, and how it works. It is the equivalent of a bank guarantee, but instead related to respect, trust and social capital. So if you need to build your Guanxi in order to get a deal done in China, then look for someone to act as the Zhongjian Ren…..Just remember that your behaviour and the deal you strike will reflect upon on the person who has made the introduction. Respect Guanxi and the Zhongjian Ren and you will be well on your way to business success in China.