An Examination of the Role of Lian (Face) in Mainland Chinese Business Practices

This dissertation examines the roles of the Chinese concepts of face and guanxi and their linkages to trust and business practices. Chinese and western business practices have developed within their relevant historical environments and differences in cultural values, specifically one element of face (lian), can be determined that affects the conduct of cross cultural business interactions. Several researchers have investigated the characteristics and symptoms of Chinese societies and organizations but few have examined the specific issue of the importance of the elements of face in the conduct of business in China. This dissertation examines face to determine the extent to which this essentially Confucian concept applies in the Chinese business milieu. The dissertation shows that face continues to be of high importance in Chinese society and business practices. The research shows that there is a direct linkage between lian and mianzi and that lian is perceived to be more important than mianzi. Lian and mianzi engender trust but there are differences between younger and older people in the perceptions of the importance of lian and mianzi and the linkages between lian, mianzi, and the other Chinese cultural values of guanxi and xinyong. The results of the study resulted in previously unreported findings on the relationships between lian and mianzi, and established that mianzi depends on lian. The study provided support for previously reported (but unsupported by analysis) findings by Chinese researchers on the relationships between mianzi and guanxi. The study confirmed previous findings by other researchers on the existence of two components of face. Implications for education and business are discussed including that western businesspeople are at a disadvantage when negotiating with Chinese businesspeople. The conclusions could be of benefit to leaders and managers in both China and the West.