The ethics of talent management practices in China, exploring the role of guanxi in talent recruitment and talent development

Abstract

This paper explores talent management (TM) ethics in China, specifically examines the role of Chinese guanxi in TM practices. Guanxi in the Chinese business context has been widely acknowledged amongst Western academics and business managers, and there is a growing literature on TM and its ethics. However, guanxi-related behaviours and ethical issues arising from TM practices' operation have been overlooked but need to be addressed. This paper explores the roles of guanxi in talent recruitment and development with views of talent management ethics. Fifteen interviews were conducted in a case company to explore how guanxi factors impact its talent recruitment and development activities. The roles of guanxi are analysed based on the ethics of elitist talent management. This paper also identifies several ethical dilemmas related to guanxi in TM practices. This paper recommends that TM practitioners take account of guanxi effects to discuss TM ethics in China's context.