Examining the mechanisms linking guanxi, norms and knowledge sharing: the mediating roles of trust in Taiwan's high-tech firms

We adopt social capital theory to develop a conceptual model and examine the interactive relationships among guanxi, norms, trust and knowledge sharing. Most importantly, we discuss interpersonal relationships in the context of Chinese culture and apply it as a guanxi. This study aims both to build three dimensions of social capital and investigate their precise association with knowledge sharing. To test the model, we use data collected from 253 effective questionnaires in Taiwan's high-tech industries. Our results show that (1) guanxi, norms and trust positively influence knowledge sharing; (2) guanxi and norms positively influence trust; (3) trust mediates guanxi and knowledge sharing; (4) trust partially mediates norms and knowledge sharing. These findings could be useful in academic fields and practical applications. We also construct a theoretical model of guanxi, trust and norms for future research.