Guanxi human resource management practices as a double-edged sword: the moderating role of political skill

Drawing on an expectancy theory framework, we examined the moderating effects of political skill on the relationship between guanxi human resource management practices and employee job performance. Analyses of multisource data from 78 management team supervisors and 286 subordinates indicated that guanxi human resource management practices were negatively related to employee job performance with low levels of political skill, whereas guanxi human resource management practices had a positive impact on employee job performance with high levels of political skill.