Relational governance, guanxi and interorganizational opportunism: a meta-analysis of the moderators

Purpose Existing literature generally recognizes relational governance as the main informal mechanism for managing opportunism. However, how guanxi relates to opportunism and how it compares in effectiveness remain unclear. To address these gaps, this study aims to conduct a meta-analysis to examine both mechanisms and their impacts on opportunism. Design/methodology/approach Based on previous empirical studies, this study systematically reviewed and compared 133 studies, involving 29, 639 interorganizational relationships. Findings The results confirm that both relational governance and guanxi significantly reduce opportunism, with relational governance exerting a stronger negative effect. Furthermore, the focal relationships are moderated conversely by asset specificity and uncertainty, similarly by relationship length and relationship type and by informant’s position, opportunism measurement reference and measurement nature. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first meta-analytic study to clarify the strength of the association between guanxi and opportunism and to compare the effectiveness of relational governance and guanxi in managing opportunism. The findings provide compelling quantitative evidence for the greater effectiveness of relational governance. Furthermore, this study comprehensively examines potential boundary conditions, offering a nuanced explanation for previous inconsistent findings.