Editorial Essay

Contextualization for Theoretical Contributions: Three Approaches in Management Research
Chenjian Zhang

Abstract
This editorial essay introduces three approaches for advancing management research through contextualization in Chinese management research. While the Chinese context offers fertile ground for theoretical contributions, scholars often struggle to effectively leverage contextual elements to extend existing theories. I address this gap by presenting three approaches: the counter-intuitive approach, which challenges established assumptions by identifying relationships that contradict conventional wisdom; the contrasting approach, which reveals paradoxical or opposing effects of organizational phenomena across different contextual conditions; and the theory integration approach, which combines different theoretical perspectives to create richer understanding of organizational phenomena. Using published works on guanxi and social networks as examples, I demonstrate how these approaches help scholars articulate why the Chinese context matters theoretically. These approaches provide researchers with tools to move beyond simply testing Western theories in China toward making substantive theoretical contributions that extend and enrich existing management theories through contextualization.
Keywords
China, contextualization, guanxi and social network, theoretical contribution, theory integration

Perspective

University Education Reform and Entrepreneurship
Charles Eesley, Xiaocong Tian, Delin Yang, and Yong Suk Lee

Abstract
This study examines how university curriculum reforms that increase course selection flexibility influence entrepreneurial outcomes. Departing from traditional emphasis on educational attainment, we explore how institutional changes in education shape entrepreneurial tendencies among alumni. Leveraging a reform that removed constraints on course selection at a major university, we find that increased educational choice significantly fosters entrepreneurship. Our analysis reveals partial support for the moderating effects of individual, family, and spatial factors: the positive impact of these reforms is contingent on the type of electives and courses taken, with stronger effects observed among alumni with entrepreneurial parents, those born in urban areas, and those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. These groups leverage specific course patterns to align their educational choices with entrepreneurial aspirations, enhancing their likelihood of pursuing entrepreneurial ventures. However, these findings also underscore the potential for educational reforms to exacerbate inequalities, disproportionately benefiting those with preexisting advantages. By integrating insights on institutional changes, course-taking patterns, and individual moderators, this study advances understanding of the interplay between education and entrepreneurship, offering implications for designing more equitable educational policies.
Keywords
careers, education, entrepreneurship, institutional theory, occupations

Regular Articles

Partner Repeatedness and Alliance Reconfiguration
En Xie, Xuehao Gao, Huahua Li, Jingyu Bi, and Charles Stevens

Abstract
This study examines how partner repeatedness drives alliance reconfiguration. Using data on 571 fund products initiated by 58 Chinese fund firms from 2007 to 2011, our results indicate that higher levels of partner repeatedness drive firms to reconfigure their alliance by re-introducing previous partners (those that have collaborated with the focal firm in the past, but not currently), rather than dropping active partners or introducing new ones, in an attempt to retain the positive aspects and mitigate the negative effects of partner repeatedness. However, resource richness and firms’ centrality in their industries play a key moderating role, as these factors affect the perceived efficacy of the reconfiguration strategies at firms’ disposal.
Keywords
alliance, alliance reconfiguration, centrality, partner repeatedness, partner resources

Family Ownership and Digital Transformation: The Role of Family Formal Business Networks and Next-Generation Dispersion
Wai Wai Ko, Shihui Chen, Gordon Liu, Bingde Wu, and Nan Jiang

Abstract
Digital transformation presents a crucial strategic imperative for family businesses seeking to maintain competitiveness and long-term viability. The academic literature reveals divergent perspectives on how family businesses approach digital transformation initiatives. This study adopts a socioemotional wealth perspective to examine the relationship between family ownership and digital transformation. The research specifically investigates how family formal business networks and next-generation dispersion moderate this relationship. Analysis of panel data from Chinese listed family firms between 2016 and 2020 reveals that family ownership negatively influences digital transformation efforts. However, this negative effect diminishes when family firms participate in formal business networks or involve multiple next-generation members in leadership positions. These findings yield important theoretical contributions regarding the intricate relationships between family dynamics and technological advancement. The research also provides practical insights for family business leaders navigating digital transformation challenges. This study advances understanding of how different dimensions of socioemotional wealth shape family firms’ strategic responses to technological change.
Keywords
digital transformation, family firms, formal business networks, next-generation dispersion, socioemotional wealth

Special Issue on ‘New Technology and OB/HRM in China’

Introduction Essay

New Technology and OB/HRM in China: Digital Methods for Organizational Research
Ning Li, Kai Chi Yam, Wei He, and Helen Hailin Zhao

Abstract
The digital transformation of Chinese companies offers a new frontier for organizational research. Widespread use of workplace platforms creates rich archives of unobtrusive data, providing continuous, real-time insights into organizational life that traditional surveys cannot capture. The central challenge for scholars is turning this data abundance into meaningful theory. This special issue highlights three studies that meet this challenge by using innovative methods to convert granular data into valuable knowledge. The papers employ digital-context experiments, real-time behavioral tracking, and machine-learning-assisted theory building to study phenomena from interpersonal dynamics to crisis productivity. Looking ahead, we explore the potential of unstructured multimodal data and new AI tools to make complex analysis more accessible. We conclude with a research agenda calling for methodological rigor, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a firm balance between technological innovation and theoretical depth.
Keywords
artificial intelligence, big data, China, digital methods, human resource management, organizational behavior

My Leader Sent Me a 😊: The Influence of Leader Smile Emoji Usage on Follower Attitude
Shenming Liu, Mingpeng Huang, Dong Ju, Zhiying Shi, and Minya Xu

Abstract
Digital technology enables employees to communicate with each other via virtual platforms. Emoji, particularly smile emoji, has received significant attention in virtual communication research. Drawing upon expectancy violation theory, we propose that in digital communications with followers, leader smile emoji usage has a positive effect on follower satisfaction with leader through perceived leader intimacy. In addition, leader smile emoji usage has a negative effect on perceived leader effectiveness through decreased perception of leader power. We further propose that the effects of leader smile emoji usage hinge on follower power distance orientation such that the negative effects of leader smile emojis usage are more pronounced for followers with high versus low power distance orientation. An experiment and a field study supported our hypotheses. Our research sheds light on the benefits and potential pitfalls of smile emoji usage in leader–follower digital communication.
Keywords
leader effectiveness, leader intimacy, leader power, leader satisfaction, power distance orientation, smile emoji

Sail Through the Rough Seas: Trajectories of Employee Work Productivity in Times of Crisis and Boundary Conditions
Jingzhou Pan, Yueting Ji, Wenrui Cao, Yan Li, and Jasmine Hu

Abstract
Although crisis events have become increasingly frequent in recent years, few studies have examined the changes in employees’ work productivity across different stages of a crisis. To advance theory and research on crisis, we investigated the temporal patterns of employees’ work productivity before, during, and after a crisis event. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources Theory, we proposed that employees’ work productivity undergoes a substantial decline during a crisis, which will gradually slow down over time. We further examined the moderating roles of leader–member communication frequency and organizational tenure, positing these factors as critical in shaping productivity trajectories during crisis adaptation. We analyzed data from 342 team members and 69 team leaders within a high-tech off-campus tutoring company, and our findings substantiated the hypothesized productivity change patterns and boundary conditions. To complement the quantitative analysis, we conducted a qualitative study to unveil the underlying psychological mechanisms driving these changes. Our research contributes to the crisis management literature and offers insights into managing employee productivity during times of crisis.
Keywords
crisis, leader–member communication frequency, organizational tenure, uncertainty, work productivity

Revisiting the Paradoxes of Knowledge Diversity and Network Structure for Team Innovation: A Machine-Learning Inductive Study
Xin Gao, Jar-Der Luo, Song Wang, and Peter Ping Li

Abstract
Team innovation is nurtured by the combination of team members’ diverse knowledge and collaborative teamwork. Previous research predominantly assumed a linear interaction between knowledge diversity and network density in predicting team innovation. A pivotal question arises: How do varying levels of knowledge diversity and network density interact to influence team innovation? To address this complex question, we conducted a machine-learning inductive study, leveraging its ability to uncover curvilinear interactive patterns between knowledge diversity and network density in fostering team innovation. We collected comprehensive, multisource data from 1,883 teams within a prominent high-technology firm in China over a four-year period from 2014 to 2017. The results indicate that knowledge diversity and network density exhibit a curvilinear interactive effect on team innovation. The two factors reinforce each other in the initial stage and foster peak innovation with an optimal balance at a medium-to-high level. Beyond this threshold, however, the two factors begin to restrain each other’s effectiveness. Consistent with the perspective of yin-yang balancing, this study deepens our understanding of the paradoxical joint effects of knowledge diversity and network density on team innovation.
Keywords
algorithmic induction, knowledge diversity, machine learning, network density, team innovation, yin-yang balancing