ABSTRACT
There are some widely divergent views about China today, and about the kind of leadership that President Xi Jinping is providing. Given that Xi has often emphasized the abiding relevance of Confucius, I consider some of the insights that Confucius may offer us with regard to leadership focusing on the liberal outlook inherent in his works. I argue that from a Confucian perspective leadership is best understood as something that is accountable, responsible, and decentralized. Understood in this way, Confucian leadership is at odds with Xi's approach to leadership. I suggest some practical steps that business leaders in China may take to mitigate the challenges that they face. Some problems can also be understood as a kind of cultural clash. With that in mind, insight and hope can be drawn from Roy Chua's research where he explains some of the practical value that can be gained when Western leaders develop deep cultural knowledge about China, and include in their approaches “authentic” and “values-based” leadership that have been influential in the Western corporate world in recent decades is relevant.
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There are some widely divergent views about China today, and about the kind of leadership that President Xi Jinping is providing. Given that Xi has often emphasized the abiding relevance of Confucius, it is worth considering some of the insights that Confucius may offer us with regard to leadership. In so doing, I focus here on the liberal outlook inherent in his works. I argue that from a Confucian perspective leadership is something that needs to be accountable, responsible, and decentralized. Understood in this way, Confucian leadership is at odds with that of Xi. When Chinese and Western business leaders seek to develop partnerships, it is safe to say that some of the challenges that they face result from a kind of cultural clash. And with regard to those particular challenges, insight and hope can be drawn from Roy Chua's research. As Chua explains, there is much of practical value that can be gained when Western leaders develop deep cultural knowledge about China. Nonetheless, business leaders in China also face difficulties that are attributable to Xi Jinping and the kind of system that he and the Party have created. In the Western corporate world, “authentic” and “values-based” approaches to leadership have been ascendant in recent decades, both of which emphasize the importance of telling the truth. In today’s China, such approaches are best taken under advisement. But consistent with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s wisdom, it may be realistic to expect leaders to at least refrain from telling falsehoods.
