Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: The diversity and dynamism of Chinese philosophies on leadership
- Part I The Confucian foundations
- Part II Alternative traditional Chinese leadership philosophies
- 3 Daoist leadership: theory and application
- 4 Leadership theory of Legalism and its function in Confucian society
- 5 Strategic leadership of Sunzi in the Art of war
- Part III Modern Chinese leadership theories and practices
- Index
- References
3 - Daoist leadership: theory and application
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 May 2010
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: The diversity and dynamism of Chinese philosophies on leadership
- Part I The Confucian foundations
- Part II Alternative traditional Chinese leadership philosophies
- 3 Daoist leadership: theory and application
- 4 Leadership theory of Legalism and its function in Confucian society
- 5 Strategic leadership of Sunzi in the Art of war
- Part III Modern Chinese leadership theories and practices
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter is in four parts. First, we address the historical and philosophical context of Daoism (or Taoism). Second, we explore the nature of Daoism. Daoism is a philosophical way to understand human existence and the meaning of the universe in relation to human existence. Third, we demonstrate that a Daoist leadership style is distinctive but useful. One of the philosophy's metaphors is of being like water. An example of the use of this metaphor is the description of a water-like leadership style (with attributes which are known as the Eastern or Daoist leadership Big Five – altruistic, modest, flexible, transparent, and gentle but persistent). Also, leading a big organization is like cooking a tiny fish (wei wu wei). Eastern and Western cultures and leadership styles and theories are discussed along with Chinese Daoism. We conclude with practical applications and implications related to Daoist leadership.
Daoist leadership: theory and application
According to Craig Johnson (1999), a Western scholar of Daoist philosophy, Daoist leadership cannot be divorced from the philosophy's underlying world-view. Leaders may decide to adopt only certain Daoist practices. However, they should first be aware that Daoism is a complex, comprehensive, integrated system of beliefs, not a set of unrelated concepts (see Lee, 2003). Daoism seems to speak most directly to a leader's use of power and position.
At the outset, two notes are in order.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Leadership and Management in ChinaPhilosophies, Theories, and Practices, pp. 83 - 107Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008
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