Taoism and its model of traits of successful leaders

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims at building up a comprehensive framework for integrating existing leadership theories from the perspective of Taoism, the well-known oriental philosophy, characterized by a dialectic thinking system. With sufficient evidence demonstrated, it argues that a Taoism-oriented model of leadership offers a complementary lens, through which leadership insights can be deepened, and may serve as an effective tool for adaptive leaders in a world where change is the only constant. Design/methodology/approach -Through an in-depth analysis of the principles of Taoism, and the concepts of leadership studies, it establishes a Taoism-oriented model of leadership to integrate the current major schools of leadership studies. Findings -The model of traits of successful leaders based on Taoism has satisfactorily solved the conflicts between different perspectives of leadership studies and provided a dynamic framework to guide leaders to keep up with the organizational changes.Research limitations/implications -The paper is only a rudimentary one that needs further exploration: for example, when external contexts of leadership are introduced, the current model would appear, in different patterns, to accommodate greater contextual complexities. Practical implications -The model of traits of successful leaders based on Taoism will contribute to a greater understanding of an organization for different leadership styles. It will potentially serve as an effective tool for the selection of appropriate leaders for an organization and for building up an effective leadership team to accommodate the rapid changes of the organization. Originality/value -This paper is an initial attempt to bridge leadership studies of east and west via the perspective of Taoism, which contributes to an integrating framework to accommodate different schools of leadership studies.

Project Management Yinyang: Coupling project success and client satisfaction

“…Yinyang theory is a fundamental principle in Taoism (Bai and Roberts:2011). Taoism emphasises a holistic study of the universe and provides a strategy for dialectic investigation of all subjects (Bai:2008, Feng:2004, Zhang:1992.…”

Culture and Gender in Leadership

“…Another major Chinese cultural tradition is Taoism. This is based on the belief that the universe is ruled by two equally powerful forces, yin and yang, which are also manifested in human societies and organizations (Bai & Roberts, 2011;Fang, 2010). When these forces are in a harmonious balance, goodness ensues; if the balance is broken, evil surges (Rarick, 2009).…”

Leadership and Virtue Ethics

“…Unethical leadership might be rewarded by temporary economic success, but will eventually be punished by institutions and society in the long run. The Daoist virtue ethics framework has been utilized for thousands of years in China as a guide for selecting and cultivating leaders (Bai and Roberts 2011). Hence, it is worthwhile to investigate this approach and to explore the logic of this ancient wisdom that was once believed to be a universal model of virtuous ethics (Bai 2008(Bai , 2012.…”

“…The virtue ethics associated with successful leaders will be elaborated in the following sections in the hope of providing some insights for modern studies of virtue ethics and leadership. oriental holistic dialectic philosophy: daoism Daoism (Dao) is the main philosophy underlying Chinese culture and civilization (Bai and Roberts 2011;Lao Tzu 2006). Although it embraces several distinct disciplines, Dao is widely accepted as "the universal way" or "the absolute truth," based on its exploration of the origin and rules of the universe and humankind (Jin 2005;Liu 2006).…”

“…The yin and yang forces depend on each other for existence-neither of them can exist without the other. The cycle of the universe keeps going from yin to yang and from yang to yin, but each new stage increases in magnitude (Bai and Roberts 2011).…”