Legalism Leadership

Among the various theories of Chinese indigenous leadership, the importance of legalism ranks second only to Confucianism. Fa Jia (the legalistic school) originated during the Warring States period (403-222 BC) and its main ideas were refined in the cultural context of Confucianism, although its content is in many ways in direct opposition to Confucianism. For more than 200 years, the Chinese people have experienced war as their daily reality, and a legalistic approach to trying to control people`s worst impulses – controlling people through the threat of severe punishment for injustice – would have been the best way to deal with the chaos. Shang Yang`s legalism dealt with everyday situations, but also extended to how to behave in wartime, and he is credited with the tactic of total war, which allowed the Qin state to defeat other warring states in order to control China. Liao WK (1939-1959) The Complete Works of Han Fei Tzu: A Classic of Chinese Legalism. Arthur Probsthain, London, 2 volumes Hwang KK (1995) The Struggle Between Confucianism and Legalism in Chinese Society and Productivity: A Taiwanese Experience. In: Hwang KK (ed.) Easternization: socio-cultural impact on productivity. Asian Productivity Organization, Tokyo, pp. 15–46 Legalistic discourse is experiencing a resurgence under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, with journalists reporting his penchant for Chinese classics, alongside Confucianism, including legalistic writers and especially Han Fei, both of whom Xi considers relevant.

[318] [319] [320] Han Fei gained new notoriety with positive quotes. A Han Fei phrase quoted by Xi has appeared thousands of times in Chinese state media at the local, provincial and national levels. [321] A key word in Xi`s reforms is «governing the state according to law» (simplified Chinese: 依法治国; traditional Chinese: 依法治國; Pinyin: yī fǎ zhì guó), with the initial emphasis on the application of discipline for party and government officials. [57] During the Qin Dynasty, all books that did not support legalistic philosophy were burned, and writers, philosophers, and teachers of other philosophies were executed. The excesses of legalism of the Qin Dynasty made the regime very unpopular with the people of the time. After the fall of Qin, legalism was abandoned in favor of Confucianism, which significantly influenced the development of Chinese culture. Do you have problems with legalism? If so, what lesson have you learned from this list that will make you a better leader? Cheung CK, Chan ACF (2005) Philosophical Foundations of Leadership of Important Chinese CEOs in Hong Kong. J Bus Ethics 60(1):47–62 This chapter reorganizes Hanfei`s leadership theory from a social science perspective and explains its implications for contemporary Chinese society. It begins with a brief biography of Hanfei and the origins of his thought. His theory of leadership is then presented as a formal theory and its meanings are explained in relation to modern organizational theories. Based on Hwang`s (1995; 2001) analysis of the deep structure of Confucianism, a conceptual framework is proposed to illustrate the dialectical relationship between Hanfei theory and Confucianism. Finally, the functioning of the enterprise and the state in Taiwan are used as examples to explain how this conceptual framework can be used to study Chinese organizational behavior.

Since a company can develop its corporate culture by taking advantage of the cultural heritage resource in which it resides, this chapter traces the historical origins of Confucianism and legalism, discusses their theories of leadership and organization, offers a conceptual diagram to compare the five main aspects of Confucianism and legalism, and uses it. interpret the cultural dynamics of certain historical episodes. A critical review of previous research has shown that most of the issues related to the establishment of business ethics in contemporary Confucian societies can be interpreted in the context of the current conceptual scheme. Hwang KK (2008) The Leadership Theory of Legalism and its Function in Confucian Society. In: Chen CC, Lee YT (eds.) Leadership and management in China: philosophies, theories and practices. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 108-142 Huang LJ, Snell RS (2003) Turnaround, corruption and mediocrity: leadership and governance in three state owned enterprises in Mainland China. J Bus Ethics 43(1–2):111–124 Han Fei`s use of Wu-Wei may have been derived from Taoism, but his Tao emphasizes autocracy («Tao does not identify with anything but himself, the ruler does not identify with ministers»). Sinologists such as Randall P.

Peerenboom argue that Han Fei`s shu (technique) is arguably more of a «practical principle of political control» than any state of mind. [125] [79] However, Han Fei begins by advising the ruler to remain «empty and silent.» The one who murders the sovereign and takes his state. does not necessarily climb difficult walls or knock on doors or gates with bars. He can be one of the ruler`s own ministers, gradually restricting what the ruler sees, restricting what he hears, taking control of his government and taking command, owning the people and taking over the state. [6]: 97 [14]: 359 [172][173]: 170 With the intention that his dao (mode of government) would be both objectively and publicly projectable,[14][14] Han Fei argued that disastrous results would occur if the ruler made arbitrary and ad hoc decisions based on relationships or morality that are «peculiar and fallible» as a product of reason. Li or Confucian customs and government are also simply too inefficient. [73] [157] [158] The manager cannot act on a case-by-case basis and must therefore establish a comprehensive system that acts through Fa (administrative methods or standards). The Fa is not biased towards nobles, does not exclude preachers, and does not discriminate against ordinary people.

[158] Because of these truths, Crawford Loritts, as senior pastor, makes me a better leader and gives me a competitive edge. He recently taught our Church «The Silent Mortal Question of Christianity – Legalism.» None of us want to be a legalistic leader, and Crawford`s sermons have enlightened me in this area. So much so that I knew I had to convey his thoughts to you. Shen Buhai never attempted to articulate the natural or ethical foundations of his Fa (administrative method), nor did he provide metaphysical reasons for his method of appointment (later called «Xing-ming»),[285][286] but later texts do. The Huang-Lao Boshu factory founds Fa and Xing-Ming in Taoist Dao. [285] The reason I am discussing the authority of the position is that the . Mediocre leaders. These mediocre rulers at best don`t reach the level of Yao or Shun [sages], and at worst, they don`t behave like [arch-tyrants] Jie or Zhou.