Confucian foundations to leadership: a study of Chinese business leaders across Greater China and South-East Asia

Abstract

This study examines the degree to which Confucian ideology is evident in the practices of modern Chinese business leaders. Based on a review of the literature, the study uncovers evidence of four historical influences: Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism along with one modern influence, Communism. In relative terms, Confucianism is the most dominant ideological influence and the one that most distinguishes the fundamentals of Asian business leadership from those of the West. A conceptual model of the archetypal Confucian business leader is developed and then applied to the content analysis of a recent biographical database of 200 Chinese business leaders. Four exemplars of Confucian leadership in the modern business context are described, one each from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia/Singapore. It is proposed that this study has scholarly and pedagogical implications, including demonstrating the relevance of traditional Asian thought to extend Western-centric theories of leadership and identifying Asian leadership exemplars to enhance current business school curricula.