The traditional Chinese philosophies in inter-cultural leadership

Li Lin,Peter Ping Li,Hein Roelfsema

doi:10.1108/ccsm-01-2017-0001

Abstract

PurposeAs the global presence of Chinese firms grows, increasing numbers of Chinese managers are working abroad as expatriates. However, little attention has been paid to such Chinese expatriate managers and their leadership challenges in an inter-cultural context, especially across a large cultural distance. To fill the gap in the literature concerning the leadership challenges for expatriate managers in an inter-cultural context, the purpose of this paper is to elucidate the leadership styles of Chinese expatriate managers from the perspectives of three traditional Chinese philosophies (i.e. Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism) in the inter-cultural context of the Netherlands.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this qualitative study were collected via semi-structured, open-ended, narrative interviews with 30 Chinese expatriate managers in the Netherlands.FindingsThe results clearly show that the leadership style of Chinese expatriate managers is deeply rooted in the three traditional Chinese philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism, even in an inter-cultural context. Specifically, the study reveals two salient aspects of how Chinese expatriate managers frame and interact with a foreign cultural context from the perspectives of traditional Chinese philosophies. First, the Chinese expatriate managers reported an initial cultural shock related to frictions between the foreign cultural context and Confucianism or Taoism, but less so in the case of Legalism. Second, the Chinese expatriate managers also reported that their interactions with the Dutch culture are best described as a balance between partial conflict and partial complementarity (thus, a duality). In this sense, the leadership style of Chinese expatriate managers is influenced jointly by the three traditional Chinese philosophies and certain elements of the foreign cultural context. This is consistent with the Chinese perspective of yin-yang balancing.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to offer a more nuanced and highly contextualized understanding of leadership in the unique case of expatriate managers from an emerging market (e.g. China) in an advanced economy (e.g. the Netherlands). The authors call for more research to apply the unique perspective of yin-yang balancing in an inter-cultural context. The authors posit that this approach represents the most salient implication of this study. For practical implications, the authors argue that expatriate leaders should carefully manage the interplay between their deep-rooted home-country philosophies and their salient host-country culture. Reflecting on traditional philosophies in another culture can facilitate inter-cultural leadership training for Chinese expatriates.

Highlights

In recent decades, China’s global presence has continued to expand, and an increasing number of Chinese managers are working abroad and collaborating with local employees
As the economic relationships between China and the western world deepen, more Chinese managers are working in developed countries (Leung, 2014), which raises the question of whether Chinese managers are prepared for inter-cultural leadership
28 leaders (93 percent) revealed behaviors aligned with Confucianism, 21 leaders (70 percent) exhibited behaviors consistent with Taoism, and 28 leaders (93 percent) described leadership behaviors that were consistent with Legalism

Summary

Introduction

China’s global presence has continued to expand, and an increasing number of Chinese managers are working abroad and collaborating with local employees. When people with different work styles, attitudes and cultural values interact, challenges arise (Choo et al, 2009). As the economic relationships between China and the western world deepen, more Chinese managers are working in developed countries (Leung, 2014), which raises the question of whether Chinese managers are prepared for inter-cultural leadership. Because global capital flows have been dominated by early foreign direct investment flows from North American and Western European companies, much of the literature has concentrated on cultural differences as a critical challenge to the effectiveness of western expatriate managers working in emerging economies, especially in Asian emerging markets. Less attention has been paid to expatriate managers from emerging economies who work in developed western countries (Wright et al, 2005)

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