The Chinese 49The following are some key traditional Chinese values with
persistent modern echoes.
Confucianism
As early as 1958, historian Joseph R Levenson, in the
classic Confucian China and its Modern Fate, explored
the degree to which the intellectual and political ideals
of traditional Confucian China were transformed by
Maoism (despite the Chairman’s penchant for quoting
from Confucian classics). Levenson is still well worth
reading; boiling down his thick volumes to a paragraph is
impossible. Suffice it to say that Levenson and many since
have observed that Confucian stress on the importance
of calm, social order, strong leadership, clear hierarchies
and moral example continue to affect Chinese culture,
despite many transformations in the understanding of
those concepts.
Some believe that the tendency to revere tradition and
authority in Confucian values precludes Western-style
democracy in China; many have noted that relatively
authoritarian governments prevail throughout the Confucian-
influenced world, from Korea to Singapore and beyond.
Taiwan’s flamboyant and sometimes troubled democracy
may be the exception that proves this observation.
From a business standpoint, it is worth remembering that a
cultural tendency to authoritarian leadership (and parenting)
styles means most Chinese have grown up expecting to
be told what to do, micromanaged,
and discouraged from criticising
superiors. If you don’t actively
and thoughtfully encourage
Chinese team members to take
initiative and offer opinions,
they most likely won’t. Efforts
to boost China’s innovative
capacity by shifting toward
educational systems that encourage critical thinking are
starting to change this among young Chinese, but such
change comes slowly.
As a manager, you may enjoy the
quiet and seeming respect with
which Chinese employees allow
you to hold forth at meetings, but
you will likely be more effective
if you find ways to mobilise their
talent and local knowledge. For
more on this, see Chapter Nine,
on doing business in China.