Rules for Sino-Western or Sino-Japanese leaders of leaders
- Develop a serious interest in understanding the background of the
post-modern Chinese people you work with and around. Read
about their history and current circumstance. Ask questions and
ask for help in understanding. - Show an authentic interest in the values of your Chinese associates.
- Learn to communicate at a deep level by sharing your understand-
ing of values and explaining that for you surface-level stereotypes
get in the way and tourist-level conclusions are displeasing. - Build the required level of cross-cultural trust by showing that
you can be an ‘‘outsider’’ who can be treated as an ‘‘insider.’’ Treat
your Chinese associates as unique individuals who have their own
families. - Attempt to share network leadership with your Chinese colleagues
using the shared network leadership (SNL) practices. - Learn the difference in leadership expectations between you and
your associates. - When in China try to do things that are compatible with the
modern Chinese way and be a cordial guest.
Clearly, four research-based leadership models dominate the post-
modern scientific literature in China and America: paternalistic lead-
ership (modern father–son Confucianism), transactional leadership
(reward and punish), transformational leadership (ministering to
subordinates) and sharing network leadership (developing trust with
many networks of colleagues). All have been researched in both
Chinese and American organizations as well as in many organizations
in other countries. For summaries of research, see Chen and Lam
( 2007 ), Fahr and Cheng ( 2000 ), Graen and Graen ( 2006 ), Northhouse
( 2001 ), and Yukl ( 1998 ).
In Chinese organizations, research has shown that the American
transformational leadership style does not work in China without first
achieving the conditions for sharing network leadership (Wanget al.,
2005 ) and that Graen’s theory of leadership predicts organizational
citizen behavior (OCB) in both China and the United States (Hackett
et al., 2003 ).
Linking Chinese leadership theory and practice to the world 291