If these two systems could or not be compared we should first lay out some definitions.
The social system is represented by people or groups of people. It is a social structure that refers to entities or groups of people that are definitively in relation to each other by having different functions, characteristics, origin or status. A social system is comprised of interdependent set of cultural and structural elements understood as a unit. Sociology is the study of human social behavior and especially the study of the origins, organizations, institutions and development of human society.
The economic system encompasses the production, distribution or trade of goods and services and consumption by different individuals, businesses, organizations, or governments. Economy as a study deals with the production and consumption of goods and the transfer of wealth and explains how people interact within markets to get what they want or how they accomplish certain economical goals.
To understand if the systems are comparable or not we should probably dig even more and try to outline also the basic differences between socialism and capitalism.
Showing posts with label philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philosophy. Show all posts
Qi–energy–leadership
In search for describing the Chinese term Qi (氣) I found: Ki in Japanese, Prana or Shakti in India, Gi in Korea, Ka in ancient Egypt, the ancient Greeks called it Pneum, for native Americans it was the Great Spirit, in Africa it’s known as Ashe and in Hawaii as Ha or Mana and the list is not yet complete.
In all those old philosophies, Qi expresses the life force which animates the forms of the world. It is the vital energy or circulating life force that is thought to be inherent in all things. A living being is filled with it. A dead person has no more Qi - the warmth, the life energy is gone. The Egyptian described the same concept very similarly. A living person has the Ka and in a dead one Ka left the body. They also believed that the Ka was sustained through food and drink. This is then the reason why food and drink offerings were presented to the dead. In traditional Chinese medicine, Qi is believed to regulate a person’s spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance. A healthy individual has more Qi than one who is ill. However, health is more than an abundance of Qi. Health implies that the Qi in our bodies is clear rather than polluted and turbid; it is flowing smoothly like a stream and does not appear to be blocked or stagnant.
In martial arts (or acupuncture) the capacity to perceive the flow of Qi or to actually see or feel it, is something that can be cultivated through Qi Gong training. During the practice one cultivates the capacity to perceive Qi on different levels. It seems like a potential to be yet expressed. One could say it is like fullness and/or emptiness (compared to yin and yang concept) when we perceive ourselves and the world around as fluid and spacious. In those concepts it is not just experiencing our body to be comprised of patterns and flows of Qì, but we also get to understand that ‘emotions’ and ‘thoughts’ are forms of energy. When a person understands this concept, it is possible to control and deviate the opponent’s energy with our own. Posing the question “Have you ever tried to pick up a child or a dog who did not want to be lifted?” Joe Hyams offers the result: “They both seem to be heavier—this is because the mind is truly a source of power, and when a mind and body are coordinated, Qi manifests itself.”
But Qi is more than the above. It is also the life energy one senses in Nature, the vibratory nature of any phenomena, the flow and tremor that is happening continuously at molecular, atomic and subatomic levels. The Earth itself is also moving, transforming, breathing, and alive with it.
In all those old philosophies, Qi expresses the life force which animates the forms of the world. It is the vital energy or circulating life force that is thought to be inherent in all things. A living being is filled with it. A dead person has no more Qi - the warmth, the life energy is gone. The Egyptian described the same concept very similarly. A living person has the Ka and in a dead one Ka left the body. They also believed that the Ka was sustained through food and drink. This is then the reason why food and drink offerings were presented to the dead. In traditional Chinese medicine, Qi is believed to regulate a person’s spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance. A healthy individual has more Qi than one who is ill. However, health is more than an abundance of Qi. Health implies that the Qi in our bodies is clear rather than polluted and turbid; it is flowing smoothly like a stream and does not appear to be blocked or stagnant.
In martial arts (or acupuncture) the capacity to perceive the flow of Qi or to actually see or feel it, is something that can be cultivated through Qi Gong training. During the practice one cultivates the capacity to perceive Qi on different levels. It seems like a potential to be yet expressed. One could say it is like fullness and/or emptiness (compared to yin and yang concept) when we perceive ourselves and the world around as fluid and spacious. In those concepts it is not just experiencing our body to be comprised of patterns and flows of Qì, but we also get to understand that ‘emotions’ and ‘thoughts’ are forms of energy. When a person understands this concept, it is possible to control and deviate the opponent’s energy with our own. Posing the question “Have you ever tried to pick up a child or a dog who did not want to be lifted?” Joe Hyams offers the result: “They both seem to be heavier—this is because the mind is truly a source of power, and when a mind and body are coordinated, Qi manifests itself.”
But Qi is more than the above. It is also the life energy one senses in Nature, the vibratory nature of any phenomena, the flow and tremor that is happening continuously at molecular, atomic and subatomic levels. The Earth itself is also moving, transforming, breathing, and alive with it.
Leadership by Virtue background
A common conclusion of all studies on our cultures is that we are definitely different. This is not really a great contribution but rather just a common knowledge. And this conclusion is what mostly challenged me. To successfully lead people you need to find what binds the people together and not what separates them.
Within globalization processes people that are now to work together do not come only from the same cultural background but were raised also in different cultures. And leaders are to take into consideration this new dimension, while, due to current perpetuating crisis, at the same time dealing with finding a way, a fresh and new leadership approach. And the stress should be put on the change of leadership practices and not only on a repainting of current ones. To introduce a new approach to leadership, the book “Leadership by Virtue” takes a different venue - a way that brings Far-East concepts into Western approaches and entangles both.
The “Leadership by Virtue” approach is not about the instruction on how and what to do. It is rather a complex interlinked method to change oneself first. Accordingly, it is not ‘externally oriented’, as the case is in most of the Western culture’s way of management or leadership methodologies. Here the book takes more Far-East tactic and is dedicated to ‘internal self’.
Within globalization processes people that are now to work together do not come only from the same cultural background but were raised also in different cultures. And leaders are to take into consideration this new dimension, while, due to current perpetuating crisis, at the same time dealing with finding a way, a fresh and new leadership approach. And the stress should be put on the change of leadership practices and not only on a repainting of current ones. To introduce a new approach to leadership, the book “Leadership by Virtue” takes a different venue - a way that brings Far-East concepts into Western approaches and entangles both.
The “Leadership by Virtue” approach is not about the instruction on how and what to do. It is rather a complex interlinked method to change oneself first. Accordingly, it is not ‘externally oriented’, as the case is in most of the Western culture’s way of management or leadership methodologies. Here the book takes more Far-East tactic and is dedicated to ‘internal self’.
I Decided to Give My Book Away for Free
With a myriad of cultures in multinational corporations, research into leadership has been endless, yet not very conclusive. An old friend of mine posed me the question on leadership: “Could you please enlighten me in understanding how to lead a multi-cultural team?” So far we were pleasantly talking over a drink on a nice and warm summer morning. At the time I had no idea to offer. It initiated a long period of my research at the end of which I published the book “Leadership by Virtue”.
It was no easy matter. Four decades ago, IBM tried to unify corporate culture in her subsidiaries all over the world. Geert Hofstede carried out a world-wide survey on employee values with a very informative and demonstrative result. Based on his approach, Turner pointed out the problem of international projects and claimed that “when working on international projects we need to understand the approaches of different cultures to be able to work with people and predict behaviors, and not to give and take offence”. More researchers followed the same topic. A common conclusion of all those studies is: “we are definitely different”. And this conclusion is what bothered me the most. It is a common knowledge. To successfully lead people you need to find what binds the people together and not what separates them.
My research goal was to support the idea that, at their core people are similar no matter where they come from. The new leadership approach should follow these principles. This is why I aimed to find at which level we are “the same!”
It was no easy matter. Four decades ago, IBM tried to unify corporate culture in her subsidiaries all over the world. Geert Hofstede carried out a world-wide survey on employee values with a very informative and demonstrative result. Based on his approach, Turner pointed out the problem of international projects and claimed that “when working on international projects we need to understand the approaches of different cultures to be able to work with people and predict behaviors, and not to give and take offence”. More researchers followed the same topic. A common conclusion of all those studies is: “we are definitely different”. And this conclusion is what bothered me the most. It is a common knowledge. To successfully lead people you need to find what binds the people together and not what separates them.
My research goal was to support the idea that, at their core people are similar no matter where they come from. The new leadership approach should follow these principles. This is why I aimed to find at which level we are “the same!”
Dào (Dao, Tao) – the Way
In my blogs I have been using a term Dào (Dao, Tao) and would like to share with you my understanding of the meaning of the concept.
Dào is usually translated as way, road, channel, path, doctrine, or line. Chinese language is a tonal language so we must not confuse Dào with Dǎo, although for us it sounds the same. The latter, Dǎo, has an entirely different meaning: to lead, to transform, to guide, to conduct and or to direct.
There are some who would like to believe that Dào is a sort of ultimate creator, a God? It is not. God interferes with people and things, Dào never does. It is said that he who pursues Dào does less day by day. Less and less is done until nothing is done at all; when nothing is done at all, nothing is left undone. This is the fundamental difference between God and Dào – there is no interference when Dào is in concern. At the same time we should understand that Dào in Daoism can have dual meaning. One is religious and the other philosophical. The understanding and use of Dào in my book Leadership by Virtue is the latter.
Dào is usually translated as way, road, channel, path, doctrine, or line. Chinese language is a tonal language so we must not confuse Dào with Dǎo, although for us it sounds the same. The latter, Dǎo, has an entirely different meaning: to lead, to transform, to guide, to conduct and or to direct.
There are some who would like to believe that Dào is a sort of ultimate creator, a God? It is not. God interferes with people and things, Dào never does. It is said that he who pursues Dào does less day by day. Less and less is done until nothing is done at all; when nothing is done at all, nothing is left undone. This is the fundamental difference between God and Dào – there is no interference when Dào is in concern. At the same time we should understand that Dào in Daoism can have dual meaning. One is religious and the other philosophical. The understanding and use of Dào in my book Leadership by Virtue is the latter.
Leadership dilemma
What made Apple so successful and a very good place to work? ”The lack” of bureaucracy within projects, engineer-focused corporate culture, emphasis on passionate and loyal employees, the huge company has maintained the corporate culture from the start-up days, said Bianca Males in ‘8 Management Lessons I Learned Working at Apple.’ Is that all?
John Harvey-Jones claims: “If a company is successful, it is due to the effort of everyone, but if it fails, it is because of the failure of the board. If the board fails, it is the responsibility of the chairman, notwithstanding the collective responsibility of everyone.” This is a better, but still not an all-encompassing answer.
John Harvey-Jones claims: “If a company is successful, it is due to the effort of everyone, but if it fails, it is because of the failure of the board. If the board fails, it is the responsibility of the chairman, notwithstanding the collective responsibility of everyone.” This is a better, but still not an all-encompassing answer.
Two sides of the same coin
What constitutes to be a superior leader? F. Marcos said: Leadership is the other side of the coin of loneliness, and he who is a leader must always act alone. And acting alone, accept everything alone (brainyquote). So, is it a head or is it a tail?
My lessons from “the other side of a coin” started when, together with my sons, we decided to go to the Mount Kilimanjaro. My decision had nothing to do with Kilimajaro being the biggest free standing mountain in the world or because it is the tallest mountain of the African continent and not even because it bares my name in it. I joined the idea because it was my long lived dream since the times I lived in Africa.
To climb the summit of 5.895 m in eight days via Lemosho route had to be planned well in advance as we were not physically fit for such a challenge. For months prior to the challenge we have been successful at climbing and trekking to each and every hill or mountain available to us in Slovenia. After Kilimanjaro I realize that it was not the trekking of more than 70 km or freezing temperatures that we have underestimated. It was “the other side of a coin.”
High altitude and lack of oxygen proved to be subjected to our naivety in thinking that climbing such a mountain is only a physical challenge. Slow walk, introduced by our guides from the ANDA African Adventure, at the beginning of our tour seemed ridiculous to us, but each succeeding day on the mountain proved that it was the only compulsory physical possibility for success.
My lessons from “the other side of a coin” started when, together with my sons, we decided to go to the Mount Kilimanjaro. My decision had nothing to do with Kilimajaro being the biggest free standing mountain in the world or because it is the tallest mountain of the African continent and not even because it bares my name in it. I joined the idea because it was my long lived dream since the times I lived in Africa.
To climb the summit of 5.895 m in eight days via Lemosho route had to be planned well in advance as we were not physically fit for such a challenge. For months prior to the challenge we have been successful at climbing and trekking to each and every hill or mountain available to us in Slovenia. After Kilimanjaro I realize that it was not the trekking of more than 70 km or freezing temperatures that we have underestimated. It was “the other side of a coin.”
High altitude and lack of oxygen proved to be subjected to our naivety in thinking that climbing such a mountain is only a physical challenge. Slow walk, introduced by our guides from the ANDA African Adventure, at the beginning of our tour seemed ridiculous to us, but each succeeding day on the mountain proved that it was the only compulsory physical possibility for success.
China’s history and culture impacting Leadership - 3
The third
example I would like to share with you is the historical novel Three Kingdoms, written in the tradition
of the Spring and Autumn Annals which are attributed to Confucius. The
historical novel of the Three Kingdoms is so important because it describes China ’s
tradition of political culture and the struggle to define its political form,
transporting the reader from the highest councils of dynastic power to the
lowest fringes of society, from the capital and key provinces to the edges of
the empire and beyond. The novel offers a startling and unsparing view of how
power is wielded, how diplomacy is conducted, and how wars are planned and
fought. The novel has in turn influenced the ways that the Chinese think about
power, diplomacy, and war. It is a tale of China
itself in its infinite variety.
While
‘preserving moral judgment’ in every turn of phrase the novel marks the ‘rise
and fall of kingdoms’ in a grand sweep of time. The novel has added to this
tradition by reaching the broadest possible public with its message. This
challenges a reader to reflect on how his own conduct measures up to the
standards of loyalty and filial piety as they are fulfilled or betrayed in the
novel. As Jiang Daqi said in the preface to the novel ‘merely to read it but
not apply [its lessons] vigorously in one’s own life, is inferior to [real]
study.’
China’s history and culture impacting Leadership - 2
The second
example from China’s history for an outstanding leadership can be taken from
the novel: Journey to the West. The main
character is Sūn Wùkōng, Brother Monkey or Great Sage. The narrative uses a lot
of symbolism and is based on the Daoist philosophy. Brother Monkey represents
the heart and resides in fire, which is a fifth Daoist element. He was born
from a stone and acquired supernatural powers through Daoist practices on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, which is the source
of yīn and yang. The whole settlement and the place represent the Daoist theory
of five elements where the other four are: Fruit and Flowers represent wood,
Water Curtain where Brother Monkey hides refers to water, Iron-Plated Bridge leading to his camp refers to metal, and Rocky
hill refers to earth.
China’s history and culture impacting Leadership - 1
In this
and the next two blogs I will try to shed some light on the topic of how one
should behave and what one should aim for to be a successful and superior
leader. Here I will take it from a non-Western perspective – from China ’s history
that is quite rich and could be the source of potentially broader viewpoint in
today’s (mostly western) leadership methodologies.
I begin
with a story Outlaws of the Marsh. The
main character Sòng Jiāng, the descendant of a landowner's family, nicknamed
Timely Rain, was a clerk of the county magistrate’s court in Yuncheng. He was
especially adherent to playing with weapons and adept at many forms of
fighting. At the same time he had a reputation for being extremely filial and
generous in helping those in needs. He helped anyone who sought his aid, high
or low, making things easy for people, solving their difficulties, settling
differences, saving lives, even providing his guest with food and lodging in
the family manor. And so he was famed through the province
of Shandong and Hebei . However, in silence he suffered in
the face of the arbitrariness and corruption of the imperial justice system.
Martial arts philosophy
Better
sweat in practice than bleed in battle (Wǔ Shù wisdom)
The combats
and strategies were a constant topic through the human history. In China only
there are seven important military texts. First is from worldwide well-known Sun
Zǐ, (The Art of War), the next are from general Wèi Liáozi (The Art of War),
Wú Qǐ (The Art of War),
Sīmǎ Fǎ (The Marshal's Art of War or The
Methods of the Sīmǎ Fǎ), the legendary figure Jiāng Zǐyá (Six Secret Teachings), general Zhang Liang (The Three Strategies of Huáng Shígōng), and finally: Questions and
Replies between emperor Táng Tàizōng and general Lǐ Wèi Gōng. The texts were practically canonized
under the name “The Seven Military Classics” already in 11th century,
and were later on included in most military encyclopedias. In military spheres
it was as important as Confucius’s work is for the bureaucrats.
Better spend three years looking for a good master than ten years training with a bad one (Wǔ Shù wisdom)
In China a
philosophy does not come only from the country’s rich culture but also from
martial arts. The keystone in Chinese philosophy is a strong humanism that became
a focus of numerous Chinese philosophers throughout the ages. This humanism
does not imply exclusion or indifference to a supreme powers and the nature.
Instead, the general conclusion goes towards the unity of human and ‘heaven.’
This spirit of synthesis has characterized the entire history of Chinese
philosophy.
A range of
similarly motivated philosophical doctrines is covered by Daoism. Two great
philosophical systems of China stand alongside: Daoism and Confucianism. Somehow
less influential and less important to the development of Chinese culture are ‘the
School of Mo’ and ‘the School of law’. The latter was a utilitarian political
philosophy that did not address higher questions like the nature and the purpose
of life. Both of them evolved at about the same time as Confucianism and Daoism during the
‘Spring and Autumn Period’ (770–476 before our era), and ‘Warring States
Period.’
Gong Fu (drinking) tea
The traditional way or the Chinese method of
tea making is called gōng fu chá or meaning
“making a tea with great skill or great efforts.” It is
as much about escaping the pressures of life for a few moments as it is about
enjoying every drop of a tea.
Corporate governance in multicultural organization
Corporate governance refers to the issues
associated with the way corporations are structured, managed and operated. The
use of the term “corporate governance”, the evolution of the concept and what
it entails has started in the early 1980’s.
Among the first was the Cadbury Committee. They defined the purpose of corporate governance in 1992 namely, as a set of processes, customs and policies that frame the business of the company and help manage the subsidiaries. This is then operationalized in a uniform method through administered or controlled directives.
The most quoted and referred to document in
this field is the OECD principles corporate governance. OECD defines it as a
set of relationships between a company’s management, its board, its
shareholders, and other stakeholders. Corporate governance also provides the
structure through which the objectives of the company are set. The means of
attaining those objectives and performance monitoring are determined. So, the
main recommended principles are stated as rights and equitable treatment of
shareholders, interests of other stakeholders, role and responsibilities of the
board, integrity and ethical behavior, disclosure and transparency.
Control and Reward
“People work predominantly for a reward”. Many
MBA students hear and then use in order to control workers’ performance.
Motivation is an enigmatic thing. In different
types of organizations managers all around the world struggle to motivate
employees to get the best out of them.
And this is a crucial activity on all levels of an organization.
Being a boss does not necessarily mean being a
good leader or motivator. There are countless examples reporting intolerable
task masters, or ultimate micro-manager, or even horrid manager thus creating
a horrible work environment... and the list goes on and on. This kind of a boss
is definitely not favored by employees and no motivation comes from him/her.
Instead, workers are deeply demotivated by injustices, emptiness of demands,
inconsistencies, lack of transparency, self-importance, arrogance, superiority,
miss-communication, or even management incompetence. They just try to survive. Still,
some of these bosses climb the current Forbes 400 list.
“The Way” of Leadership
Dào – the Way and Confucianism
Although Dào literally means ‘a way’ or one of
its synonyms, the meaning was extended to mean ‘the Way.’ And this term,
variously used by many Chinese philosophers such as Confucius, Mencius, Mò Zǐ, and Han Fei Zǐ, has a special meaning within the
context of Daoism, where it implies the essential, unnamable process of the
universe.
Daoism is traditionally traced to the mythical
philosopher Lǎo Zǐ , the ‘Old Master’ to whom the text Dào Dé Jīng has been attributed.
Dào Dé Jīng is translated as ‘The Classic/Canon of the Way/Path and the
Power/Virtue,’ the title was generally used from the Tang dynasty period
(618–905).
And the Daoism philosophy owes more to Zhuāng Zǐ (4th century BE) the
author of the core texts of the Chinese way of thinking known as ‘Daoism.’
Zhuāng Zǐ is traditionally credited as the author of at least part of the work,
the one bearing his name, the Zhuāng Zǐ.
English: Analects, by Confucius. Östasiatiska Museet, Stockholm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Confucianism principles are based on the
written work The Confucian Analects (Lún Yǔ) ‘found’ by Confucius who lived two
thousand and five hundred years ago. The
Chinese language does not use the word Confucianism, instead it is called Rú
Jiāo meaning ‘scholar’ and ‘teach.’
Nonverbal – body language and Leadership
There are
two types of people—those who come into a room and say, “Well, here I am!” and
those who come in and say, “Ah, there you are.”(Frederick L. Collins)
Communications are verbal but, equally, if not more important, are those
that are non-verbal. This accounts to between 50 to 70 percent of all
communication – facial expression, eye gaze, gestures, and tone of voice. The
way you listen, look, move and react lets other people know whether or not you
pay attention, if you are being truthful, and how well you are listening.
Martial arts are based predominately on non-verbal communications. Once
I asked my teacher: “Shifu, when two great martial arts masters meet how do
they recognize who is better?”New @
Almost three
years ago (April 2010) I have made a real lengthy dream of mine to come thru –
to write a book. But not any book. A book about my two passions: Leadership and
Martial arts. It was the time of my visiting exchange to the Xi’an
Technological University as a professor. Both professors at
the Economic & Management College of Xi’an: Chunqing and Gang during my teaching and researching at first did not understood but later on grasped my thoughts and research intentions. The aim was to use Martial Arts
doctrines based on two fundamental Chinese philosophies Daoism and Confucianism
for Leadership. They helped me in grasping through long talks the ideas behind
those two philosophies. At that time I didn’t know yet what would follow … Ok,
I’ll tell this in ensuing blogs.
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