Or more broadly: a contemplation East vs West management Philosophy. This too, is a reflection of my personal heritage (third culture kid banana).
This post was triggered by this immensely interesting interview by egon zehender with ed Schein (that popped up on my linkedin feed. He happens to be the biographer of my former workplace’s management strategy.)
As a consensus builder, I recognise, and take pride in my strength to bring people together - acknowledging and communicating trade offs where possible.
Through career choices, I have similarly been exposed to model (and successful, in its own right) western MNCs (Siemens, P&G…), which I have ingested as the status quo example of success.
However, (and deliberately, I might add), I’ve started to familiarise with the eastern approach (i.e. Chinese) of management. A pursuit worth exploring to sate my curiousity.
Especially as I’ve no doubt in the mind that the rapid ascent of Asia in recent times can be attributed to a strong work ethic, iron leadership, an emphasis on education, and the resultant gains.
How is this so? Which is right? and which is wrong?
My interpretation of the blend east and west, and its implications on management and leadership can be seen through several lenses. I have found it largely consistent with my inquiry into universal truths and its necessary balance.
Parallels to Political philosophy
The same political philosophy applies. As a Singaporean, I believe that competency, benevolent dictatorships can result in immense progress. Not without its downsides, of course, but efficient and effective in its own right.
But the democractic aversion towards authoritarianism taints the narrative of such systems.
In principle, I am happy to take direct orders from geniuses.
Dealing with differences
Contrarian peers who are inclined to free thought have asked me in the past - why I rarely face direct conflicts with my boss, despite clearly having my own mind.
While theres a part of me that is disposed to harmony (docile), i’ve reflected that the role of the subordinate is to feed leaders with the best information and to make some form of assessment. As long as the information is acknowledged, and even if the leadership decides a different direction to my personal assessment - I will accept the path (so long as they are of the character to not throw their subordinates under the bus - i’ve been blessed in this respect)
Speed vs Risk
This confers speed - but on the flipside, indecisive leaders (equally applies to business and politics) can be unreasonable. Again - its a balance of taking action against waiting for more and more information. And in a VUCA world - there is simply no “best” information out there.
Balancing Act of Authority and Democratisation
So, how does one carefully balance the speed and decisiveness of authoritariansim, with the slower approach of humilty and open-mindedness?
I liked some of Ed Schein’s examples, which I’ll attempt to summarise as:
- Authoritarianism to bring hard choices to the table;
- Democratising decisions when theres flow (and not micromanaging);
- Intervening to force people into their discomfort zones. You can force people against their inclinations (at times, requiring people, teams, organisations to step out of their comfort zone), and enforcing the environment of learning, change and transformation.
Confronted with truths, one hopes that the transformation will occur organically.
Parallels to constructing serendipity
I draw parallels towarsd my general attitude towards goal setting in life.
That is: final outcomes are by definition difficult and too opaque to plan well. But forcing calculated risks (and again, getting out of the comfort zone) has resulted in unplanned opportunities and growth. and I have to trust and not over-control what happens once I’m in that environment.
Conclusion
So I conclude with a style I hope to better understand in management philosophy:
- Being clear minded and authoritiarian to construct the enablers for transformation
- Believing and not over engaging in the learning process, the organic developments, the luck, the acceptance of the resultant tensions and mistakes - as part of the journey towards a true transformation.