Business Leadership Development in China

Contemporary research into leadership has moved its focus from the individual leader to issues of leadership in an organizational and societal context. Current research is concerned not only with the characteristics which define a leader but with how leadership manifests itself in organizations, in part by individual leaders but also through interaction with members of the organization. Leadership may thus be regarded as distributed or shared and not particular to one individual. A further development, espoused by the authors, has been increasing interest in implicit theories of leadership, that is, ‘the assumptions managers make, albeit not consciously, that shape the way they understand, interpret and react to situations’ (Ren et al., p. 11). Such assumptions are regarded as important because they underlie how managers consider people and the world in general. The assumptions held by managers consequently have a bearing on how they behave and act, and are formed by cultural values and norms. The study of leadership thus depends on an understanding of both the cultural and organizational context in which managers and leaders operate. In line with much current thinking on management development the authors expose the limitations of development programmes based on external providers and courses. Especially with regard to emerging leaders they identify the benefits of selfdevelopment whereby the onus of development is placed on managers themselves. Individual managers determine the structure and content of their own development and integrate it with their present and future career demands and aspirations. Much of the content of this self-development is represented by the actual work managers do, supplemented by observation, reading and self-reflection, and possibly mentoring and explicit feedback. Business Leadership Development in China is a well researched and insightful investigation into the impact on senior and especially middle managers of the fundamental economic changes China has been undergoing since the late 1970s. One major consequence of the economic transformation has been the need to make available a sufficient and suitably qualified body of managers. More than that, the book discloses the personal conflicts generated by the tensions between the new economic imperatives and traditional cultural values. Chapter 1 sets the scene for the book, outlining its main themes, the authors’ analytical perspective and the methodology adopted to collect data from Chinese managers. Conceptually, the main topic is driven by implicit theories of leadership and a focus on self-development by managers themselves. Furthermore the authors aspire to contribute to both theory and practice of self-development. The next four chapters underpin the main topic of self-development. Chapter 2 reviews the traditional sources of Chinese thinking on leadership, including the contemporary revival of Confucian ideas, and underlines the significance of concepts such as harmony and cohesion in interpersonal relationships. Chapter 3 discusses implicit theories of leadership in the Chinese context, emphasising how leaders have changed over time in terms of both nature and expertise. The tension between rapid economic transformation and lagging societal and individual adaptation has resulted in Chinese managers being subjected to conflicting and paradoxical demands. Chapter 4 supplements the mainstream literature on leadership by including a discussion of the challenges of leadership in China from the perspective of local leaders. One key conclusion from this chapter is that leadership needs to be appropriate for the continuous change affecting the economic and consequently the societal environment. Chapter 5 reviews the practice and experience of managerial development in China, exposing its quantitative and qualitative limitations. Management development is still in its infancy in China and development organised by companies and other organisations has proved incapable of developing sufficient numbers of managers as required by the economy. In addition, much of the content of such courses is either inadequate or inappropriate and the overall focus is on senior rather than middle managers. On the positive side, continuous learning is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and in today’s China