Mao Zedong Taught Us the Ways to Learn Management

Citation

Yenming, Z. (2009), "Mao Zedong Taught Us the Ways to Learn Management", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 169-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506140910963666

The Hexagon‐façade of a People's Leader

Recently I got hold of a book entitled Mao Zedong Taught Us the Ways to Learn Management (Máo Zédōng jiāo wo˘men xué guănli˘) edited by Zhang, Yong and Liu, Qiming (; Zhāng Yo˘ng, Liú Qi˘míng), published by the Chinese Communist Party History Press, Beijing (; Zhōnggòng dăngshi˘ chŪbănshè 2003). A reading of this book enables me to understand more profoundly the formation of Mao's power of leadership from a Chinese perspective.

The editors take a managerial approach to examining the sources of the capacity of management, and the power of influence, of Mao Zedong, the then paramount leader of the Chinese people from 1949 to 1976. This appears a new approach because it helps readers understand the leader through looking at the ways he led people, using his personal and philosophical power, rather than through a traditionally political or ideological point of view. As such, the editors have compiled the book with revealing chapters: “the qualities of qualified managers” “the art of decision‐making in management” “the art of management in a political organization” “the art of managing cadres” “the art of managing the Chinese state” “the art of managing the national economy” “the art of managing diplomacy” “the art of managing education, science and technology, literature and art” “the art of managing the army” “the art of managing relatives and people around him” “the art of managing social affairs” and “Mao's management styles”. The selection of topics shows that the editors are presenting to readers the key aspects of management in which Mao Zedong demonstrated his managing power. This makes it a lot easier for Chinese researchers and managers, as well as those of various cultural backgrounds, to explore the source of management theories and to understand the applicability in practice to given situations.

One conspicuous characteristic of this book is its use of first‐hand materials the editors collected and collated with the help of the Archives of the Party History. The articulation of key points under each of the topics is supported by pertinent examples, specific descriptions of historic events, and interesting anecdotes, thus making the reading enjoyable and inspiring. Hence, the book is popular in China among organizational leaders, researchers, commanders in the army, and professionals.

It is worth pointing out that management (; guănli˘) and leadership (; li˘ngdăo) are synonyms in Chinese. To be more specific, from a Chinese point of view, management overarches leadership, with the latter included in the domains of management. In the Chinese language, management means what a leaders does, while leadership is usually referring to a leading position, the title of the position, or the style of the leader. This is different from a western perception which distinguishes management from leadership. Hence, readers may perceive the term of management in the book as referring to leadership of Mao Zedong in his handling all kinds of people and dealing with various situations or historic events.

Another key word is art seen in almost all the topics. From a Chinese perspective, management is an art; the effectiveness of one's management lies in the artistry of his using personal styles, for example, the ex‐Premier Zhou Enlai's art of management (; Zhōu Ēnlái de guănli˘ yìshù). In the west, perceptions of management and leadership have developed into three perspectives:

1. 1.

   leadership is an art, as in Tead's (1935);

2. 2.

   leadership is a science, as it requires trans‐disciplinary researches in psychology, sociology, etc. and the development in new sciences, like Wheatley's (1999); and

3. 3.

   leadership is both an art and a science, as in Nahavandi's (2002).

Introducing these contrasting perspectives may help readers appreciate the typical Chinese understanding of management while being aware of the limit of the Chinese perspective.

The book starts with introducing Mao as a person, and ends with elaborating Mao's styles. Born in China, I grew up during Mao's times and highly regarded him as people's leader (; rénmín li˘ngxiù); teaching and doing research in management and leadership, I find this book valuable because it contributes to the understanding of a great leader in the academia of management studies. Categorizing the topics of the book, I form a hexagonal façade with six aspects (at least) accounting for Mao's greatness namely:

• •

  As a person. Mao Zedong won people with his charisma. He was extremely outstanding in being optimistic, courageous, ingenious, prudent, thrifty, self‐restraint, etc.

• •

  As a philosopher. Mao led the Chinese leaders in his times to integrate Marxism with the local situations of establishing and developing socialism in China. His philosophic works such as On Contradiction, On Practicing, and so forth are still guiding people's and cadres’ thinking in their personal and organizational lives.

• •

  As a poet. Mao's poems, comprising shi (; shī) and ci (; cí), have been part of the modern Chinese literature, and of the textbooks in schools. The traditional styles of verse and evocative language have been inspiring people and representing a standard of mastering the Chinese language in scholarly writing.

• •

  As a prophet. Mao was able to foresee and foretell historic events to take place in China and in the world in about 100 years. He being so visionary, a good number of his prophesy has come true during and after his times.

• •

  As a military strategist. He was the commander who had directed the greatest number of battles, campaigns, and reached the highest rate of victory in his half‐century revolutionary life. His most influential warfare theories include “people's war” (; rénmín zhànzhēng), and those articulated in On Protracted War (; Lùn chíjiû zhàn), and On Guerrilla Warfare (; Lùn yóujī zhàn).

• •

  As a people's leader. The people in his times and beyond have regarded Chairman Mao as their leader (; rénmín li˘ngxiù). Reciprocally, he took people as the sources and dynamics of creating history (; rénmín cái shì chuàngzào lìshi˘ de zhēnzhèng dònglì).

I remember seeing the structure of his wooden bed in a local place in China for his stay while making inspection tours in the years from 1950s to 1960s: the bed was not level but tilting toward the side against the wall. This design was intentionally catering for him to pile books along the inside area (about one‐third) of the bed – Mao had a habit of leaning inwardly to read in bed after a long day of work.

The Chinese people still regard him a well‐read philosopher and charismatic leader who embodied thoroughly the Chinese spirits. After more than 30 years of his times, the influence of Mao's leadership is still prevailing across China and around the world. The Chinese people are aware that China's rising and her national renaissance (; mínzú fùxīng) relies on their inheriting the heritages from Mao Zedong. Dr Kissinger admires Mao as an ingenious leader overwhelming of all, and when accompanying the then American president Nixon to meet Mao Zedong in Beijing in 1972, he heard the president saying, out of respect, “you have changed the world”.

Since, researches in the academia in China on management (and leadership) are not systematic yet, this book has been an incredible contribution, and is highly recommendable for scholars interested in Chinese management studies.