Integration of East and West Perspectives Using Yin/Yang as a Lens
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This document discusses integrating Eastern and Western perspectives of management and seeking wholeness. It begins by outlining some key differences between Eastern and Western thought, such as being principle-based versus tools/processes-based, and having a long-term versus short-term time horizon. Yin and yang are presented as representing balance and wholeness through opposing yet complementary forces. Examples of integration are provided, such as combining Western medicine with traditional Chinese medicine. The document advocates that organizations seek wholeness by accepting both/and instead of either/or mindsets and bringing together opposing views dynamically over time.
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Integration of East and West Perspectives Using Yin/Yang as a Lens
- 1. Demise of western management thought is near! Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 2. INTEGRATION OF EAST/WEST PERSPECTIVES Using Yin/Yang as a Lens Wendy Tan Founding Partner Flame Centre www.flamecentre.com Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 3. Objectives of Session: 1. Share Reflection and Research on integration of West/East thinking in seek of wholeness 2. Exchange perspectives on this topic Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 4. 3 Questions •What is the East/West dichotomy? •How can East and West engage each other to have wholeness? •What are the examples of East/West integration? Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 5. Western Management Thought Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 6. DIS… Enchantment Empowerment Engagement
- 7. Rising Confidence of Asia From being Factory of the World to now an Innovator
- 8. ‘Business’ in Chinese is ‘生意’ (pronounced as Sheng Yi) Which means “Meaning of Life” Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 9. Eastern/Chinese Management Thought Lao Zi 36 Strategies
- 10. Tao Zhu Gong’s Business Principles 12 Golden Standards Be a good judge of character Be customer oriented Be single-minded Be captivating in your sales promotion Be quick to respond Be vigilant in credit control Be selective to recruit only the best Be bold in marketing your product Be smart in product acquisition Be adept in analyzing market opportunities Be a corporate model Be far-sighted in developing a total business plan
- 11. Western Hero Chinese Hero Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 12. Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 13. Western Notion of Exercise Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 14. Chinese Notion of Exercise Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 15. West East Commonalities Focus on what works Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 16. What is the East/West dichotomy? West East/Chinese • Metal • Water • Consumptive • Restorative • Competitive • Harmony • Concrete, tools, • Philosophical, processes principle based • Black and white; hard • Flexible, soft • Highly rational • Mixture of logic and relationship • Direct • Indirect • Legalistic • Relationship • Shorter term • Longer term Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 17. Exercise 1: At your table groups, define the east/west dichotomy in management/organizations. You can define according to time horizon, creativity, control, empowerment, relationship, leadership, decision making, structure, flexibility, images and etc. vs. West East Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 18. Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 20. Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 21. In Search of 圓滿 (yuan man) Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 22. Exercise 2: Pick up an image that represents WHOLENESS to you. Share with your Partner for 3 mins: - Your image of WHOLENESS - Describe 1 experience of WHOLENESS Share at your table group for 10 mins. Identify one image/story to share to all. Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 23. Perhaps the role of OD is to seek wholeness in organizations and balance productivity with humanity. Peter Block Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 24. How can East and West Engage Each Other in Seek of Wholeness? Yin-Yang as a Representation of Wholeness • Co-existence of opposite but complementary forces • Always shifting in seek of balance • In the shift from imbalance to balance, energy is created • This energy is life or progress Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 25. What does Balance mean? When balance is placed as a scale, it means: When 1 is up, the other is necessarily down. When 1 wins, the other loses. It is also static and short term. Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 26. Is Balance 50:50? Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 27. A Different Notion of Balance Balance is circular and dynamic. At any one time, 1 force is stronger than the other (70:30). This imbalance requires the other force to emerge to achieve balance. Balance is achieved OVER time in the longer term. This imbalance and rebalancing also gives energy, Chi and life. Wholeness is the coming together of the opposing forces. Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 28. Examples of East/West Integration vs. Western Medicine TCM Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 29. Examples of East/West Integration Confront vs. Avoid Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 30. Examples of East/West Integration Process run People vs. People run Process Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 31. The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. - F Scott Fitzgerald Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 32. Exercise 3 1. What are some examples of integration you have seen or experienced in organizations? 2. What are some examples of integration you have seen or experienced in your personal lives? Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 33. I Relationship Work We Business Life Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 34. The Key: wareness of Dynamics cceptance with Non Judgment ction with Wisdom Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 35. OD Practitioners… Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
- 36. By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; And third by experience, which is the bitterest. - Confucius
- 37. Thank You! Join the Conversation at http://chinesemanagementthought.blogspot.sg/ Wendy_Tan@flamecentre.com 65-98804782 Copyright of Flame Centre 2012
Editor's Notes
- Thank you for joining me in this session. This is the headlines on the Business News - Demise of Western Management Thought is Near!How many of you think that’s true?How many of you don’t? This is a statement made by an OD guru, my mentor Peter Block. He says that western management thinking is tearing communities apart, with its relentless focus on results and efficiency.Western management thought has reigned primacy in modern business for the last 80 years. With the economic crisis in Europe and US, along with the increasing importance and confidence in Asia, there is a quiet search for alternatives. Does this mean that western management thought will die? I don’t think so, but I think this age calls for (click)
- Integration of East and West Perspectives. I will use the Yin/Yang as a lens to examine these.
- So the objective of this session is to share my reflection and research on the coming together of the east/west thinking. This is work in progress and by no ends a definitive version of east/west integration. I also want to draw on your collective wisdom and have us learn from everyone in the room. Is this good for everyone? Thanks.
- In this session, we will focus on three questions:
- This is a typical process in many organizations.Leaders define the strategy, key priorities are assigned to the different depts, KPIs are defined. Dept objectives are divided and cascaded into individual objectives. We set SMART goals about these objectives, then we measure obsessively.Western management thought tries to control the future by reducing the whole to parts, and then managing parts of it. This is a mechanistic and reductionistic approach. The singular focus on results and numbers also leads to imbalance in the system, people are like a digit in a large machine doing their little role and sometimes this feels disempowering and limiting (though there is a rational reason for this way of management).
- In our interactions with clients, several spoke about theirDisenchantmentDisempowermentDisengagementThe image of this painting came to me “The scream”, it’s about the despair and the impending insanity of how work can become. This is a story related by a MD of a mid-sized MNC, every year the management starts with the objectives and targets, we work like mice on the treadmill to meet the numbers, we achieve the numbers. Next year we start all over again. We are like machines within a large machine.
- There has to be a better alternative, a game worth playing. With the rise of Asia, there is increasing attention to our own heritage. China alone has 5000 years of history and has much to offer.
- Business is a means of life.Business does not take a life of its own.
- LaoZi: talks about man in harmony with nature. 36 strategies shows the sophiscation of the Chinese mind and the multi-layers of meaning in what is said.
- Similarly Tao Zhu Gong is one of the earlier Chinese persons who has articulated his notion on doing business.This is what he says…(find story of Tao Zhu Gong).
- Has anyone watched western movies of heros? Rambo, Terminator. Typically, they are muscular, big and tough. What about Chinese movies of heros? Yip-Man, Chen Zhen.Typically they are lean, nimble and lithe. The classic is the battle between Yip-Man and the Boxing King from the west. The image of west – tough like mental, the image of east – soft like water.
- Whilst we acknowledge the commonalities in these two perspectives, they remain different. Here are some illustration of East and West characteristics.
- Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da VinciBlend of art and scienceRelate man to natureHuman body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe
- A circle is a representation of wholeness in Chinese thinking, because there is no start or end. Interestingly a triangle is a representation of separation, a triangle has a wide base with a sharp tip below, representing the masses or employees, and the leaders at the top.
- Let’s try a simple exercise. Push two hands against each other with equal force. What happens? No movement. Exert quite a bit of energy.Feel tired with no results.
- Breathing exercise
- This is a personal example. Last Dec I was seriously ill, the doctor said I could have died from multiple organ failure if I had gone to the hospital later. In fact, parts of my body died, my nails stopped growing. I can tell because you can see the dent in my nails. I was given 11 types of antibiotics to keep me alive. I was in hospital for 11 days, ICU is 3 days. At that moment, western medicine provided the drastic antidoct to fight the bacteria. Thankfully it worked. I came out of the hospital on new year’s eve. My energy level was 10% of before. I was easily tired and just couldn’t resume my usual activities. My kids were happy because I couldn’t scream at them. I was wondering, now that I am out of hospital, the bacteria is gone, I should resume back to normal but I could not. I went to see the dr again, he said, the hospital treatment was just to make sure I won’t die, it’s not to make me well and whole again. This is when I sought Chinese medicine, which was supposed to bring my energy and wellness back. And it did over 4 to 5 months. So both west and east approaches had a role to play, bring them together, they bring about wholeness and balance OVER time.
- Here’s another example of integration.