Traditional philosophy offers insight to management

More than 100 experts and scholars discussed the application of traditional Chinese philosophy in modern management at a forum from Aug. 12 to 13 in Kunming, Yunnan Province. Li Honglei, a professor of philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University, said that for years, Chinese entrepreneurs have accumulated unique experience in organizing, educating, operating, brand-building, strategizing and fulfilling responsibilities, which has contributed to the development of global management. Pan Yaotian, a research fellow from the Institute of Psychology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, pointed out different roles the classical schools of Chinese thought—Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Legalism and Military Arts—have played in guiding modern management. For instance, Confucianism values interpersonal harmony, which helps maintain a healthy relationship between the leader and employees, while the Military Arts emphasize competitiveness and gumption, which helps make management effective.