Download - Lao Tzu
SYNTHESIS PAPER #4: LAO TZU 1
Synthesis Paper #4: Lao Tzu
Jessica R. Dreistadt
LEAD 710 Historical Perspectives of Organizational Leadership
Eastern University
October 16, 2010
SYNTHESIS PAPER #4: LAO TZU 2
Summary
According to the Tao te Ching, leadership should be based on trust, humility, openness,
and harmony in accordance with the way of the universe. It provides an eastern perspective
based on the belief that all life is interconnected and that a natural flow is superior to human
intervention. Generally speaking, this text may be perceived as counter-intuitive, paradoxical,
ironic, or even conflicting in the competitive, individualistic west. The wisdom of the Tao te
Ching can be accessed by those who question its validity by analyzing it through the lens of
current western leadership theory. Specifically, we can understand the Tao to Ching through a
political frame, the style approach to leadership, and authentic leadership.
Application of Bolman and Deal
The Tao te Ching is written through the lens of a political frame though it is strictly non-
political in nature. One of the assumptions of the political frame described in Bolman and Deal
is that “goals and decisions emerge from bargaining and negotiation among competing
stakeholders jockeying for their own interests” (2008, 195). The Tao te Ching acknowledges this
dynamic among leaders and postulates that this modality is not in harmony with the Tao.
Instead, leaders can orchestrate change by removing themselves and their agendas. Power is
derived from the Tao rather than from social relationships and institutions. Rather than being on
the frontlines engaged in action, leaders should allow workers to do their jobs and citizens to live
their lives. To interfere in this way is to commit violence against the nature of the Tao. Lao Tzu
explains this libertarian approach to leadership:
A sage has said, 'I will do nothing (of purpose), and the people
will be transformed of themselves; I will be fond of keeping still,
SYNTHESIS PAPER #4: LAO TZU 3
and the people will of themselves become correct. I will take no
trouble about it, and the people will of themselves become rich; I
will manifest no ambition, and the people will of themselves
attain to the primitive simplicity (World Library, 1996, 57:3).
Leaders manifest that which they envision and act toward; expecting followers to be dependent,
and taking action based on this belief, will lead to a dependent, even despondent, citizenry.
Rather than lead through coercion and manipulation, leaders can attune to the Tao and allow life
to unfold. Competition is unhealthy; there is a natural process that leads to balance among
divergent factions.
Application of Northouse
The style approach to leadership is based on “what leaders do and how they act”
(Northouse, 2009, 69). In order to work in concert with the Tao, the leader must remove her or
himself from the process and the rewards of achievement. Western theorists might call the Tao te
Ching's approach to leadership “impoverished management;” in this style the leader is
“uninvolved and withdrawn” (Northouse, 74). Through introspection, a leader can become
closer to the Tao. “Without going outside his door, one understands (all that takes place) under
the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Tao of Heaven. The farther that one
goes out (from himself), the less he knows” (World Library, 47:1). It is the Tao that is powerful,
not individual leaders. We are the physical expression of Tao, if we allow it to be. “The Tao
produces (all things), nourishes them, brings them to their full growth, nurses them, completes
them, matures them, maintains them, and overspreads them” (World Library, 51:3). The style
described in the Tao te Ching also embodies elements of authentic leadership, in particular the
SYNTHESIS PAPER #4: LAO TZU 4
four components identified by Walumbwa and associates: “self-awareness, internalized moral
perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency” (Northouse, 217). Lao Tzu
explains how leaders can be in authentic relationships with followers: “he is free from self-
display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and therefore he is distinguished; from self-
boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged; from self-complacency, and therefore he
acquires superiority (World Library, 22:2).
Conclusion
The Tao te Ching offers a refreshing alternative to most popular western leadership and
management theories. The universe is more powerful and knowing than individual leaders and
as leaders we can allow the universe to work through us. Leaders should look within rather than
attempting to manipulate and control others and their environment in order to, in Judeo-Christian
terms, let G-d's plan unfold. Leaders can be more effective by avoiding worldly distractions to
develop a personal, and transformational, relationship with the universal truth. The Tao te Ching
has had some influence on organizations in the United States, though it often masquerades as
enlightened western thought or new age philosophy. Leaders can study this text to develop a true
understanding of its meaning within an ancient Chinese context and appropriately apply it to
modern situations in order to realize cooperation, harmony, and flow within their organizations
and communities.
SYNTHESIS PAPER #4: LAO TZU 5
References
Bolman, L. G. and T. E. Deal (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. 4th edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Northouse, P.G. (2009). Leadership: Theory and practice. 5th edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
World Library® (1996). Tao te ching by Lau Tzu. Retrieved from http://www.opendb.net/ebook/tao-te-ching/1706/read.