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


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,


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


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.


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.

lao tzu

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