Studies Of The Management Philosophy Conceived In The Book Of Changes

As an organizational form for man's living and activities to distribute and harmonize labor power and resources, the practice of management thread through the entire human history. This is one the important marks which differentiate human and animals. For this reason, human history is a history of human management. Yet, the appearance of management as a branch of learning to be systematically studied was to accommodate Western industrial revolution and modern industrial civilization. This is the science of humanistic management. Today, it is still an important principle for today's management science. But in tracing back to the origin of humanistic management, we will certainly resort to the Zhouyi (Book of Changes) which has always been regarded as the font and origin of Chinese culture. The Zhouyi conceives rich philosophical idea concerning humanistic management. In the Great Treatise, the idea of unity of heaven, earth and humanity established the humanistic idea with man as the heart of heaven and earth. In addition, what the Zhouyi emphasizes include loving the people, being devoted to the people, benefiting the people, and yielding to the people. By the Zhouyi, for a successful administrator, he should first of all move the people with his virtue, nourish and respect the talented to solve the contradiction between the manager and managed so as to reach to a realm of harmonious unity. The Zhouyi particularly emphasizes the harmony between heaven, man and earth. Only if man simulates and follows the Dao (Way) of heaven and earth, can a harmonious humanity be realized. In addition, the alternations between yin and yang lines as well as the hexagram and line statements manifest that humanistic management possesses different implications in different time and locations.Along with the thriving of the Zhouyi studies from 1980, more and more scholars began to understand and interpret the Zhouyi from perspectives of management science. Not a few scholars aver that the Zhouyi is book of management. Since then, dozens of management books and hundreds of articles for management concerning the Zhouyi had been published. The development of management science of the Zhouyi in recent years possesses the following three characteristics. One is basing on the ideas conceived in the Zhouyi and farther incorporating Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, legalism, art of war, Moism into one entity. Many scholars are focusing on incorporating the quintessence of traditional Chinese culture and promoting Oriental management culture to establish Chinese management mode. One is connecting the management science of the Zhouyi to Western management theories. A number of scholars are engaged in comparative studies of the Eastern and Western management ideas. One is that the feasibility of the management theory in the Zhouyi has been greatly enhanced. By the related studies both in mainland China and overseas, its can be seen that the issues concerning the management theory in the Zhouyi which had been discussed include almost all sides, and almost all management thinking mode and theories conceived in the Zhouyi had been discussed. Yet, the problem they all have is that their discussions are macroscopical but not specific. They tend to study the management idea of the Zhouyi from the external Confucianism. In other words, they view the management idea in the Zhouyi by common Confucian management idea, not penetrating into the inside of the Text and Commentaries. So, their studies are superficial. On the contrary, this dissertation attempts to study the management thought in the Text and Commentaries respectively, points out that management idea is intrinsically conceived in the Zhouyi which differs from Western management idea. In addition, the dissertation objectively and rationally analyzes differences between the management idea in the Text and that in the Commentaries, setting forth that, to formally establish management science of the Zhouyi, we must expand its superiority to avoid its drawbacks and merge both the Occidental and Oriental management principles into one.Starting from the character of the Zhouyi, this dissertation demonstrates that the Zhouyi is but ancient management science, point out that, according to the development of history, the Zhouyi possesses duality. This is to say that the Zhouyi is not only an oracular book, but also a philosophical book of wisdom. Yet, from the perspective of application, the Zhouyi is also a discipline of management. In other words, in the level of management science, the two qualities of the Zhouyi reach to a unity. Then, the dissertation analyzes the management idea in the Text of the Zhouyi, including approaches of education, moral influence, legalism, humanism, and finance system.The Commentaries is a part systematically interpreting the ancient Text of the Zhouyi. So, the management idea in the Commentaries unfolds in its interpretations of the Text and hence a close relationship between the Text and Commentaries. The management idea in the Commentaries exceeds that in the Text far both in width and depth. The dissertation focuses on the management philosophy in the Commentaries and analyzes management idea conceived in it, point out that the Commentaries stresses the balance and harmony of yin and yang, establishes its humanistic management basis by the idea that man is intrinsically good. The manager for the perspectives of the Commentaries should possess qualities of perfect morality, ability to influence others, being always energetic and broad-minded, consciousness of anxiety, and sense of innovation. Meanwhile, the Commentaries defines the managed object, management principle and goal respectively:the "Three Powers of heaven, earth, and human" form the object to be managed; righteousness or justice is the management principle; enhancing virtue and improving business is considered the goal of management. As far as humanistic management idea is concerned, the Commentaries point out that a manager or administrator should possesses the qualities of benevolence, perseverance, attaching importance to and nourishing the talented. At last the Commentaries emphasize the high value of harmony. Moreover, the Commentaries state time and again that humanistic management is a dynamic mode with ceaseless yin-yang alternations.Finally, according to modern Japanese management mode and idea, the dissertation further manifests the modern value of the management science of the Zhouyi, to let us recognize indispensability of the Zhouyi in solving the crisis of modern management science and expose the superiority and defects of the primitive management ides of the Zhouyi, and build Confucian modern humanistic management science based on the framework of the philosophy conceived in the Zhouyi. Therefore, philosophy and idea of humanistic management implicated in the Zhouyi also conceives rich resources for statecraft, and ancient literati could see the Dao of heaven and humanity through it, and thus we may say that the Zhouyi can be attributed to ancient Chinese management science. On this account, to some extent, philosophy of management and humanistic perspectives conceived in the Zhouyi is compatible with modern Western management science and humanistic thought.