T.R. Reid's Confucius Lives Next Door
Still on T. R. Reid's Confucius Lives Next Door - What Living in the East Teaches Us About Living in the West.
Reid noted that since Americans had thrown off colonial rule almost 10 generations ago, it would be "hard to find anyone in the United States who still nurtures resentment towards England because of the excesses of King George III."
But unlike America, Asia is not even one generation removed from colonialism.
As Reid mused: "Little wonder that, to this day, many East Asian leaders carry a chip on their shoulders roughly the size of the Great Wall."
But the main message in his book seemed to be the need not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. While "Asian values", however they are defined, can often lead to cronyism and nepotism, such values are not entirely without their merits.
Reid argued that "Confucian executives" who run businesses in Asia recognize that their companies do not exist in a vacuum. These executives know that they are part of a larger society, and that membership brings with it responsibilities.
As Reid wrote: "In the West, a corporate executive who lays off thousand of workers is often treated as a hero, with a big cover story in Fortune or Business Week and a hefty bonus at the next salary review. But western managers should realize that this kind of social disruption does not come free."
"There are inevitably social costs associated with a single-minded emphasis on efficiency ... and the vast gaps in earnings between corporate chieftains and their employees. Massive layoffs in any community are likely to produce a quick upward spike in crime, drug use, and family problems in the same community. Asian executives recognize this connection. In the west, we often ignore it."
While adding that efficiency cannot be the only measure of success, Reid added: "If a company enjoys big profits while the community around it grows desperate, neither company nor community really comes out ahead."
"At the same time we are teaching Asian societies about business efficiency, we might be learning a thing or two from them about loyalty, civility and the value of a stable community."
Reid noted that since Americans had thrown off colonial rule almost 10 generations ago, it would be "hard to find anyone in the United States who still nurtures resentment towards England because of the excesses of King George III."
But unlike America, Asia is not even one generation removed from colonialism.
As Reid mused: "Little wonder that, to this day, many East Asian leaders carry a chip on their shoulders roughly the size of the Great Wall."
But the main message in his book seemed to be the need not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. While "Asian values", however they are defined, can often lead to cronyism and nepotism, such values are not entirely without their merits.
Reid argued that "Confucian executives" who run businesses in Asia recognize that their companies do not exist in a vacuum. These executives know that they are part of a larger society, and that membership brings with it responsibilities.
As Reid wrote: "In the West, a corporate executive who lays off thousand of workers is often treated as a hero, with a big cover story in Fortune or Business Week and a hefty bonus at the next salary review. But western managers should realize that this kind of social disruption does not come free."
"There are inevitably social costs associated with a single-minded emphasis on efficiency ... and the vast gaps in earnings between corporate chieftains and their employees. Massive layoffs in any community are likely to produce a quick upward spike in crime, drug use, and family problems in the same community. Asian executives recognize this connection. In the west, we often ignore it."
While adding that efficiency cannot be the only measure of success, Reid added: "If a company enjoys big profits while the community around it grows desperate, neither company nor community really comes out ahead."
"At the same time we are teaching Asian societies about business efficiency, we might be learning a thing or two from them about loyalty, civility and the value of a stable community."
posted by Maria Siow @ 2:03 AM
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