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Dear colleagues, please find below a call for papers for a Special Issue on
East-Asian wisdom in Cross Cultural & Strategic Management:

 

 

East Asian Wisdom and its impact on business culture and performance in a
cross-cultural context

 

Co Guest-Editors:

Chris Baumann, Macquarie University, Sydney Australia, and Seoul National
University (SNU), Korea

Hume Winzar, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia 

Tony Fang, Stockholm Business School, Stockholm University, Sweden

 

Summary

There is growing recognition that we can learn a lot from the East to
inspire and enrich our mainstream theory and practice (Chen, 2010a, 2010b).
Can we make good use of East Asian wisdom in cross-cultural and strategic
management? For example, the teachings of Confucius have allegedly
contributed to remarkable economic growth across East Asia, and Western
researchers have struggled for decades on what it means and how to leverage
Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Yin Yang thinking into the generation of
fresh theoretical and practical insights on research and business practices,
respectively. It is not clear among commentators whether such perspectives
are pure philosophy, religion, or ideology (Fingarette, 1972) or a
combination thereof. In the context of cross-cultural management and
strategy, how do these questions affect business culture and performance?

 

Hofstede and Bond¡¯s study (1988) showed that countries in the Confucian
orbit have experienced the fastest rate of growth since the 1950-60s. Winzar
(2015) pointed out from the 1970s, Individualist economies (Europe and the
US) outperformed Collectivist economies (China and Korea), and commentators
argued that Collectivism holds Asian countries back. But by the 2000s
similar commentators argued that Collectivism was responsible for the growth
of the Tiger Economies. The situation has changed again as Chinese, Japanese
and Korean technology (including innovation and, to a degree, brand building
and management) now equal or exceed European and US companies on many
measures. It has also been found that East Asia performs ahead of Europe,
the rest of Asia, and South/Central America both academically (in terms of
PISA) and in competitiveness (Baumann and Winzar, 2016). Much of our
understanding of East-Asian cultures has been framed with Western-designed
instruments (Fang, 2003), and too often we make broad conclusions along the
lines of, for example, ¡°Chinese managers are different from US managers, so
Confucianism, and other orientations, must be responsible¡±. We make such
broad inferences about the role of East Asian wisdom without attempting to
¡°deconstruct¡± the construct. We can do better.

 

The discussion of the role of East Asian wisdom on management and related
disciplines is not new. In this journal, several publications have paid
attention to these issues, including Li¡¯s (2016) theoretical explication of
the Eastern Yin Yang frame and its application to paradox management, Fang¡¯
s (2012) conceptualization of culture in the age of globalization, as well
as HR implications of Eastern values (Jiang, Gollan & Brooks, 2015; Chin,
2014), Western explorations of acculturation of expatriates and migrant
managers in Asia (Selmer and Lauring, 2014), cultural differences and the
aesthetics of product design (Shin, 2012), and ethical perspectives of
Chinese and American managers (Pan et al. 2010). Elsewhere, we have seen
seminal contributions on management practice in Confucian societies (Yeung
and Tung, 1996), and important work on changing cultural values, behaviour
and ethical conduct (Faure and Fang, 2008; Tung and Verbeke, 2010; Woods and
Lamond 2011), along with valuable critical reviews highlighting the
paradoxical nature of culture (Fang, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2012), the influence
of Confucian perspectives on Western leadership and management education
(Manarungsan and Tang, 2012), the implication of strategic thought in East
Asian for business and management (Fang, 1999; Tung, 1994), and the
evolution of institutional approaches to education more broadly (Baumann,
Hamin and Yang, 2016). Further afield, in other disciplines, we see very
comprehensive perspectives on the role of East Asian wisdom on political
philosophy (Rozman, 1993), competitiveness and economic growth (Hofstede and
Bond, 1988) and influences on Western philosophy generally (Wilhelm, 1972).
Confucianism and countries in the ¡®Confucian Orbit¡¯ (Baumann, Hamin, Tung
and Hoadley, 2016) have a new found focus in scholarly work on
competitiveness, but equally so, scholars in multiple fields are curious
about the roles of Daoism (Woolley, 2016), Buddhism (Vallabh and Singhal
(2014) and Yin Yang (Fang, 2012).

 

For the purposes of cross-cultural and strategic management, is East Asian
wisdom a social and psychological framework that may vary across different
cultural groups, or is it a constant that is manifested in different ways
according to economic and social conditions? For example, does it make sense
to say that one group is ¡°more Confucian¡± than another? Or on one
dimension or another? If so, then how do we derive empirical measures of the
various facets of Confucianism?

 

These and many other questions niggle at Western (and Eastern) scholars as
they try to understand how to better communicate, conduct business and
formulate strategies across countries.

 

Topics

We are interested in any and all articles, so long as they address issues
relating to East Asian Wisdom and cross-cultural management and strategy.

Topics can include, but are not limited to:

*           Conceptualisation and measurement of aspects of East Asian
Wisdom, such as Confucianism, at the individual (micro), group (meso), and
national (macro) levels.

*           Historical interrelationships between East Asian Wisdom and PEST
(Political, Economic, Social, Technological) environments ¨C antecedent or
consequent relationships.

*           Interrelationships between East Asian Wisdom and Management,
Business, Performance and Competitiveness.

*           Differences in East Asian Wisdom in the East Asia Region (e.g.
China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam).

*           Differences in East Asian Wisdom among members of the East Asian
diaspora ¨C Contribution to intra-national diversity.

*           Mediating and/or moderating role of East Asian Wisdom in
Cross-cultural research.

*           The role of East Asian Wisdom in the provision of services,
product design and development.

*           The interplay between East Asian Wisdom and management and
strategy.

*           Role of East Asian Wisdom (e.g., Yin Yang) in cross-cultural
innovation and in the formation of competitiveness and economic outcomes.

 

East Asian Wisdom is multi-faceted and multi-layered, and we are interested
in papers which address areas and concepts not usually found in the
literature, or areas that are severely undeveloped or inaccurate in our
current understanding. We are living in an era that has transitioned from
¡°West leads East¡± to ¡°West meets East¡± (Chen, 2010a, 2010b). Our
theories and practices need to be and can be inspired by this historical
transition.

 

Submission instructions

All manuscripts will undergo a double-blind review process. Submissions
should be between 5,000-9,000 words, including references, figures and
tables, and follow the manuscript requirement outlined on the journal¡¯s
website:
http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.ht
m. The submission deadline is January 1, 2017. Please direct queries to: 

Associate Professor Chris Baumann, e mail: [log in to unmask];

Associate Professor Hume Winzar, e mail: [log in to unmask]; and

Professor Tony Fang, Stockholm Business School, e-mail: [log in to unmask] 

 

References

Baumann, C., Hamin, H., Tung, , R. L. and S. Hoadley, S. (2016),
Competitiveness and workforce performance: Asia vis-¨¤-vis the ¡°West¡±,
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28 (11).

Baumann, C., H. Hamin and S. J. Yang (2016). "Work ethic formed by
pedagogical approach: evolution of institutional approach to education and
competitiveness." Asia Pacific Business Review, 22 (3).

Baumann, C., and Winzar, H. (2016). The role of secondary education in
explaining competitiveness. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36 (1).

Chen, M.-J. (2010a). West Meets East: Enlightening, balancing, and
transcending. Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management. June 14,
http://aom.org/Meetings/annualmeeting/past-meetings/theme2011.aspx

Chen, M.-J., & Miller, D. (2010b). West meets East: Toward an ambicultural
approach to management. Academy of Management Perspectives, 24(4): 17-24.

Chin, T. (2014). "Harmony as means to enhance affective commitment in a
Chinese organization." Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal
21(3): 326-344.

Fang, T. (1999). Chinese business negotiating style. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Fang, T. (2003). "A Critique of Hofstede¡¯s Fifth National Culture
Dimension." International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 3(3):
347-368.

Fang, T. (2006). From ¡°Onion¡± to ¡°Ocean¡±: Paradox and Change in National
Cultures. International Studies of Management and Organizations 35(4):
71-90.

Fang, T. (1999): Chinese Business Negotiating Style. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Fang, T. (2010). Asian management research needs more self-confidence:
Reflection on Hofstede (2007) and beyond. Asia Pacific Journal of Management
27: 155-170.

Fang, T. (2012). Yin Yang: A new perspective on culture. Management and
Organization Review, 8(1): 25-50.

Faure, G. O., & Fang, T., (2008). Changing Chinese values: Keeping up with
paradoxes. International Business Review, 17(2): 194-207.

Fingarette, H. (1972). Confucius -- The Secular as Sacred, New York: Harper
and Row

Hofstede, G. and M. H. Bond (1988). "The Confucius connection: From cultural
roots to economic growth." Organizational Dynamics 16(4): 5-21.

Li, P. P. (2016). "Global implications of the indigenous epistemological
system from the east: How to apply Yin-Yang balancing to paradox management.
" Cross Cultural & Strategic Management 23(1): 42-77.

Jiang, Z., P. J. Gollan and G. Brooks (2015). "Moderation of Doing and
Mastery orientations in relationships among justice, commitment, and trust:
A cross-cultural perspective." Cross Cultural Management: An International
Journal 22(1): 42-67.

Manarungsan, S. and Z. Tang (2012). ¡°Integrating Oriental Wisdom in MBA
Education: The Case of Confucianism.¡± Leadership through the Classics. G.
P. Prastacos, F. Wang and K. E. Soderquist, Springer Berlin Heidelberg:
377-387

Pan, Y., X. Song, A. Goldschmidt and W. French (2010). "A cross©\cultural
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Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal 17(3): 283-298.

Vallabh, P., & Singhal, M. (2014). ¡°Buddhism and decision making at
individual, group and organizational levels.¡± Journal of Management
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Rozman, G., Ed. (1993). The East Asian Region - Confucian Heritage and Its
Modern Adaptation, Princeton Univ. Press.

Selmer, J. and J. Lauring (2014). "Self-initiated expatriates: An
exploratory study of adjustment of adult third-culture kids vs. adult
mono-culture kids." Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal
21(4): 422-436

Shin, D. H. (2012). "Cross©\analysis of usability and aesthetic in smart
devices: what influences users' preferences?" Cross Cultural Management: An
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Tung, , R. L.  (1994). Strategic Management Thought in East Asia.
Organizational Dynamics, 22(4): 55 -65. 

Tung, R. L. and A. Verbeke (2010). "Beyond Hofstede and GLOBE: Improving the
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Tung, R. L. and C. Baumann (2009). "Comparing the attitudes toward money,
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Wilhelm, R., (1972). Confucius and Confucianism: Translated into English by
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Winzar, H. (2015). "The ecological fallacy: How to spot one and tips on how
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Woods, P. and D. Lamond (2011). "What Would Confucius Do? ¨C Confucian
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Woolley, N. (2016). The Emergence of Daoism: Creation of a Tradition, By Gil
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Yeung, I. Y. M. and R. L. Tung (1996). "Achieving Business Success in
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