Confucian leadership in the age of Xi Jinping

There are some widely divergent views about China today, and about the kind of leadership that President Xi Jinping is providing. Given that Xi has often emphasized the abiding relevance of Confucius, I consider some of the insights that Confucius may offer us with regard to leadership focusing on the liberal outlook inherent in his works. I argue that from a Confucian perspective leadership is best understood as something that is accountable, responsible, and decentralized. Understood in this way, Confucian leadership is at odds with Xi's approach to leadership. I suggest some practical steps that business leaders in China may take to mitigate the challenges that they face. Some problems can also be understood as a kind of cultural clash. With that in mind, insight and hope can be drawn from Roy Chua's research where he explains some of the practical value that can be gained when Western leaders develop deep cultural knowledge about China, and include in their approaches "authentic" and "values-based" leadership that have been influential in the Western corporate world in recent decades is relevant.