Determinants of Sinic Civilization and Their Impact on Organization Theory

Abstract

This paper traces the impact of Sinic Civilization and its underlying virtue ethics of Confucianism on the principles of management and organization theory. Sinic Civilization is envisaged to include the cultures of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Apart from linking the core Sinic ethics with organization theory, this paper also studies Sinic philosophy, cosmology, governance, and linguistics. The Japanese and Chinese management practices and cardinal principles are discussed in the light of traditional Sinic ethics. The past, contemporary and future contributions of Sinic way of management in terms of management style, organizational forms, organizational epistemology and ontology, organizational cultural orientations and major organizing principles are also discussed. The paper concludes that flexible, fluid and organic structures, emergent strategies, team work, coordination and, horizontal and flat organizations are natural outcomes of the Sinic ethical discourse which is manifested both in its historical as well as organizational discourses.

Keywords: Sinic civilization, Confucianism, virute ethics, ethical discourse, organization theory