Balanced leadership: perspectives, principles and practices

Abstract

Purpose

Balanced leadership is attracting increasing attention from academia and practitioners. In this rapidly changing world, maintaining balance while moving ahead is becoming a challenge for organizational leaders concerned with effective leadership. The traditional concept of balancing, theoretically, has been frequently re‐visited by researchers, while new concepts of balancing are being developed by researchers and practitioners, in order to effectively guide the practice in the real institutional settings. The purpose of this paper is to examine the classic Chinese perspectives from Wu Xing, I Ching and Tao Te Ching. Some western perspectives (e.g. Waters and Leithwood) on balanced leadership are also examined, to reach a hybrid model in an effort to decipher the meanings of balancing, and to address their applicability in modern organizational lives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides analyses of the perspectives in the Chinese classics Wu Xing, I Ching and Tao Te Ching, and presents insights on the principles for organizational leaders to apply in dealing with changes.

Findings

There is a philosophical base for balanced leadership. It is becoming imperative for leaders to practice balanced leadership in the following aspects of organizational lives: Leaders' steady dispositions; Harmonious human relations; Categorization of the magnitudes of change for improvement; and a hybrid model integrating both eastern and western concepts of balanced leadership.

Research limitations/implications

This paper focuses on one domain of leadership – balancing in the interactions between the leaders and their people. It is relevant for those who have interest in, and are concerned for, the vertical, lateral relations, organizational development and improvement.

Originality/value

This paper reflects the researchers' deep insight into the Chinese classics, their expertise, and their empirical practices in organizational leadership. The paper will help those with similar interests in this area to better understand the implications of the Chinese perspectives.

Citation

Zhang, Y. and Fong Foo, S. (2012), "Balanced leadership: perspectives, principles and practices", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 245-256. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506141211236686