It is not uncommon to hear of a leader being called Machivellian, but what does this really mean? And what is the contrasting approach? In this topic, managers will gain insight into leadership styles by extracting valuable lessons on power and empowerment from Eastern and Western classical literature. Two extreme models—autocratic, top down leadership and a more, participatory, empowering leadership style—are vividly illustrated respectively by the political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli and the ancient Chinese thinker, Lao Tzu.
Participants will learn how to contrast these two leadership styles and will discuss how these approaches may or may not be relevant to modern business. Managers will reflect on how Machiavelli and Lao Tzu can inform their own leadership style.
Dr. Cynthia Wagner Weick is Professor of Management at University of the Pacific, in Stockton, California, Her area of expertise is in strategic planning for technology-based business and products, and in international as well as domestic market analysis and development. Her research focuses on international strategies in commercial biotechnology. She is also the author of Out of Context: A Creative Approach to Strategic Management.
