Title: Historical developments in paternalistic leadership in China

Authors: Martin Sposato

Addresses: Middlesex University, Dubai Knowledge Village, Block 17, Dubai, UAE

Abstract: This article critically reviews the historical development in the literature that provided the basis for the establishment of the Chinese version of paternalistic leadership, the most popular, well researched and better established indigenous Chinese theory of leadership. This article centres on the earlier theoretical and conceptual developments of the theory to establish how the current conceptualisations of paternalistic leadership originated. Furthermore, suggestions for further research avenues are presented for scholars to address and further advance the knowledge in the field of leadership in a Chinese cultural environment; arguably, the main limitation of the current conceptualisations of paternalist leadership is that it does not account for the roles of women in leadership positions.

Keywords: leadership; paternalistic leadership; historical development; business; management; China.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2021.113790

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2021 Vol.27 No.4, pp.467 - 477

Received: 13 Dec 2018
Accepted: 24 Jan 2019
Published online: 31 Mar 2021 *

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