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These and other informed insights should interest both management researchers and
business practitioners with a focus on Japan, East Asia and across the Asia Pacific region.
Produced ably by Cornell University Press, and with such a broadly drawn audience in
mind, the book includes extensive endnotes and a large and handsomely selected
bibliography.
Paul Gentle
Jinzhong University, Shanxi, China
meaiguorengentle@yahoo.com
James Hunter
Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
schnarre@darksoul7.com
q 2014, Paul Gentle and James Hunter
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2014.927982

Understanding management in China: past, present and future, by Malcolm Warner,

London and New York, NY, Routledge, 2014, 244 pp., 27.99/$50.95 (paperback), ISBN
978-0-415-50612-0 / 95.00/$160 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-415-50611-3

In view of the increasing prominence of China on the world scene, both scholarly and
popular books and articles about that country have become highly topical. Yet our
knowledge on China in general and its contemporary management in particular remains
fragmented, given its long history with its many important transformations, diversified
philosophical strands and more recently, foreign influences. Although it is often debatable
what Chinese management may imply, anyone who has direct or indirect experience
with Chinese managers would agree that management practice in China is quite different
from that in the West. A new book, Understanding Management in China: Past, Present
and Future, is indeed timely and enables us to considerably advance our insights. From the
perspective of the longue duree, the author of the book Professor Malcolm Warner, an
Emeritus Fellow at Wolfson College and the Judge Business School at the University of
Cambridge, a veteran of Chinese management field, guides the readers to approach the
underlying question throughout the book: what makes Chinese management, Chinese
management?
After a brief overview of this particular work in the introductory chapter, the narrative
begins with a look at the past in terms of history and culture. On the basis of critically
examining Chinas past achievements and imperial administration systems, the writer
cautiously explores the linkage between the proto-management as developed in
ancient China and todays managerial behaviour. With respect to the influence of culture
on contemporary management, the writer highlights a number of overlapping traits,
namely the Confucian legacy from the past, residual iron-rice-bowl from the plannedeconomy period and contemporary management in the present as under the influence of
Western management thought. He points out that the legacy of the Confucian past in
particular still leans heavily on a perception of recognizably indigenous ways of doing
things, including managing.
From this point of view, an in-depth analysis of the present China then unfolds. Putting
the subject matter into the context of recent history against the background of institutions,

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Book Reviews

economy and industry, the authors sketch of the main features of management training
and development permits the writer to reveal a vivid portrait of Chinese managers. As a
specialist in people management, he shares his major findings accumulated over 30 years
of qualitative and quantitative research across China. Along the way, the narrative
sensitizes the readers with contentions such as whether Chinese HRM will converge or
diverge towards the Western models, or whether there will be a specifically Chinese theory
of management. To this end, the writer points out theoretical gaps and future research
directions.
To anticipate where the present changes may lead, the writer avoids over-simplistic
linear extrapolation of past and present trends into the future. Instead, four theoretically
possible managerial scenarios are set out for orientation. It is up to the readers perception
and logic to deal with the subject. As for the concluding remarks, a summation of several
paradoxes and contradictions that the Chinese face is presented. In this way, the
complexity and uncertainty of Chinese management is shown to continue to evolve.
A special strength of Understanding Management in China lies in its breadth and
depth in the perspective of Chinese history, which makes the narrative three-dimensional,
as opposed to merely connecting the important happenings along the evolution of
management in China. While focusing on historical authenticity of significant events, the
writer pays attention to as wide the context as achievable. Another distinct characteristic of
the book is its pertinent citation, which directs readers to a broader pool of knowledge.
At the end of the book, a bibliography of specific sources and a list of comprehensive
references are provided for readers who want to learn more. The success of the
presentation depends largely on choosing a balance between events and context. Here, the
authors effective literary tools cover both setting and style, all with a great deal of skill, in
this accomplished, comprehensive, insightful monograph.
Xinhua Wittmann
Department of Business Administration
University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
School of Business, University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Northwestern Switzerland
xinhua.wittmann@business.uzh.ch
q 2014, Xinhua Wittmann
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2014.885231

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