A philosopher for all seasons
Management is philosophy in action.
This simple theory has certainly given business educators food for thought over the years. Yet it is still no easy task to find a balanced and palatable guide to how thought and action should interact in the corporate arena.
Allow me, therefore, to introduce Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658), a 17th-century Spanish sage who, though he may not have achieved the same widespread fame as his literary counterparts, nevertheless played an influential role in the European Enlightenment.
Such a highly qualified commentator as Nietzsche hailed him as the author of one of the world’s greatest works of practical philosophy.
His main contribution to strategy, The Art of Wordly Wisdom: a Pocket Oracle comprises 300 elegantly crafted maxims that are as astonishingly appropriate to the running of a 21st century global business corporation as they were to Spanish society more 300 years ago.
If someone were to throw in references to e-mails, laptops and cell phones, you would hardly notice that you were reading words written several centuries ago.
Gracián’s recommendations for achieving a powerful blend of ethical behaviour and secular effectiveness are both readable and instructive, not to mention practical.
The canny observations and humanistic approach of this chaplain, confessor, preacher and academic administrator are a far cry from the naked cynicism of other classics of the genre, and far more applicable to the kind of corporate environment we now aspire to.
The virtue of his writing lies in providing just the right blend of thought and action in management.
It is possible Gracián’s contributions could provide the answer to the debate sparked by the late professor Sumantra Ghoshal, of London Business School, whose parting shot from beyond the grave has left the world of business education in turmoil.
In a posthumously published article Prof Ghoshal laments what he sees as business educators’ over-emphasis on the ‘homo economicus theory’ as the cornerstone of management science. In brief, this states that economic agents are rational wealth-maximisers who behave strategically, trying to anticipate the possible reactions of other economic agents to their decisions. Social well-being does not enter the equation.
This model is a traditional one, found in such classics as Machiavelli’s The Prince, a volume which has topped bestseller lists for centuries and still forms part of the strategic management syllabus at some business schools.
But it is a “nightmare” model, based on the idea that human nature is intrinsically aggressive, and that people have a strong tendency to let selfish instincts get the better of them. We should remember, however, that the nightmare model is based on supposedly indisputable facts, and that we are not discussing whether or not these facts are reprehensible.
It is merely an attempt to describe the way things are rather than condone them.
Nevertheless, it can be criticised on at least that crucial basis, namely that it may not actually be an accurate depiction of reality.
This criticism seems to be Prof Ghoshal’s main line of attack, in that the homo economicus theory leaves no room for other patterns of behaviour, such as the fact that people sometimes act on the basis of altruism.
Enter the noble dream, as advocated by numerous participants in the Davos Summit this year.
"Gracián’s observations of human nature are viable from all perspectives"
Santiago Iniguez, dean of the Instituto de Empresa
According to this model, politicians and managers must take ethical responsibility for their actions, the underlying idea being that it is the essential duty of managers to create wealth, while helping improve the environment, eradicate poverty, and enhance society in general.
In fact, politicians, managers and business educators are neither angels nor demons, but instead tend to embrace both of these two extremes. And although today’s authors may proffer a wide range of recommendations on how to deal with this paradox, the classics, those building blocks of modern thought, remain sadly silent
Our man Baltasar Gracián is a much-needed exception. His contribution to the nightmare versus noble dream argument provides us with a realistic approach to the problem. The great appeal of his work is that his observations of human nature are viable from all perspectives.
The reader is, for example, instructed that “knowledge and honourable intentions ensure that success will bear fruit” and that “character and intelligence are the axes your talent revolves around. It isn’t enough to be intelligent; you must also have the right character.”
Integrity scores highly with Gracián, not only as the right way to be, but also as a purely pragmatic approach.
If you “only act with honourable people”, then the chances of a successful outcome are multiplied, given that “their honour is the best guarantee of their behaviour, for they always act according to their character”.
It may sound as if Gracián was setting his followers up to be sitting ducks for the first corporate shark they encounter, but rest assured that he also took care to equip his readers for the darker side of the business world. “Do not be too much of a dove,” he warns, “but remember that you must ‘use’, but not ‘abuse’, cunning.”
Timeless business advice abounds in this small, but perfectly formed volume. Gracián pays tribute to networking with: “One of the gifts of the hero is the ability to dwell with heroes. This ability is a wonder of nature, both because it is so mysterious and because it is so beneficial.”
And he was a great advocate of current “must-dos” such as innovation. As he so eloquently puts it, “Renew your brilliance. Excellence grows old and so does fame”, which sounds so much more pleasant than ‘innovate or die’.
Comments like, “have original and out-of-the-way views” and “float a trial balloon to see how well something is received” would not be out of place among the practices of any of today’s leading companies.
Globalisation is also addressed. The reader is advised to, “Avoid the defects of your country. No country, not even the most refined, has ever escaped some innate defect or other, and these weaknesses are seized on by neighbouring countries as defence or consolation.”
He had already grasped that dispelling stereotyped perceptions is crucial when it comes to developing an internationally respected profile and is an essential skill when leading cross-cultural teams.
True visionaries are hard to find, but when one does come to light it is particularly encouraging to discover that both heart and business brain are in the right place, and that they are able to be optimistic without being na?ve.
Gracián’s pocket oracle says: “Wisdom has one advantage. She is immortal. If this is not her century, many others will be.”
Baltasar Gracián certainly created a wise and astute world for us to learn from. For me he remains a visionary for all seasons.
为企管指点迷津的哲学家
管理是付诸行动的哲学。
多年来，这一简单的理论确实是商业教育者的精神食粮。至于企业范畴的思想和行动应怎样相互作用，要找到一份均衡且合用的指南仍非易事。
所以，请先允许我介绍一下17世纪西班牙智者巴尔塔沙?葛拉西安(Baltasar Gracián，1601-1658)。尽管葛拉西安的名声可能没有其他文人那么大，但他在欧洲启蒙运动中发挥了很大的影响。
尼采这位极有资格的评论家称，他的作品是世界最伟大的实用哲学著作之一。
《箴言书》
他对战略的主要贡献是《箴言书》(The Art of Worldly Wisdom: a Pocket Oracle)，该书由300条文笔优雅的箴言组成，这些箴言不仅适用于300多年前的西班牙社会，对管理21世纪的全球公司竟然同样适用。
如果有人在电子邮件和手机短信中引用这些箴言，你不会注意到这是几个世纪前的话。
葛拉西安的建议，集道德行为与现实效用于一体。这些建议可读性强，同时又具有教育意义，更不消说实用了。
这位牧师、神父、布道者兼学院管理者既观察敏锐，又充满人文色彩，是这一体裁其它经典作品中那种赤裸裸的冷嘲热讽所无法企及的，也更适合我们目前追求的那种公司环境。
他的著作为管理范畴的思想与行动提供了恰到好处的平衡。
“自私”与“利他”的辩论
葛拉西安的著作有可能为一场辩论提供答案。这场辩论由已故伦敦商学院教授苏曼特拉?戈沙尔(Sumantra Ghoshal)引发，他的临别赠言已使商业教育界陷入混乱。
戈沙尔教授在死后发表的一篇文章中叹道，商业教育者过分强调将“经济人”理论作为管理科学的基石。简单地说，这一理论称，经济人是理性的财富最大化者，其行为具有战略特征，并试图预见其他经济人对自己决策所做的可能反应。而社会福祉不会进入这个等式。
这是一个传统模式，建立在马基雅维里的《君王论》(The Prince)等经典著作的基础上。几个世纪以来，《君王论》一直占据着畅销书的头把交椅，目前仍是一些商学院战略管理教学大纲中的一部分。
但这是一个“梦魇”模式，它的根据是人性在本质上具有侵略性，同时人强烈倾向于让自私的本能左右自己。但我们应该记住，“梦魇”模式建立在一些据信无可辩驳的事实基础上，而且我们在此并不是讨论这些事实是否应该受到指责。
这个模式仅仅是尝试描绘事物的存在方式，而不是容忍它们。
但我们至少可以根据这个关键的论据来批评这一模式，即它实际上可能并未准确刻划现实真相。
这一批评似乎是戈沙尔教授的主要进攻线路，因为经济人理论没有为其它行为模式留下任何空间，比如有时候人的行为纯粹是无私的。
于是“崇高梦想”模式登场了，这是今年达沃斯峰会(Davos Summit)的许多与会者所倡导的。
按照这一模式，政界人士和经理人必须为自己的行为承担道德责任，其基本观点是，经理人的根本职责在于创造财富，同时帮助改善环境、根除贫困，并促进整个社会的发展。
事实上，政界人士、经理人和商业教育者既不是天使，也不是恶魔，相反，他们往往会两个极端兼有。尽管当代作家们提供了有关应对这一矛盾的大量建议，但经典著作作为现代思想的基石，仍陷于可悲的沉默。
巴尔塔沙?葛拉西安是我们求之不得的例外。他对梦魇模式与崇高梦想模式之争的贡献，为我们提供了解决这一问题的现实途径。他对人性的观察从所有角度看都站得住脚，这就是他作品的魅力所在。
不朽的智慧
例如，他教导读者“知识和高尚的意图，确保成功将结出硕果”，“你的才华围绕着品性和智慧的双轴旋转。拥有智慧还不够，必须具备合适的品性。”
葛拉西安对诚信给予高度评价，因为诚信不仅是处事的正确方式，而且也是纯粹务实的方法。
如果你“只与有品德的人一起做事”，那么成功的可能性会成倍增加，因为“人们的品德是其行为的最好保证，因为人们的行为是无法脱离品性的”。
这听起来好像是葛拉西安要把他的追随者培养成软柿子，使他们易受公司老手欺负。但请放心，他也考虑到教给读者怎样处理商界较为黑暗的一面。“不要太过天真，”他警告说，“但你必须‘利用’但不是‘滥用’狡猾。”
虽是一本薄薄的小册子，但结构安排完美，里面包含了亘古不变的商业建议。葛拉西安这样称赞建立人际关系：“能够与其他英雄们共处是英雄的禀赋之一。这种能力是自然的杰作，因为它如此神秘，也如此有益。”
他也极为提倡创新等当前的“必做之事”。正如他雄辩地讲道，“更新你的卓越。卓越会变老，名声也会。”这听上去比“不创新就会死”舒服多了。
某些评述，像“要有原创和非凡的观点”，以及“试试风向，看某事被接受的程度如何”，放在当今任何一家领先公司的实践中都会恰如其分。
书中也提到了全球化。他建议读者“避开自己国家的缺点。没有一个国家，即便是最完美的国家，也难免存在某个固有的缺陷，而邻国会抓住这弱点，作为防卫或自我安慰的理由。”
他早已领悟到，消除僵化的观念，对于塑造国际尊敬的形象至关重要，也是领导跨文化团队的基本技巧。
虽然难以找到真正的预言家，但当某位预言家真的出现时，如果该预言家既有良心又有商业头脑，并能做到乐观而不幼稚，这就会尤其令人振奋。
葛拉西安的袖珍宝典中讲到：“智慧有一个长处。她是不朽的。如果现在不是她的世纪，那么还有许多世纪将会属于她。”
巴尔塔沙?葛拉西安创造了一个智慧和精明的世界供我们学习。在我看来，他永远是跨越时空的预言家。
