Abstract
Paralleling with the contribution of Western systems thinking to the development of modern Chinese system theory, the authors notice that the concept of yin-yang is scattered in many social science researches in the West. However, those researches were still not rich enough to yield insights into the core value of yin-yang and, in turn, there is seemly no one unified guiding law or principle which governs both its theoretical and empirical applications. In this study, axiom system of the Yin-Yang-based system has been proposed and elaborated through the comparisons of systematic thinking between East and West. After incorporating the concept of causal chains, it can also be used to work as quantitative tool for business decision analysis in management practices. The aim of this study is to bridge the contemporary systematic thinking gap between East and West and to provide a complement to aid in further development of system theory.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Compared to Zhu’s (2000) terminology, authors use “the Great Ultimate” instead of “the Great Oneness”, “Two Patterns” instead of “Two Forms”, and “Four Scenarios” instead of “Four Emblems”. The only unified usage is “Eight Trigrams”.
In this study, the authors tailor some words instead of transliteration to best catch the essence of Chinese vocabularies for the western readers. For example, the meaning of “Useful scenario” is not just what one can tell from English.
With specialized operation in mind, the real assets inputs (L1) are composed of fixed assets, current assets, and intangible assets. Among which, the value of fixed assets inputs (K1) can be calculated after deducting the assets values not actually contribute to the total production value such as value of self-owned land, construction in progress, equipments in transit, and “fixed assets being rent or lent”, and then adding the assets value actually contribute to the total production value such as “fixed assets being leased or borrowed”.
References
Brugha CM (1998a) The structure of qualitative decision making. Eur J Oper Res 104(1):46–62
Brugha CM (1998b) The structure of adjustment decision making. Eur J Oper Res 104(1):63–76
Brugha CM (1998c) The structure of development decision making. Eur J Oper Res 104(1):77–92
Brugha CM (2000) An introduction to the priority pointing procedure. J Multi-Criteria Decis Anal 9:227–242
Brugha CM (2001) Systemic thinking in China: a meta-decision-making bridge to western concepts. Syst Pract Action Res 14(3):339–360
Brugha CM, Bowen K (2005) Decision research using cognitive structures. Syst Pract Action Res 18(1):67–88
Chen HJ (2008) The exploratory study of the operational characteristics and business performance for Hon Hai precision industry company by census income statement. J Neo-Confucian Bus Manag 6:157–220 (in Chinese)
Collins J, Porras JI (1994) Built to Last- Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. Harper Business, New York
Cunha PM, Cunha JV, Dahab S (2002) Yin-Yang: a dialectical approach to total quality management. Total Qual Manag 13(6):843–853
Curtis D (2001) Finding energy in strategic project management: an essay in honour of Dean Fang. Pub Admin Dev 21(4):297–307
De Bary WT, Chan WT, Watson B (1960) Sources of Chinese Tradition. Columbia University Press, New York
Flood RL (1999) Knowing of the unknowable. Syst Pract Action Res 12:247–256
Gu J, Zhu Z (1995) The Wuli, Shili, Renli approach (WSR): An oriental systems methodology. Systems Methodology: Possibilities for Cross-Cultural Learning and Integration. Centre for Systems Studies, Hull
Gu J, Zhu Z (2000) Knowing Wuli, sensing Shili, caring for Renli: methodology of the WSR approach. Syst Pract Action Res 13:11–20
Handy C (1994) The Empty Raincoat-Making Sense of The Future. Random House, London
Hunt SD (1991) Modern Marketing Theory: Critical Issues in the Philosophy of Marketing Science. Southwestern Publishing Co, Oklahoma City
Lietaer B, De Meulenaere S (2003) Sustaining cultural vitality in a globalizing world: the Balinese example. Int J Soc Econ 30(9):967–984
Lin KH (1992a) Neo-Confucian yin-yang concepts and economic activities. Confucianism and Lawful Culture. Fuh-Dann University Press, Shanghai, pp 76–84 in Chinese
Lin KH (1992b) Causality and probability, leading to a yin-yang knowledge evolution theory. In: The 9th international conference of I-Ching studies, Hilo, Hawaii, 1–53 (in Chinese)
Lin KH (1994) Cultivation in Neo-Confucian economic thought. Ta-I-Jyi-Yaw, pp 218–240 (in Chinese)
Lin KH (1997) Yin-yang analysis of inter-industrial quantity and price models. In: The 2nd economic development conference, Taipei, 1–20 (in Chinese)
Lin KH (1999) Neo-Confucian system theory. In: Seventh international congress of the international association for semiotic studies, Germany, Dresden, 1–13
Lin KH (2001) Neo-Confucian investigation on income statement structure of manufacturing-Case of Taiwan. Chiao-Da Manag Rev 21(2):51–81 (in Chinese)
Lin KH (2002) Yin-yang theory of deduction and induction in regression analysis. Chiao-Da Manag Rev 22(2):1–34 (in Chinese)
Lin KH (2003) On judicial ethics of constitutional explanation via the case the fourth nuclear power project of Taiwan power company. Nat Chi Nan Univ J 7(1):59–82 (in Chinese)
Lin KH (2004) Effects on industrial analyses with and without the key firm. Nat Policy Q 3(4):157–184 (in Chinese)
Lin KH (2005) Fundamentality of four scenarios causal cycle’s smoothness in business operations. Ind Manag Forum 7(1):179–218 (in Chinese)
Midgley G, Wilby J (2000) Systems practice in China: new developments and cross-cultural collaborations. Syst Pract Action Res 13:3–9
Mou B (2003) Becoming-being complementarity: an account of the yin-yang metaphysical vision of the Yi-Jing. Comparative Approaches to Chinese Philosophy. Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Hampshire, pp 86–96
Perlitz M (1994) The impact of cultural differences on strategic innovations. Eur Bus J 6(2):55–61
Qian X, Yu J, Dai R (1993) A new discipline of science: the study of open, complex, giant system and its methodology. Chin J Syst Eng Electronics 4:2–12
Schmitt BH, Pan Y (1994) Managing corporate and brand identities in the Asia–Pacific region. Calif Manag Rev 36(4):32–48
Senge P (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Century, London
Sodan AC (1998) Yin and yang in computer science. Commun ACM 41(4):103–111
Sodan AC (1999) Toward successful personal work and relations-applying a yin/yang model for classification and synthesis. Soc Behav Pers 27(1):39–72
Tsai YH, Lin KH, Chang SH, Chen HJ (2004) A qualitative-based view of I and Li and relationship to manufacturing performance-an application of the Neo-Confucianism on the transport equipments and precision instruments manufacturing. Chiao-Da Manag Rev 24(1):53–79 (in Chinese)
Wu CH (1972) Lao Tzo/Tao Teh Ching. St. John’s University Press, New York
Yuan R (1997) Yin/yang principle and the relevance of externalism and paralogic rhetoric to intercultural communication. J Bus Tech Comm 11(3):297–320
Zhu Z (2000) WSR: a system approach for information systems development. Syst Res Behav Sci 17(2):183–203
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, HJ., Tsai, YH., Chang, SH. et al. Bridging the Systematic Thinking Gap Between East and West: An Insight into the Yin-Yang-Based System Theory. Syst Pract Action Res 23, 173–189 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-009-9153-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-009-9153-9