An Outline Exposition of Managerial Thought in the Pre-Qin Philosophic Schools

Among the philosophic schools that emerged before China＇s unification by the Qin Dynasty （221-206BC）, the different types of managerial thought preached by the Confucian, Mohist, military, Taoist and Legal schools were noted for their richness and diversity. They were characterized by the following distinctions： Confucianism stressed organized management. ＂Propriety＂ is the hallmark of Confucian doctrine, which calls for a country to be based on ＂propriety＂ symbolized by various ritual practices. The dis- tinctive characteristic of Confucian management lies in ＂rule by rites＂ to govern the process of national administration. The so-called ＂rule by a rites＂ means setting up a system to define mutual relations among the people and dictate the modes of their social activities. Mohism emphasized management by objectives, featuring a clear and rationally defined target on which managing activities were centered.