Using the Jesuits’ Accommodation Experience in China to Guide Change in Chinese Organizational Settings Today Jürgen Wolff A thesis submitted to the University of Gloucestershire in accordance with the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Business, Education and Professional Studies June 2016 Abstract In the late 1970s, China’s party leaders realized that China was not able to develop in isolation. Their aim of “learning from advanced countries” also implied bringing change to China on all business-related levels. However, both Chinese and Western practitioners and scholars agree on the inappropriateness of any change approach alien to Chinese specification. To bridge this void, this research directs its interest towards a substantive theorizing upon the Jesuits’ Accommodation approach in China (1583-1742). To do so, Hermeneutic Phenomenology, rooted within the Utrecht School and following Max van Manen, establishes a renewed contact with the Jesuits’ Accommodation experience outside its traditional research environment. Grounded in an exhaustive description of the Accommodation phenomenon along its meaning-units, a reflective analysis into the structural aspects of the Jesuits’ lived Accommodation experience allows eight essential themes to be abstracted. Becoming the building blocks of a substantive Theory of the Unique, these themes summarize all requirements that are reflected in, and/or concern Context, Course, and Content of any Sinicized change approach able to in-culturate/accommodate (foreign) persons|change-agents, (unfamiliar) ideas|concepts, and (alien) approaches|international best- practices into a Chinese environment. As a result, research into the Jesuits’ Accommodation approach provides Chinese and Western management practitioners and scholars with one new substantive approach to act towards the Chinese Others with thoughtfulness and tact in a fresh and systematic way. Further conceptualized and Sinicized, applying The Chinese Change Concept—The 3C-Approach in a contemporary Chinese organizational environment finally allows to effectively manage change in Chinese organizational settings today. I Author’s Declaration I declare that the work in this thesis was carried out in accordance with the regulations of the University of Gloucestershire and is original except where indicated by specific reference in the text. No part of the thesis has been submitted as part of any other academic award. The thesis has not been presented to any other education institution in the United Kingdom or overseas. Any views expressed in the thesis are those of the author and in no way represent those of the University. Signed ………………………………………… Date ……………………………… Jürgen Wolff 15. June 2016 II Den Eltern zur Freude, Dem Herrn zu Ehren! – Totus tuus – III Conventions Use of sources and language: Hanyu Pinyin to transcribe Chinese characters into Latin script as employed in the People's Republic of China, Republic of China (Taiwan) and Singapore AND simplified Chinese. Greek characters AND transcription into the Latin script French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish characters NO transcription into Latin script Quotes and References: Quotes from the Holy Bible are based on the King James Version including its assigned Biblical Apocrypha References to/quotes from the Spiritual Exercises are taken from the German translation based on St. Ignatius Loyola’s Spanish Autograph—referenced in the Reference section as Knauer (2008) References to|quotes from the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and their Complementary Norms are taken from the Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts of the Constitutiones Societatis Iesu et Normae Complementariae of 1995. They are referenced in the Reference section as Societas Iesu (1996). To allow retracing the particular Constitution and Norm references are—contrary to APA specification—given in full. To allow retracing the particular Letters of missionaries and founder of Orders references to/quotes from those documents are—contrary to APA specification—given in full. To comply with the academic customs of referencing and quoting from Pasquale D’Elia’s Fonti Ricciane references to/quotes from this source are— contrary to APA specification—given in full. The Chinese titles of Chinese Books and their English translations, related content summaries and biographical details of respective authors—if not stated otherwise—are based on The Ricci Institute Library Online Catalog/The Ricci 21st Century Roundtable Database, references to/quotes from this source are given in simplified Chinese. If not stated otherwise imperial titles are based on Hucker C. O. (1985) A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China IV Acknowledgement Prof. em. Manfred Kleiber > for motivation at every tread Prof. Johannes Meier and Miss Li Zou > for tracing the untraceable Prof. Ren Guoqiang > for checking my Chinese, and for performing Zhengming-(cid:15115)(cid:9141) The Reverend Magnus Koschig > for the various religious explanation, his positive amazement, and for letting the Sower do his job The Right Reverend Prof. Gerhard Feige > for his infinite patience, attentive listening, and for disclosing new horizons Dr. Philippa Ward > for her ongoing encouragement, keeping the momentum going, and for conjuring up the Wizard of Oz The Confucius Institute Leipzig, Düsseldorf, and HanBan-(cid:15345)(cid:8774) > for allowing to disseminate my first research outcomes amongst the Heathen Saïd Business School—University of Oxford > for allowing me to present insights into The Chinese Change Concept—The 3C-Approach to a broader, receptive academic audience Heartfelt, special thanks to my supervisors, namely Prof. em. Barry J. Davies > for seeing the potential in the topic and giving the research stance a try and Prof. Nicolas Standaert S.J. > for tian you-(cid:15779)(cid:15457) and for allowing me to show the unmatched competitive- and up-to-datedness in the Jesuits’ approach and thinking—ad maiorem Dei gloriam V TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS____________________________________________________ VI TABLE OF FIGURES_____________________________________________________ VII TABLE OF TABLES _____________________________________________________ VIII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AS USED IN MAIN TEXT AND APPENDIX ___________ IX 1. RESEARCH INTRODUCED AND PLACED _______________________________ 1 1.1 BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY __________________________ 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY _____________________________________________ 9 2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIVES DERIVED ___________________ 13 3. RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY CLARIFIED _________________________________ 18 4. RESEARCH DESIGN ELUCIDATED ____________________________________ 26 4.1 RESEARCH DESIGN—GENERAL REMITS INTRODUCED ______________________ 26 4.2 RESEARCH DESIGN—METHODOLOGY INTRODUCED _______________________ 33 4.2.1 Hermeneutic-Phenomenology—Aim and Significance _______________ 33 4.2.2 Hermeneutic Phenomenology—Character _________________________ 37 4.2.3 Hermeneutic-Phenomenology—Approach _________________________ 41 4.3 RESEARCH DESIGN—BRACKETING INTRODUCED _________________________ 51 4.3.1 Bracketing—Aim and Significance _______________________________ 51 4.3.2 Bracketing—Character _________________________________________ 55 4.3.3 Bracketing—Approach _________________________________________ 59 4.4 RESEARCH DESIGN—METHOD INTRODUCED _____________________________ 61 4.4.1 Thematic Analysis—Aim and Significance _________________________ 61 4.4.2 Thematic Analysis—Character __________________________________ 63 4.4.3 Thematic Analysis—Approach ___________________________________ 65 5. RESEARCH DESIGN REALIZED _______________________________________ 75 6. RESEARCH DESIGN APPLIED ________________________________________ 89 7. RESEARCH OUTCOMES DISCUSSED_________________________________ 131 7.1 IMAGINATIVE VARIATION—EIGHT ESSENTIAL THEMES INTRODUCED __________ 131 7.2 IMAGINATIVE VARIATION—EIGHT ESSENTIAL THEMES ISOLATED _____________ 134 7.3 UN-BRACKETING—RE-INTEGRATION OF BRACKETED DATA _________________ 264 8. RESEARCH OUTCOMES DISSEMINATED _____________________________ 276 8.1 EIGHT ESSENTIAL THEMES—A SUBSTANTIVE THEORY OF THE UNIQUE ________ 276 8.2 EIGHT ESSENTIAL THEMES—GUIDING CHANGE WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS 323 8.3 EIGHT ESSENTIAL THEMES—AN ANACHRONISM? _________________________ 328 REFERENCES AS CITED IN MAIN TEXT AND APPENDIX _____________________ XI CHINESE GLOSSARY AS USED IN MAIN TEXT AND APPENDIX _____________ LVIII APPENDICES _________________________________________________________ LXXII VI TABLE OF FIGURES RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY FIGURE 1: SUBSTANTIVE THEORY OF THE UNIQUE CHARACTERIZED _______ 23 FIGURE 2: WORKING TOWARDS A SUBSTANTIVE THEORY OF THE UNIQUE __ 24 RESEARCH DESIGN FIGURE 3: FITTING INTO UTRECHT SCHOOL _____________________________ 31 FIGURE 4: RECONCILING MANAGEMENT AND SCHOLARSHIP ______________ 32 FIGURE 5: PROVIDING ACTION-SENSITIVE KNOWLEDGE __________________ 36 FIGURE 6: TAKING UP A POETIC ACTIVITY _______________________________ 40 FIGURE 7: WAYS TO GENERATING DATA ________________________________ 45 FIGURE 8: BRACKETING AS INTENDED __________________________________ 53 FIGURE 9: INTERACTION WITH THE SOURCES ___________________________ 71 VII TABLE OF TABLES RESEARCH DESIGN TABLE 1: HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGY—THEORETICAL CONCEPTS, GUIDING IDEAS 27 TABLE 2: METHODOLOGICAL THEMES AND METHODICAL FEATURES ___________________ 43 TABLE 3: GROUNDING METHOD(OLOG)ICAL PILLARS ________________________________ 50 TABLE 4: BRACKETING AS APPLIED _______________________________________________ 58 TABLE 5: PHASES AND COMPONENTS OF BRACKETING INTRODUCED __________________ 60 TABLE 6: GIVE SHAPE TO THE SHAPELESS _________________________________________ 63 TABLE 7: A KNOT IN THE WEB OF EXPERIENCE _____________________________________ 64 TABLE 8: PARAMETERS FOR INCLUSION/EXCLUSION OUTLINED _______________________ 67 BRACKETING TABLE 9: PHASES AND COMPONENTS OF BRACKETING ADAPTED _____________________ 76 TABLE 10: THE JESUITS’ ACCOMMODATION ENDEAVOUR IN CHINA ____________________ 82 TABLE 11: RESEARCH INTO THE JESUITS’ ACCOMMODATION EXPERIENCE IN CHINA _____ 86 TABLE 12: THE JESUITS AND THEIR MISSIONIZING ACTIVITIES IN CHINA ________________ 88 THEMATIC ANALYSIS TABLE 13: 1ST STATION—TRAFFIC AND TRAVAILS __________________________________ 109 TABLE 14: 2ND STATION—GAINING FOOTHOLDS ____________________________________ 112 TABLE 15: 3RD STATION—CHANGE OF ENDS _______________________________________ 115 TABLE 16: 4TH STATION—AMONGST EQUALS_ ______________________________________ 118 TABLE 17: 5TH STATION—HEAVEN AND EARTH _____________________________________ 122 TABLE 18: 6TH STATION—E PLURIBUS UNUM _______________________________________ 126 TABLE 19: 7TH STATION—PARADISE LOST _________________________________________ 129 TABLE 20: VARIANT CONSTITUENTS COMPLETED __________________________________ 130 OPTION FOR ACTION TABLE 21: SINICIZATION ________________________________________________________ 283 TABLE 22: LANGUAGE __________________________________________________________ 286 TABLE 23: USEFULNESS ________________________________________________________ 290 TABLE 24: AUDIENCE ___________________________________________________________ 295 TABLE 25: ESTABLISHING SIMILARITIES ___________________________________________ 302 TABLE 26: ALLIES ______________________________________________________________ 308 TABLE 27: EMPOWERMENT _____________________________________________________ 314 TABLE 28: PREPAREDNESS _____________________________________________________ 320 VIII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AS USED IN MAIN TEXT AND APPENDIX Acts Acts of the Apostles C.M. Congregatio Missionis—Lazarists|Vincentians Con. Constitutions Cor. Epistle to the Corinthians Dtn. Book of Deuteronomy Eph. Epistle to the Ephesians Ex. Book of Exodus FR Fonti Ricciane Gal. Epistle to the Galatians Hebr. Epistle to the Hebrews Is. Book of Isaiah Jer. Book of Jeremiah John Gospel of John Kings Book of Kings Lk. Gospel of Luke M.E.P. Missionarii ad exteras gentes Parisienses—Société des Missions Étrangères de Paris|Society of Foreign Missions of Paris Mk. Gospel of Mark Msgr. Monsignor Mt. Gospel of Matthew No./N. Number O.C.D. Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum—Discalced Carmelites O.P. Ordo Praedicatorum—Dominicans O.S.A. Ordo Sancti Augustini—Augustinians O.F.M. Ordo Fratrum Minorum—Franciscans O.F.M. Ref. Ordo Fratrum Minorum Reformatorum—Franciscans (Strictioris Observantiae) Prov. Book of Proverbs Ps. Book of Psalms Petr. Epistle of Peter Rom. Epistle to the Romans IX