THE MARTIAL ART OF MANAGEMENT

“Furuki o tazune atarashiki o shiru.”- Study the old to understand the new.

Applying the Chinese philosophical concept of Yin and Yang can improve the understanding that Management and Leadership are divergent methods, are interconnected, and complement each other. Business Professionals can apply the 4 Elements of Nature that Martial Artists use for mental and physical training to assist them in becoming better critical thinkers in the workplace.

Martial Arts (武 道)

Martial Arts consists of various systems of mental and physical combative methods designed to prepare individuals for war. Approximately 5,000 years ago, Chinese monks developed different fighting styles that resembled the movements and behaviors of animals and insects. These styles became the foundation of Martial Arts, called Wu-Shu initially but are commonly known as Kung-Fu. Many other warriors from different countries also created fighting styles that contributed to the knowledge of Martial Arts. Among them were the Japanese, who made robust combative systems known as Karate or "Empty Hands." The founder of Goju-Ryu Karate, Chojun Miyagi, adopted the Chinese Martial Arts doctrine known as the Wu Pei Chi to integrate hard and soft styles of traditional karate into his system. 

Even though mental and physical training are divergent methods, they are interconnected and complement each other. This is akin to the Chinese philosophical concept of Yin and Yang, which describes how everything in the universe exists as inseparable and contradictory opposites. The Soul influences the Mind, and the Mind controls the body; therefore, people who can successfully integrate the Yin and Yang concept into their mental and physical training regimen are known as Spirit Warriors.

Management and Leadership (運営 共 長)

The terms Management & Leadership and Manager & Leader have been used interchangeably and as separate constructs for years. Coupled with the hundreds of empirical definitions of Leadership and Management, a person can find it challenging to understand these terms. To break this paradigm, The Martial Art of Managementã defines Management as the process of planning, organizing, and controlling Non-Human Resources in an organization. Non-human resources (i.e., material resources) are the tangible objects that exist externally of employees within an organization. Buildings, vehicles, computers, printers, and cash are some examples of Non-Human Resources in an organization. Contrastingly, Leadership utilizes innovative methods to motivate Human Resources to achieve an organization's vision. These methods directly impact the in-tangible Transformational Leadership factors that exist internally within employees of an organization:

 Thus, the terms Manager and Leader are simplified as a Decision Maker, which encompasses most business titles related to decision-making in most organizations.

  Even though Management and Leadership have divergent focal points, they are interconnected and complement each other, similar to the concept of Yin and Yang. To efficiently manage Non-Human Resources, one must apply innovative methods to motivate Human Resources to achieve an organization's vision. Hence, Management and Leadership are inseparable and contradictory opposites. Human Resources influence Non-Human Resources. This process controls the outcome of achieving organizational goals; therefore, people who can successfully integrate the Yin and Yang concept into their Leadership and Management functions are known as Business Professionals.

Spirit Warriors and Business Professionals (忍者  而して 業家)

  The 4 Elements of Nature are Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. These elements govern the mental and physical Martial Art training methods. Spirit Warriors utilize combinations of the 4 Elements of Nature to balance mental and physical training applications on the battlefield and in their daily lives. Business Professionals also use combinations of the 4 Elements of Nature to become critical thinkers and be accountable for their actions in the workplace. The graph below demonstrates how a Business Professional can respond to a laptop issue with a customer:

Management and Leadership are divergent methods, are interconnected, and complement each other, similar to the Chinese philosophical concept of Yin and Yang. Business Professionals can become better critical thinkers in the workplace by applying concepts from the 4 Elements of Nature that Martial Artists use for mental and physical training.  

The Martial Art of Management is part of Aiki-Karate’s 1st Degree Black Belt training. Aiki-Karate students are taught how to apply their Martial Arts skills to every aspect of their lives outside of the dojo (i.e., karate school). Many Martial Art disciplines mention this philosophy; however, very few provide a detailed explanation and guidance on how to achieve it. This approach correlates Martial Art techniques and philosophies with innovative leadership and management concepts.

Dr. David Jackson- 5th Degree Black Belt, created this methodology based on his 32 years of management experience, 45 years of Martial Arts experience, and the empirical research extrapolated from his Doctorate in Business Administration. The Martial Art of ManagementÓ demonstrates how to deal with your boss, mitigate employee conflicts, improve employee accountability, foster critical thinking employees, maintain positive employee morale, and build efficient teams within your organization.

Dr. David Jackson is also a Freelance Writing Generalist, Web Content Writer, and Instructional (Curriculum) Writer. If your organization wants to learn more about these services, please send an e-mail inquiry to senseitoshi@yahoo.com.