CEO talks about how Fotile combines Confucian thought with modern management
On July 11, CCG hosted a lecture titled “Fotile Culture: The Way of Confucian Thought and Modern Management” given by Mao Zhongqun, CCG vice chair and CEO of Fotile Group, China’s leading maker of high-end embedded kitchen appliances. Chaired by CCG President Wang Huiyao with participants from CCG, business, and academia, the session explored how to apply Chinese traditional culture and Confucian thought into corporate values.
Confucian thought is one of the foundations of the “East Asian model” and Fotile has been a pioneer in integrating its values into a new approach to corporate management, ranging from operations management and manufacturing practices to corporate social responsibility. Mao shared his experiences and examples of how Fotile have implemented this synthesis of traditional Chinese values and modern management science. In line with CCG’s role as a platform to promote the innovation and globalization of Chinese enterprises, this was an excellent opportunity for participants to draw lessons from Fotile’s experience.
Mao mapped out the framework of values and principles that have been refined and implemented at Fotile in recent years. This includes the core missions of contributing to the happiness of millions of families (including not only customers but also partners and employees) and striving to be a truly great corporation that achieves quality and excellence regarding personnel, products and the enterprise itself. Outlining his vision for Fotile, he said that a great corporation should act not only as a commercial entity, but also as a social organization, seeking not only to serve customers but also contribute to society. Mao stressed that ultimately, this can only be achieved by cultivating moral character and nurturing both ability and integrity.
Mao went on to describe Confucian values and concepts that are key to the management approach at Fotile and how these have been synthesized with Western management science. Following Mao’s presentation, Dr. Wang Huiyao praised Fotile’s pioneering efforts in integrating East Asian management principles into modern business practices. He said that in light of the current Sino-US trade war, Chinese enterprises are at a crossroads and must seek to open more international markets and further internationalize. In this process, innovative approaches such as Fotile’s that can successfully combine the advantages of Chinese culture and international modern management practices are a useful reference for Chinese enterprises.
