Gordon Redding
Encyclopedia
Gordon Redding MA, PhD, D.Econ h.c., is an influential British professor, academic, author, editor, consultant, director and secretary general. He is today considered one of the most prominent specialists on China
and the regional ethnic Chinese, having published over 10 books and 100 articles related to the subject. He retains a number of professorships, and is currently working on the development of the HEAD Foundation (Human Capital and Education for Asian Development) and its main project the SERV (Sumatra Education and Research Valley), acting as Secretary General of the HEAD, based in Singapore. He also spent 24 years at the University of Hong Kong, where he founded and directed the HKU Business School http://www.business.hku.hk/ (now the Faculty of Business and Economics).
, Lancashire, England, the son of Leslie Redding and Georgina Redding (née Mitchell). He also has a sister, Lesley Redding. Redding was educated at Bootle Grammar School, and attended University of Cambridge
, where he read Economic Geography at Fitzwilliam College. He also possesses a doctorate from Manchester Business School
and an honorary doctorate from the Stockholm School of Economics
.
Ltd. He later relocated to Hong Kong
, allowing him to research extensively in Asia. He spent 24 years at the University of Hong Kong, where he founded and directed the Business School, now the Faculty of Business and Economics, ranked 1st in Asia (Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings). He also founded and directed the Poon Kam Kai Institute of Management http://www.pkki.business.hku.hk/ at HKU in the field of executive education.
He has also served as a consultant on general managerial strategy and organization for global corporations and multinational companies, including HSBC
, Cathay Pacific
, Hutchison Whampoa
, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Bank Mandiri
, BHP Billiton
, Christie’s and a number of regional conglomerates.
Redding also worked in the diamond industry, as Director of Strategy for De Beers
, well known for its monopole of the diamond market.
He was Director of the Euro-Asian Research Centre http://www.insead.edu/europe_campus/getting/index.cfm of INSEAD
in France, for seven years. He still retains a professorship there in the field of Asian Business and Comparative Management. For two decades he was honorary Secretary of the Association of Deans of Southeast Asian Graduate Schools of Management. His work also includes his presence on the editorial boards of ten journals, including Organization Studies http://oss.sagepub.com/, International Journal of Human Resources Management http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713702518, Pacific Focus http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=1225-4657, Journal of Asian Business http://www.umich.edu/~cibe/faculty/jab.html, Monash Mt. Eliza Business Review, Asia Pacific Journal of Management http://www.springer.com/business+%26+management/business+for+professionals/journal/10490?detailsPage=editorialBoard, Asia Pacific Business Review http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13602381.asp, de Gruyter Studies in Organization, Management and Organization Review http://www.wiley.com/bw/submit.asp?ref=1740-8776.
He teaches and directs programs for both Master of Business Administration
and executives, and collaborates in research with colleagues in Europe, Asia, and North America. He has been a guest faculty member for Wharton School, Duke University
, Columbia University
, University of Southern California
, Australian National University
, Stockholm School of Economics
, University of Hawaii
, University of Zurich
, Xiamen University
and Zhejiang University
.
He as also addressed conferences at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
of Harvard University
(also known as Harvard Kennedy School)http://www.hks.harvard.edu/, Manchester Business School
, University of Stockholm, Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
(also known as Science-Po Paris), among others. He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Hong Kong, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Stockholm School of Economics
, alongside Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
.
He received the annual Award for Distinguished Scholarship of the International Association for Chinese Management Research in 2006.
and spending 10 years working in the retail industry, Redding moved to Hong Kong where he furthered his specialisation in the field of comparative management, and the comparative research of societal systems of capitalism, with a focus on the role of culture, religion and social capital on the economy.
His main theory work has been on Chinese management, notably in The Spirit of Chinese Capitalism (1990), with Michael Witt and The Future of Chinese Capitalism (2007), plus a further ten books and approximately a hundred academic articles. His most recent book is on the role of religion in development, The Hidden Form of Capital (edited with Peter Berger). His works have been cited in The Economist
and the Financial Times
, and his contributions to journals and reviews include the Journal of International Business Studies
http://www.jibs.net/, Management and Organization Review http://www.wiley.com/bw/submit.asp?ref=1740-8776, Organization Studies http://oss.sagepub.com/, and International Studies in Management and Organization http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/results1.asp?ACR=IMO, about the intricate links between cultural heritage and institutions, as well as the role of societal patterns of rationale in the stimulation of economic infrastructures.
. His wife is author and journalist Laura Lam. He is now based in Singapore, Hong Kong and France. Personal interests include Asian art
, travel, brick and stone walls, photography and Victorian biography.
Redding G. and M A Witt, The Future of Chinese Capitalism, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007.
Redding G. The Spirit of Chinese Capitalism, New York, de Gruyter, 1993.
Redding G, (2005) The thick description and comparison of societal systems of capitalism, Journal of International Business Studies, 36, 123-155.
Redding G. (2008) Separating culture from institutions: the use of semantic spaces as a conceptual domain and the case of China. Management and Organization Review, 4:2, 257-289.
Redding, Gordon (2010) The business systems of Asia, in H.Hasegawa and C.Noronha (eds) Asian Business and Management, London, Palgrave Macmillan. 7-30.
Boisot M., J.Child and G. Redding (2011) Working the system: towards a theory of cultural and institutional competence’, International Studies in Management and Organization, 41, 1, 63-96.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the regional ethnic Chinese, having published over 10 books and 100 articles related to the subject. He retains a number of professorships, and is currently working on the development of the HEAD Foundation (Human Capital and Education for Asian Development) and its main project the SERV (Sumatra Education and Research Valley), acting as Secretary General of the HEAD, based in Singapore. He also spent 24 years at the University of Hong Kong, where he founded and directed the HKU Business School http://www.business.hku.hk/ (now the Faculty of Business and Economics).
Early life
Redding was born in BootleBootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, Lancashire, England, the son of Leslie Redding and Georgina Redding (née Mitchell). He also has a sister, Lesley Redding. Redding was educated at Bootle Grammar School, and attended University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he read Economic Geography at Fitzwilliam College. He also possesses a doctorate from Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School is the largest department of the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. According to Bloomberg Business Week's ranking of the world's best business schools the MBS MBA is ranked third in the world...
and an honorary doctorate from the Stockholm School of Economics
Stockholm School of Economics
The Stockholm School of Economics or Handelshögskolan i Stockholm is one of Northern Europe's leading business schools. Its Masters in Management program is ranked no. 2 in Northern Europe and no. 13 in Europe by the Financial Times...
.
Professional career
After university and national service, Redding started work in the retail industry in the UK, as an executive for the department store group Owen OwenOwen Owen
Owen Owen was a Liverpool-based operator of department stores in the United Kingdom.- The man :Owen Owen was born in October 1847 and died on Easter Sunday in 1910 at the age of 62....
Ltd. He later relocated to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, allowing him to research extensively in Asia. He spent 24 years at the University of Hong Kong, where he founded and directed the Business School, now the Faculty of Business and Economics, ranked 1st in Asia (Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings). He also founded and directed the Poon Kam Kai Institute of Management http://www.pkki.business.hku.hk/ at HKU in the field of executive education.
He has also served as a consultant on general managerial strategy and organization for global corporations and multinational companies, including HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
, Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
, Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Bank Mandiri
Bank Mandiri
Bank Mandiri , headquartered in Jakarta, is the largest bank in Indonesia in term of assets, loans and deposits. Total assets as of Q2 2010 were IDR 402.1 trillion . It also has Capital Adequacy Ratio of 23% , Return on Asset of 0.71 %, and Return on Equity of 7.38 %...
, BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, Christie’s and a number of regional conglomerates.
Redding also worked in the diamond industry, as Director of Strategy for De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
, well known for its monopole of the diamond market.
He was Director of the Euro-Asian Research Centre http://www.insead.edu/europe_campus/getting/index.cfm of INSEAD
INSEAD
INSEAD is an international graduate business school and research institution. It has campuses in Europe , Asia , and the Middle East , as well as a research center in Israel...
in France, for seven years. He still retains a professorship there in the field of Asian Business and Comparative Management. For two decades he was honorary Secretary of the Association of Deans of Southeast Asian Graduate Schools of Management. His work also includes his presence on the editorial boards of ten journals, including Organization Studies http://oss.sagepub.com/, International Journal of Human Resources Management http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713702518, Pacific Focus http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=1225-4657, Journal of Asian Business http://www.umich.edu/~cibe/faculty/jab.html, Monash Mt. Eliza Business Review, Asia Pacific Journal of Management http://www.springer.com/business+%26+management/business+for+professionals/journal/10490?detailsPage=editorialBoard, Asia Pacific Business Review http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13602381.asp, de Gruyter Studies in Organization, Management and Organization Review http://www.wiley.com/bw/submit.asp?ref=1740-8776.
He teaches and directs programs for both Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
and executives, and collaborates in research with colleagues in Europe, Asia, and North America. He has been a guest faculty member for Wharton School, Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, Stockholm School of Economics
Stockholm School of Economics
The Stockholm School of Economics or Handelshögskolan i Stockholm is one of Northern Europe's leading business schools. Its Masters in Management program is ranked no. 2 in Northern Europe and no. 13 in Europe by the Financial Times...
, University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
, University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
, Xiamen University
Xiamen University
Xiamen University , colloquially known as Xia Da , located in Xiamen, Fujian province, is the first university in China founded by overseas Chinese. Before 1949, it was originally known as the University of Amoy. The school motto is "Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection "...
and Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University , sometimes referred to as Zheda, is a national university in China. Founded in 1897, Zhejiang University is one of China's oldest institutions of higher education...
.
He as also addressed conferences at the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(also known as Harvard Kennedy School)http://www.hks.harvard.edu/, Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School is the largest department of the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. According to Bloomberg Business Week's ranking of the world's best business schools the MBS MBA is ranked third in the world...
, University of Stockholm, Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
(also known as Science-Po Paris), among others. He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Hong Kong, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Stockholm School of Economics
Stockholm School of Economics
The Stockholm School of Economics or Handelshögskolan i Stockholm is one of Northern Europe's leading business schools. Its Masters in Management program is ranked no. 2 in Northern Europe and no. 13 in Europe by the Financial Times...
, alongside Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
.
He received the annual Award for Distinguished Scholarship of the International Association for Chinese Management Research in 2006.
Academic career
Following his doctorate at the Manchester Business SchoolManchester Business School
Manchester Business School is the largest department of the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. According to Bloomberg Business Week's ranking of the world's best business schools the MBS MBA is ranked third in the world...
and spending 10 years working in the retail industry, Redding moved to Hong Kong where he furthered his specialisation in the field of comparative management, and the comparative research of societal systems of capitalism, with a focus on the role of culture, religion and social capital on the economy.
His main theory work has been on Chinese management, notably in The Spirit of Chinese Capitalism (1990), with Michael Witt and The Future of Chinese Capitalism (2007), plus a further ten books and approximately a hundred academic articles. His most recent book is on the role of religion in development, The Hidden Form of Capital (edited with Peter Berger). His works have been cited in The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
and the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, and his contributions to journals and reviews include the Journal of International Business Studies
Journal of International Business Studies
The Journal of International Business Studies is a double blind peer-reviewed academic journal and the official publication of the Academy of International Business. It is published by Palgrave Macmillan and covers research on international business. The journal was established in 1970 and is...
http://www.jibs.net/, Management and Organization Review http://www.wiley.com/bw/submit.asp?ref=1740-8776, Organization Studies http://oss.sagepub.com/, and International Studies in Management and Organization http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/results1.asp?ACR=IMO, about the intricate links between cultural heritage and institutions, as well as the role of societal patterns of rationale in the stimulation of economic infrastructures.
Recent Work
Redding has more recently been serving as Secretary General of the HEAD Foundation, a think-tank based in Singapore, currently working on the construction of a large research valley and science park in Sumatra, Indonesia. The Head Foundation’s aims are the growth of human and social capital in Pacific Asia in the interests of societal progress.Personal life
Redding has two sons from a first marriage, Philip (born July 1965, CEO) and Peter (born August 1967, Director in the retail industry). He also has a son from a second marriage, Thurstan (born August 1992), studying at University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. His wife is author and journalist Laura Lam. He is now based in Singapore, Hong Kong and France. Personal interests include Asian art
Asian art
Asian art can refer to art amongst many cultures in Asia.-Various types of Asian art:*Afghan art*Azerbaijanian art*Balinese art*Bhutanese art*Buddhist art*Burmese contemporary art*Chinese art*Eastern art*Indian art*Iranian art*Islamic art...
, travel, brick and stone walls, photography and Victorian biography.
Selected Publications
Berger Peter L. and G. Redding (eds) The Hidden Form of Capital: the Spiritual Contribution to Prosperity, London, Anthem Press, 2010.Redding G. and M A Witt, The Future of Chinese Capitalism, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007.
Redding G. The Spirit of Chinese Capitalism, New York, de Gruyter, 1993.
Redding G, (2005) The thick description and comparison of societal systems of capitalism, Journal of International Business Studies, 36, 123-155.
Redding G. (2008) Separating culture from institutions: the use of semantic spaces as a conceptual domain and the case of China. Management and Organization Review, 4:2, 257-289.
Redding, Gordon (2010) The business systems of Asia, in H.Hasegawa and C.Noronha (eds) Asian Business and Management, London, Palgrave Macmillan. 7-30.
Boisot M., J.Child and G. Redding (2011) Working the system: towards a theory of cultural and institutional competence’, International Studies in Management and Organization, 41, 1, 63-96.