Drawing upon indigenous Chinese models, perspectives and concepts, the article proposes an idealised model of harmonious leadership that is grounded in the concepts of Tao (way), Te (power) and Ho (harmony). Various approaches to modelling Chinese leadership are reviewed and four major impediments that have handicapped this work are identified. In an effort to overcome these impediments, the authors suggest the use of the hermeneutic method as a means of engaging more deeply with the Chinese leadership literature. Guided by this hermeneutic reading, a holistic model of harmonious leadership conforming to the ideals of Tao is formulated that can be subjected to further theoretical and empirical refinement.
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