#6 Versailles and Edo's Pitfalls
Avoid Misguided Use of Power
TL;DR
This post examines the historical misuse of power in Versailles, France, and Edo-period Japan, drawing parallels to modern leadership and HR strategies. Highlighting the pitfalls of prioritizing style over substance, it offers insights into effective resource management and decision-making in contemporary organizations, emphasizing the need for balanced leadership that values actual content and purpose over mere appearances.
Listen to this episode in our Podcast!
Since the earliest civilizations, the pursuit of power has been a central human endeavor. This pursuit, while often driven by noble intentions, can also lead to its hoarding and misuse. Throughout history, humans have made tremendous efforts and employed various strategies to keep it. Likewise, in the corporate world, understanding the dynamics of power is crucial. In this episode, we draw lessons from two pivotal historical events in France and Japan to illuminate modern HR and leadership strategies.
Misuse of Power in History: France and Japan
Coincidentally, during the same period, these two countries experienced a similar phenomenon where their governments' misuse of power led to unstable situations. Let’s dive into their unfortunate political show.
Extravagance at Versailles
In 1623 France, Louis XIII from the House of Bourbon built a hunting lodge in Versailles, on the outskirts of Paris. His son, Louis XIV, known as the ‘sun king’, used the lodge as his favorite residence. Louis XIV ordered the expansion of his father's château at Versailles into a palace and officially moved himself and the government to Versailles in 1682. He spent a huge amount of money on Versailles, demonstrating an unprecedentedly extravagant court unlike anything Europe had ever seen. He also compelled nobles and minor royals to live in Versailles, expecting to neutralize the power of nobles. Nobles had to live in a small apartment and had nothing to do.
This combination of boredom and extravagance led them to indulge in gossip, frivolous spending, and various entertainments. They were required to wear elaborate dress and buy large quantities of French goods. The court's social calendar was packed with various amusements like concerts, banquets, balls, parades, plays, and pageants, involving substantial expenditure on costumes and sets. Additionally, gambling was a prevalent pastime, with some nobles experiencing massive losses or gains1.
Versailles came to be seen as a glorious symbol of the absolute monarchy, the divinely ordained royal family of France, and of the state itself.
Sankin-Kotai System in Edo
In Japan, the Sankin-Kotai system mandated feudal lords, known as Daimyō, to travel to Edo (present-day Tokyo) annually. This practice, which started before the Edo period (1603-1868), initially served as a way for Daimyōs to pay homage to the Shogun. It became a formal requirement under Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa Shogun. He also decreed that the Daimyōs’ wives and heirs must remain in Edo, effectively preventing any potential revolts against the government.
The annual journey to Edo was a significant undertaking for the Daimyōs, requiring substantial resources. These processions resembled grand parades, often involving large numbers of people. For example, records indicate that the Daimyō of Kaga Domain was once accompanied by as many as 4000 people. The journey from the Satsuma Domain to Edo could take up to two months. The Sankin-Kotai was not just a mere formality; it was an opportunity for domains to display their power and wealth. Consequently, Daimyōs had to invest a lot of resources on this event. It is estimated that between 50-75% of a domain’s revenue was spent on the visit2.
The Sankin-Kotai system one of the key is an indispensable aspect of any discussion about the Edo period due to its significant impact on the social and political dynamics of the time.
Consequences
Both France and Japan shared a cultural similarity: their monarchs exercised power by compelling regional lords to expend significant resources and time in a show of allegiance. While it’s challenging to label historical practices as unequivocally good or bad, it is a historical fact that these monarchs came to an end. In fact, those luxurious deeds played a crucial role in their decline.
In France, the concentration of wealth in Versailles severely drained the regional resources, weakening the nation's overall economic and military strength. This indulgence led to France's inability to compete with rising powers in Europe and the New World. The growing divide between the wealthy and the poor eventually sparked the famous French Revolution3. Similarly, in Japan, the Daimyōs’ preoccupation with Sankin-Kotai diverted attention from vital regional economic development and national defense. This neglect became evident when, in 1853, the US black ships arrived in Japan. The US government forced Japan into an unfavorable treaty, triggering the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Thus, the Sankin-Kotai can be seen as a remote cause to this collapse4.
In both cases, the governments’ attempts to consolidate power through such practices ironically led to their loss of it. Had the regional lords been allowed to allocate their resources towards critical areas such as infrastructure development and bolstering defense capabilities, the historical outcomes might have been marked differently.
HR Insights: With Resource Allocation and Power Dynamics
The historical narratives of France and Japan offer valuable lessons in the dynamics of power and resource management. These tales illustrate how leaders, in their quest to consolidate authority, often curtailed their subordinates' capacity to deploy resources effectively and meaningfully.
This approach, prioritizing personal power over collective empowerment, echoes in contemporary organizational contexts. You may have encountered a “style over substance” management style, where the emphasis is on the presentation of work rather than its actual content5. While effective communication and presentation are undoubtedly vital, disproportionately emphasizing aesthetics can lead to a detrimental work environment, reminiscent of the sophists' error in ancient Greece, who were known for their persuasive rhetoric over truthful argumentation.
Consider, for instance, a scenario where a manager focuses more on the visual allure of presentations for senior management than on the depth and accuracy of their content. This tendency might signal an organizational culture that unduly values appearances, overshadowing the essence of the work. Likewise, frequent meetings at the global headquarters requiring managers from branches overseas to present polished yet unrealistic strategies can be a sign of power being misused. Leaders and HR professionals should encourage a focus on what truly matters for the organization’s success.
Potential Solutions for Effective Resource Management
Addressing these issues requires practical solutions. Here are a couple of strategies:
Establish an Organization Charter
Developing an organization charter can effectively shape your corporate culture, a responsibility often entrusted to HR. To understand what organization charter entails, consider Google’s Ten things we know to be true. To combat a style-over-substance culture, your charter could include guidelines to streamline presentations and meetings.
For example, inspired by Jeff Bezos' directive at Amazon to encourage the employees to make narrative memos instead PowerPoint presentations, you might emphasize the importance of meaningful content over flashy presentations. Bezos believed this approach fostered clearer thinking and more in-depth discussions, aligning with Amazon's focus on innovation and customer satisfaction6.
For instance, you might include a statement like below:
We only do things that matter to customers and society
We are deeply committed to the judicious use of our resources. For example, we strongly oppose efforts to embellish internal presentation unnecessarily, as this does not benefit our customers. Similarly, we encourage managers to prioritize evaluating the substance of work over its form.
It is crucial to regularly reinforce the organization charter through various channels such as daily meetings and onboarding events.
Implement Data-Driven Evaluations
In the absence of a data-driven culture, companies often base evaluations on impressions, where flashy presentations can play a significant role. A robust data strategy allows for the effective use of data in acquiring and processing information, facilitation evaluations based on facts rather than impressions. If performance assessments are grounded in data, the need for frequent, impression-focused visits to headquarters may diminish. As discussed in Harvard Business Review, while achieving a true meritocracy seems elusive, striving for a more data-driven approach can lead to fairer evaluations.
While there are other potential solutions, the key is to utilize leader or HR authority to cultivate a culture and processes where teams and employees can focus their efforts resources on what truly matters. Power should be used not to showcase authority, but to foster an environment where meaningful work takes precedence.
“What If?” in History
In reflecting on the tales of Versailles and the Sankin-Kotai system, it's compelling to consider the dual nature of their legacies. While serving as cautionary tales in the realm of business and power dynamics, they simultaneously left indelible marks on the cultural fabric of their respective nations.
France is renowned worldwide for its contributions to art, fashion, and beauty, much of which can be traced back to the extravagance of Versailles. The lavish lifestyle and sophisticated aesthetic cultivated at the court of Louis XIV have profoundly influenced global perceptions of French style, continuing to draw millions of tourists and admirers to this day7.
Similarly, Japan’s Sankin-Kotai system played a pivotal role in fostering a robust domestic trade network. This network did more than just stimulate commerce; it solidified Japan's unique cultural identity, which endures as a source of global fascination8.
These historical instances pose intriguing questions that transcend time: What if the resources in France had been directed towards public management rather than opulent display? Could such a shift have altered the course of the French Revolution, or even averted it altogether? Similarly, in Japan, had the resources and efforts been channeled towards other forms of national development, might the Tokugawa era have extended its influence further into the modern age?
As we ponder these questions, we're reminded of the delicate balance leaders must strike between the pursuit of power and the welfare of those they lead. The lessons from Versailles and Edo are not just historical footnotes but vital reflections for contemporary leaders and HR professionals. They challenge us to consider how our actions and decisions might be perceived and remembered in the years to come. These reflections highlight the complexity and fascination of history, offering invaluable insights for modern leadership and HR practices. That, indeed, is the luxury of history.
https://www.history.com/news/versailles-palace-opulence
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8F%82%E5%8B%A4%E4%BA%A4%E4%BB%A3
https://www.chaletcouleursdefrance.com/the-palace-of-versailles-a-contributing-factor-to-frances-decline/
http://repo.komazawa-u.ac.jp/opac/repository/all/20406/KJ00005097012.pdf
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/transforming-toxic-leaders/202108/many-leaders-opt-style-over-substance
https://medium.com/@ogehemmanuel/watch-video-jeff-bezos-explaining-why-he-banned-powerpoint-presentations-at-amazon-f0613696027
https://paris7masterculture.wordpress.com/2018/10/28/the-palace-of-versailles-the-persuasion-and-the-seducion-within-the-french-culture/
https://www.artelino.com/articles/sankin-kotai.asp