How to Use Rites (禮記) to Build Strong Corporate Culture: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Leadership and Organizational Culture

By: Dr. Jian Zhang

After decades as a healthcare executive, I have come to believe that building corporate culture is the most important responsibility of a CEO.

Strategies change. Technologies evolve. AI will continue to transform industries. But culture

ultimately determines whether an organization:

• thrives,

• survives,

• or collapses under pressure.

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Over the years, I have seen organizations struggle not because they lacked intelligence, strategy, or resources, but because they lost trust, respect, accountability, emotional stability, and shared values.

When culture weakens, organizations eventually weaken from within.

As I recently reread The Book of Rites (禮記), I realized that more than two thousand years ago, it was already addressing many of the same questions modern leaders still struggle with today:

• How do organizations build trust?

• How do leaders create stability?

• How do people work together respectfully under pressure?

• How do institutions sustain culture over time?

I. What Is Rites (禮記)?

Rites is one of the Five Classics of Confucian thought, developed through the teachings of

Confucius (孔子) and later Confucian scholars.

It emerged during a time of social instability, political fragmentation, moral decline, and the

collapse of traditional order. In many ways, it resembles today’s environment rapid technological disruption, rising workplace anxiety, organizational fragmentation, and increasing social polarization.

At the center of Rites is one key concept:

• Rites (禮) — proper conduct, respect, responsibility, boundaries, and social order.

But Rites is not merely about etiquette or ceremony.

It is about how human beings create stable, respectful, and sustainable systems.

In modern language: Rites is fundamentally about organizational culture.

II. Corporate Culture Is Modern “Li”

Today, companies invest heavily in mission statements, leadership principles, culture initiatives, employee engagement, and organizational values.

But culture is not what companies write on walls. Culture is how people behave every day. This is one of the deepest insights from Rites.

Culture is reflected in:

• how leaders treat employees,

• how disagreements are handled,

• how pressure is managed,

• how respect is demonstrated,

• and how accountability is practiced.

  
  

In many organizations, true culture becomes visible not during success, but during crisis.

III. What Rites Teaches Us About Building Strong Corporate Culture

1. Respect Creates Stability

One of the core teachings of Rites is that healthy systems are built on mutual respect.

Not fear.

Not control.

Not authority alone.

Today, Western leadership increasingly emphasizes:

• Psychological Safety,

• Human-centered leadership,

• Inclusive leadership,

• and trust-based cultures.

  
  

But Rites recognized thousands of years ago that organizations cannot remain stable without

respect and dignity.

Employees today no longer follow leaders simply because of title or position. They follow

leaders they trust.

2. Culture Starts With Leadership Behavior

One of the greatest mistakes organizations make is assuming culture can be delegated to HR.

Culture starts with leadership behavior.

Employees observe:

• how leaders communicate,

• how they treat people under pressure,

• how they handle conflict,

• and whether their actions align with stated values.

This aligns closely with modern Western leadership principles such as:

• Values-based Leadership,

• Authentic Leadership,

• and Servant Leadership.

Rites teaches that leadership is reflected not through authority alone, but through conduct and moral example.

3. Emotional Discipline Is Leadership

Many workplace problems today are not caused by lack of intelligence, but by:

• emotional reactivity,

• ego-driven leadership,

• poor communication,

• and lack of boundaries.

Rites places great emphasis on:

• moderation,

• restraint,

• self-regulation,

• and appropriate conduct.

Modern leadership calls this:

• Emotional Intelligence,

• Executive Presence,

• and Adaptive Leadership.

Ancient wisdom called it Rites (禮).

One of the most important lessons I learned as a CEO is that culture is emotional contagion.

When leadership becomes emotionally unstable, organizations eventually become unstable as well.

4. Rituals Matter More Than We Realize

One of the most overlooked aspects of culture-building is the power of rituals.

Modern organizations already have “rites,” whether they realize it or not:

• onboarding processes,

• leadership rounds,

• recognition ceremonies,

• town halls,

• team meetings,

• storytelling traditions,

• and organizational celebrations.

  
  

These rituals reinforce values, identity, belonging, and organizational memory.

This is deeply connected to modern organizational psychology and systems leadership.

Culture is strengthened not only through strategy, but through repeated shared experiences.

5. Boundaries and Role Clarity Create Healthy Systems

Rites emphasizes role clarity, responsibilities, accountability, and proper boundaries within

systems.

Many organizational problems emerge when expectations are unclear, accountability weakens, or boundaries collapse.

Today, Western leadership theory describes this through Systems Thinking, Organizational

Behavior, and Role Alignment.

Healthy organizations require clarity, discipline, and mutual accountability.

IV. The Relationship Between Rites and the Four Books

Together, these works form a remarkably sophisticated framework for leadership, human

development, and organizational culture.

Final Reflection

Rereading Rites today, I no longer see it as a book about ancient ceremonies.

I see it as a sophisticated guide for building healthy organizations and sustainable human

systems.

Today, many organizations focus heavily on:

• growth,

• innovation,

• AI transformation,

• and scale.

  
  

But Rites reminds us that truly great organizations are not built by technology alone. They are built by culture and culture begins with respect, trust, responsibility, boundaries, and the daily practice of human dignity.