MANAGERIAL “PROFESSIONAL SELF-IMPROVEMENT” CONCEPT IN EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES: ITS REINTERPRETATION IN MANAGERS` EDUCATION

Abstract

The article examines how leading East Asian economies reinterpret and operationalize the idea of continuous personal advancement within managerial education systems. Drawing on comparative analysis of China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, the study explores the evolution of normative expectations regarding the personal growth of organizational leaders and the cultural-philosophical foundations that shape these expectations. Particular attention is given to traditional intellectual frameworks (such as Confucian moral cultivation, Japanese kaizen-oriented learning culture, Korean notions of self-discipline, and Singapore’s hybrid meritocratic ethos) that continue to influence contemporary approaches to leadership development. The article investigates how these countries incorporate self-directed growth into national training programs, corporate human-capital strategies, and state-supported professional-learning ecosystems. It highlights both convergent tendencies, including emphasis on lifelong learning, ethical conduct, and collective responsibility, and divergent national trajectories shaped by local institutional environments and socio-economic priorities. The comparative findings demonstrate that East Asian models conceptualise personal advancement not as an individualistic pursuit but as a socially embedded obligation linked to organizational excellence and national competitiveness. The article as well evaluates the implications of these interpretations for global management education, arguing that the East Asian perspective offers a distinct paradigm that integrates moral, cultural, and performance-oriented dimensions.