Spirituality and Ubuntu as the foundation for building African institutions, organizations and leaders (original) (raw)
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African spirituality that shapes the concept of Ubuntu
African spirituality that shapes the concept of Ubuntu Nolan(1982:7) shares an interesting concept of spirituality. He says: " The Spiritual life is the whole of one's life insofar as it is motivated and determined by the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Jesus ". This kind of spirituality shapes persons in such a way that they grow into the concept of Ubuntu (humanness). In other words, an integrated spirituality is a spirituality in which who we are, and what we do are intimately related. The process of an African spiritualist is also developed within the village. Mbiti reminds us that: " It takes a whole village to raise a child " (Mbiti 1977:23). In short, relationship is part of development of African spirituality. This article further explores on how elders within the village become leaders, and towards the end of their life journey, they becomes teachers and good ancestors, especially to younger generation. It is important to note that those who are good (while living) and are able to pass their knowledge and wisdom to others become good ancestors when they die...
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African Ubuntu Philosophy & Global Management
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In this chapter we review recent empirical studies of implicit and explicit concepts of leadership in Sub-Saharan African business organisations, with a focus on the concept of ubuntu, defined below, and whether or not ubuntu is actually practiced by managerial leaders. We will present the ubuntu concept and its debates as found in the literature, followed by evidence from our selected studies. From or review our general conclusions are that the ubuntu movement may be an inspirational goal promulgated by African government and social elites to encourage a more humane, community-oriented set of values for Sub-Saharan 1 Corresponding author 2 We gratefully acknowledge the Steadman Group's assistance in collecting data in Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia. The Steadman Group is an East African information provider with offices in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, with headquarters in Nairobi.
Rethinking Management in Africa: Beyond Ubuntu
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
ABSTRACT The arrival of colonialism in Africa disrupted the people’s cultural beliefs and traditions and led to the transplant of Western organizational practices and standards into the African context. However, with business leaders being confronted with numerous contemporary challenges, it is almost certain that they require not only generic, but also realistic leadership and management know-how, which the Western paradigms seem not to provide. This paper has four main aims: firstly, to propose a new philosophical rejection for the rationale and institution of Western management theory and practice in Africa; secondly, to provide an approach for appreciating management in Africa through evaluating the role of ubuntu; thirdly, to evaluate the dilemma of ubuntu as an alternative to Western paradigms in Africa; and lastly, to suggest the way forward for management in Africa. Besides these aims, I wish that this paper will initiate true philosophical literature on the subject of management practice and leadership styles in Africa, and serve as a general foundation for a more detailed and specialized philosophical and social study of the subject.
Ubuntu and leadership? : some practical theological perspectives
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In discourses on leadership within the African context one regularly finds that scholars make a contrast between so-called Western and African approaches to leadership. African leadership approaches are then often linked to notions of an African value system in which one of the first concepts that surface is the loaded notion of ‘Ubuntu’. Scholars then point to the fact that in the understanding of ‘Ubuntu’ one finds a preference for a kind of spiritual collectiveness rather than for individualism with rational thinking as a central feature of Western thought. Applied to leadership, one therefore finds a consensus-seeking and problem-solving approach in Africa, rather than dissension, which is typical of Western styles of leadership. The purpose of this paper is firstly to illustrate that this dualistic approach to leadership not only underwrites considerable contestation over the notion of ‘Ubuntu’ leadership, but that such an oversimplified understanding of African leadership can ...
Ubuntu and leadership? Some practical theological perspectives. Scriptura, 2017.
In discourses on leadership within the African context one regularly finds that scholars draw a distinction between so-called Western and African approaches to leadership. African leadership approaches are then often linked to notions of an African value system in which one of the first concepts that surface is the loaded notion of 'Ubuntu'. Scholars then point to the fact that in the understanding of 'Ubuntu' one finds a preference for a kind of spiritual collectiveness rather than for individualism with rational thinking as a central feature of Western thought. Applied to leadership, one therefore finds a consensus-seeking and problem-solving approach in Africa, rather than dissension, which is typical of Western styles of leadership. The purpose of this article is firstly to illustrate that this dualistic approach to leadership not only underwrites considerable contestation over the notion of 'Ubuntu' leadership, but that such an oversimplified understanding of African leadership can easily contribute to gender discrimination. Secondly, this problematic situation will be illustrated by referring to a recent case study on the absence of women from leadership positions within a specific denomination in Malawi. Some of the underlying factors contributing to this problematic practice will be scrutinised. Lastly, the article concludes by voicing the trust that a more nuanced approach to leadership from an 'Ubuntu' perspective can indeed make a contribution to the position of women in leadership. According to the understanding of the researcher, this can happen if the notion of 'Ubuntu' is placed within the broader discourses of critical humanism where the focus is on shared humanity.
Indigenisation of Corporate Strategies in Africa: Lessons From the African Ubuntu Philosophy
China-USA Business Review, 2013
Within an African setting, the Ubuntu philosophy embodies a socio-cultural framework that applies to all individuals and institutions throughout the continent. The Ubuntu application is pervasive in almost all parts of the African continent. Hence, the Ubuntu philosophy is integrated into all aspects of day-today life throughout Africa and is a concept shared by all tribes in South, Central, West, and East Africa amongst people of Bantu origin. This paper presents a desk research that aims at reviewing and analysing literature on corporate lessons that can be realised from the African Ubuntu philosophy. The paper reviews the background and significance of the Ubuntu philosophy including successful cases of Africanising management systems. Finally the paper reviews major contributions that the Ubuntu philosophy can make towards global management systems. The literature reveals that there are a lot of corporate strategy lessons that can be realised out of the Ubuntu philosophy. These lessons include collectivism and teamwork, creation of synergies and competitive advantages, humanist leadership styles and maturity, consensus in decision-making systems, effective communication, and community-based corporate social responsibility. Therefore, there is a need for corporate strategy and management systems to be realigned with the local Ubuntu philosophy that defines the Africa's socio-cultural framework. To be successful, Africa-based organisations must be found on this Ubuntu philosophy.
Africa Journal of Management, 2019
Emerging from indigenous communities in South Africa, Ubuntu has been heralded as a context-resonant approach to leadership practice befitting the African socio-cultural and institutional environment. Ubuntu privileges moral and humanistic consideration premised on collective endeavor and people-oriented preferences. These are much sought after aspects of leadership that should enable growth and expansion in Africa. Elusive, though, are empirical studies that explore the manifestation of Ubuntu in Africa and models that encapsulate key dimensions for managerial application. A question for the curious scholar is: if Ubuntu aligns to the African socioeconomic and psycho-social work environment, why do African organizations continue to underperform? To address this dilemma, this study explores how Ubuntu leadership is practiced in a public service organization. Using interviewing and group discussion and exploring discursively from a constructionist perspective, the study analyses data from 12 council authorities in Cameroon and Nigeria. Contradiction, deviation and paradox are highlighted. The “sevendimension” model of Ubuntu leadership embedding deviant and vital omissions for high performance is proposed.