Ubuntu – “I Am Because We Are”

Kim E. Dowdeswell () and Jenny M. Hoobler ()
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Kim E. Dowdeswell: University of Pretoria
Jenny M. Hoobler: University of Pretoria

Chapter 40 in The Palgrave Handbook of Servant Leadership, 2023, pp 973-996 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract While most servant leadership research originates in North America and China, the concept is gaining attention in practice and academia in South Africa, resonating with the humaneness and communality that is the African concept of ubuntu. This chapter first provides an overview of servant leadership scholarship in South Africa and then shares results of three servant leadership workshop exercises conducted with diverse South African professionals. The results confirmed most dimensions of existing servant leadership models but also included the concept of ubuntu, a worldview based in dignity and connectedness, rooted in African philosophy, causing us to reflect abductively and speculate on the possible unique nature of ubuntu’s inclusion in servant leadership in South Africa. Third, we unpack what is meant by ubuntu, examining how it has been brought into management practices in South African organizations, and then explore the relationship between ubuntu and servant leadership. We conclude with implications for research and management practices in South Africa and beyond.

Keywords: Servant leadership; South Africa; Ubuntu (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-01323-2_57

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-01323-2_57

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