Leadership and management in an African context
John, a seasoned manager from Germany, was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Company XYZ in a large city on the African continent. With extensive experience in European markets, John was confident in his ability to lead the company to new heights. However, he soon realised that managing a multicultural team in Africa presented unique challenges he had not encountered before.
Upon his arrival, John noticed several differences in the workplace culture:
Communication barriers: John was accustomed to direct and straightforward communication. However, he found that many of his African colleagues preferred a more indirect approach, often using euphemisms and non-verbal cues. This led to misunderstandings and frustration on both sides.
Diverse work ethic: The team comprised individuals from various cultural backgrounds, each with different attitudes towards work and time management. For instance, while John valued punctuality and strict adherence to deadlines, some team members prioritised relationship-building and community over rigid schedules.
Lack of feedback: John was used to input from all members of the group. Young, less experienced members would question his instructions and often come up with better ideas in a specific situation. Now, he experiences the members of the groups that he works with keep quiet and accept his instructions without challenging him. He finds it very difficult to let the members “open up” and come up with ideas of their own.
Leadership expectations: In Germany, John’s authoritative leadership style was effective. However, in Africa, he encountered resistance as employees expected a more participative and inclusive approach. They valued leaders who were approachable and empathetic, qualities that John had not emphasised in his previous roles.
Lack of individual achievement: John was used to individuals who compete with each other, individuals who always tried to “outshine” each other to be seen and heard. His experience now is that the groups work well together, but there are very few individuals who seem to be interested in individual achievement. They all seem to put the needs of the group before their own.
Integration of global practices: In Germany, implementing global practices and the latest technology was easy. Innovative ideas came to the fore without being asked. In the African context, he finds it very difficult to integrate global best practices. The employees seem to be indifferent towards new, innovative ideas.
Conflict resolution: John was used to resolving conflicts through formal processes and direct confrontation. In contrast, his African team preferred informal discussions and consensus-building, often involving community elders or respected colleagues.
You are a manager at XYZ Company for more than 20 years. You have been part of the changes that took place on the African continent during the last few years. You understand that there was a shift from ethnocentrism, based on self-praise, to mutual respect between the races. You know that today’s business environment differs markedly from that of the old Africa.
1.1 Explain to John the characteristics of the new business environment in the changing African context. Use examples from the case study above where applicable. (10)
1.2 The effective cross-cultural manager should clearly understand the African cultural value system that determines behaviour. Provide advice to John on how to change his leadership style to effectively manage the African organisation by referring to these African cultural value systems. (8)
1.3 Differentiate between the mindset of European managers and African managers in your discussion with John on the management style to follow. Highlight your discussion with examples from the case study. (12)
Question 2 (20 marks)
Historically, leadership in Africa has carried the notion of masculinity. It is commonly believed even today that men make better leaders than women. The research concluded that women who progressed to top jobs in politics mostly come from a privileged social background. This is not the case with men. Source: Van Zyl et al., 2022. Leadership in the African context. Juta & Co. Ltd.: Cape Town. p177.
2.1 Van Zyl et al. mention that gender disparity in the African culture is a challenge in leadership. Do you agree with the above statement, which is applicable to South Africa? Explain why/why not. Explain whether this statement is applicable to your own working environment.
Read the following article
It has been said that the trouble in Africa is with its leadership. Leadership and their cohorts in Africa have simply privatised the state for their selfish interests. Respected, visionary leaders who are of proven integrity are needed to captain the ships of the nations of Africa. Such a leader of the people must have a vision and mission. This leader should be clear on the values that the party holds and communicate them to the people.
The immediate task of leadership in Africa is to restore hope. To pull our people out of the pit in which they find themselves, to rescue the people from the dictatorship of the ruling clique. The challenges before leadership in Africa are enormous, seriously urgent and important. A leader in Africa has work to do as the search for leadership is a search for social justice, which automatically eliminates social injustice.
The quest for leadership is an undeniable fact in history, especially in matters relating to the management of both human and material resources. The effectiveness of any country depends on the effectiveness of its leaders. However, the quality of leadership in Africa leaves much to be desired. There is a very urgent need now for able, ethical, true and effective leadership. Such leadership must be in the hands of qualified, competent, enlightened and honest persons for the overall development of Africa. That search may not end until we get principled leadership, which will result in principled governance of Africa.
2.2 Explain authentic leadership as an ethics-related leadership style. (10)
2.3 Justify why an authentic leadership style will be the most suitable to comply with all the requirements of the authors, as mentioned in the above article. (5)
Question 3 (25 marks)
Tackling South Africa’s leadership crisis amid a trust deficit South Africa is suffering from a leadership crisis that can and must be addressed through transformational leadership. Leadership challenges are wide-ranging, transcend multiple sectors, and are amplified more broadly through institutions and society.
This is manifest, for example, in South African’s low level of trust in political leadership. According to the latest Afro-barometer survey, less than two in five trust the State President “somewhat” or “a lot” and more than two thirds trust Parliament “a little” or “not at all”. The decline in the trust in elected officials is a decade-long trend that shows no sign of improvement
The trust deficit in political leadership has severe consequences for South African democracy and goes some way to explaining low voter registration, the youth’s disengagement from formal politics and the rise in community protests, particularly in townships and informal settlements.
State-owned enterprises (SOEs) have a special role in our political economy and yet, almost without exception, have failed to deliver on their public mandate, in part due to poor leadership. Eskom has appointed no less than 15 CEOs since 1994, with half serving under two years at the helm. Transnet has changed CEOs nine times since 1994, with its precipitous decline prompting the mining industry to call for the removal of its current CEO.
However, the record for the most CEOs of any SOE goes to the bankrupt South African Airways, with 17 CEOs since 1994. The failure of leadership at SOEs is particularly damaging given the costs incurred by the fiscus, taxpayer, the economy and society more generally from their failure to deliver basic goods and services.
Looking further afield, several of our revered tertiary institutions have also experienced acute failures of leadership. Africa’s leading tertiary institution, UCT, has endured a torrid period of failed leadership, which has resulted in the removal of its Vice Chancellor. Poor leadership at Unisa has propelled the Department of Higher Education to consider placing it under administration. The Universities of Fort Hare and KwaZulu-Natal are operating under crises of corruption, violence and qualifications fraud, all of which attest to leadership failures.
While there is no easy, short-term solution to the chronic failures of leadership holding back the country’s development, there are approaches that can begin to address the challenges. Currently, transactional models of leadership are the norm.
Transactional leadership hinges on followers complying with and carrying out expectations and targets set by leadership and being rewarded for their achievements. Party politics incentivises transactional leadership through promises to the electorate of better public services, welfare and economic opportunities in exchange for their vote.
In the business world, CEOs are incentivised to engage in transactional leadership through the reward of share options and bonuses in exchange for growth in sales and higher profits. Such leadership models are highly effective in the right context but are inadequate to achieve the demanding national challenges of economic development and social upliftment. Rather, the nature of national challenges demands the development, adoption and implementation of transformational leadership.
Transformational leadership embraces several characterising features. The first is conceptualising, developing and implementing new ways of doing things by generating a new vision and strategy for its implementation
Transformational leadership is not only visionary but also inspirational and motivational. While not all transformational leaders are charismatic, they typically lead by example, have high standards and challenge followers to achieve beyond their own expectations. Transformational leaders are characterised not only by self-belief and purpose but also by personal authenticity and ethics, thereby inculcating respect and emulation from followers. Perhaps counter-intuitively, transformational leaders also exhibit individualised consideration. In other words, they are cognisant of and attend to the needs of their followers, tend to be good mentors and are attuned to spotting and nurturing talent.
The fourth characteristic of transformational leaders is their propensity for creativity, innovation and risk-taking. This typically translates into the intellectual stimulation of followers to find better ways of doing things rather than relying on history and past experience.
South Africa has produced outstanding transformational leaders in politics, business, academia, media and civil society. For our country to break out of its current leadership malaise, we need to produce many more.
3.1 The author of the above article states: “Currently, transactional models of leadership (in South Africa) are the norm” In table format, differentiate between transactional leadership and transformational leadership. (10)
3.2 Argue the need for transformational leaders in the South African context. Use examples from the above article in your discussion where applicable.
Leadership Assignment Answers: Expert Answers on Above Leadership Questions
Management leadership and management challenges:
In the given case scenario, the challenges related to leadership and management as faced by John includes cross-cultural complexity as John is required to manage a diverse workforce shaped by African communal values. Another change is trust and authenticity, as employees expect leaders to be accessible. Communication gap is another major management challenge and John also needs to consider employees’ resistance to change about the new system.
Relevance of African leadership values:
The leadership value of ubuntu encourages teamwork, collaboration and collective responsibility. The respect for elders requires John to balance authority with inclusivity and community orientation values requires John to undertake actions that lead to benefit to the entire community.
Authentic and transformational leadership
Authentic leadership helps in building trust by being transparent and consistent. In the given scenario, John shows integrity and proper alignment between actions and values. Transformational leadership inspires and motivates employees and encourages innovation to ensure organisations growth. With these leadership styles, John can engage employees, reduce resistance and guide them towards organisational success.
Recommendations for John
It is important for John to learn local concert practices, apply authentic leadership and transformational leadership, and facilitate open communication and feedback channels to ensure all round success and growth.
| Disclaimer: This answer is a model for study and reference purposes only. Please do not submit it as your own work. |
