Exploring Ubuntu as service leadership competency

Abstract

This is a case study conducted in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA), Grahamstown, in the Eastern Cape. Against the backdrop of identifying and conceptualising ethically oriented leadership competencies, the purpose of this study was to explore service as a leadership competency. The literature reviewed in this research underscored the importance of effective and ethical leadership, but critiqued the Westernised, individualistic orientation of the conceptualisation of service as a leadership competency. Based on a review of the literature, this study proposes that when African leaders are in leadership four components of Ubuntu are involved when they exercise service as a leadership competency. These components are collective consideration, collective compassion, community server and Ubuntu humility. The main aim of this study is to investigate if leaders display these four components when exercising service towards their followers, and if so, how, and why they do so. A conceptual framework of components of Ubuntu, which culminated in research themes and propositions, were produced from the literature chapter. A qualitative research method was adopted in this study in which eight participants were selected through convenience sampling for this case study. One minister and seven Vice-Presidents of various organisations in the Methodist Church were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection and a deductive thematic analysis approach was employed to analyse data. Also, the critical incident technique (CIT) was utilised to structure interview questions, which is best fitting to solicit complex and comprehensive data from the interviewees. In its findings, the study confirmed the presence of the four components of Ubuntu, but several delimitations and limitations are acknowledged. Nevertheless, the study has made some contribution to understanding the display of service as a leadership competency in an African context. The implications for management practice are considered and recommendations made for future research.