The Concept of Ubuntu in the African Approach to Management - Essay Example

?The significance of the concept of ubuntu in the African approach to management Introduction The culture of African people is very different from other continents. Thus, to understand the behaviour of employees in different organisations during the current period, there is need to understand a great range of influences, cultures, and philosophies that affect every African (Boon, 2006). From an African perspective, the behaviour of people is shaped by their culture. This brings us to the following questions: Are Africans and Westerners different in their behaviour? Is culture important to business, leadership and life? The concept of ubuntu is critical to these key concepts highlighted above. As such, this report seeks to critically analyse the significance of culture in the management systems in organisations in Africa. The report will also attempt to establish if the ideas that characterise the concept of ubuntu can be applied in other cultural contexts. The philosophy of ubuntu The concept of ubuntu mainly originated from the culture of African people which puts more emphasis on social behaviours such as sharing and treating each other equally (Schultz, 2005). Ubuntu is a metaphor that describes the significance of group solidarity, morality, humanness, hospitality and understanding (Mbigi & Maree, 2005). This concept is very important on survival issues in African communities which as a result of poverty have to survive through brotherly group care and not individual self reliance. This concept is applicable to poor communities and the main idea behind it is to empower the marginalised people and the idea has been harnessed in the management of people in the organisations to reflect their interests. With regards to organisations, the concept of ubuntu emphasises the need to harness the solidarity tendency of the African people in developing management practices and approach. Western and African cultures are very different and behaviour of people from these places is also different. In Africa, the philosophy of extended family is given priority while in western cultures, emphasis is on the nuclear family and the individual and competition is encouraged. From an African perspective, reality of underdevelopment cannot be ignored and ubuntu can be possible because of the individuals in the group who collectively pull their efforts towards the attainment of set organisational goals. This philosophy can be harnessed in the nation building process and in the workplace. By gaining a full and deep understanding of the cultural and philosophical basis of the people in a business team or community, one is better positioned to harness their energies (Boon, 2006). One can synergise the operations of an organisation towards a shared vision and comprehend interdependence through the adoption of the ubuntu philosophy in managing business. Without a deep cultural understanding, it may be difficult to coordinate the efforts of the people towards the attainment of the set goals. Managing diversity Africa is comprised of people from diverse cultural backgrounds and these people are often unique and different from the others. The cultural diversity concept of human resources (HR) posits to the effect that the leaders must emerge from the workplace to motivate and direct workforce towards the attainment of the set goals (Grobler et al 2006). Managing diversity in the workplace has become an important part of HRM. Every individual is unique but at the same time we share common characteristics with other people. Therefore, diversity in the workplace means recognising in a positive way that groups of people share common characteristics and others have different characteristics (Kleynhans et al 2007). Thus, the HR professional has a duty help the organisation to comply or go along with the legislation that prevents unfair practices or discrimination because of these differences between people. The concept of ubuntu comes in handy to solve problems likely to be related to managing diversity at the workplace. Managing diversity is a complex, long term process for developing an organisational environment in which all the employees with their similarities and differences can contribute to the success of the organisation while being treated as equals (Kleynhans et al 2007). The other social problem that affects African organisations in managing diversity is the result of low education and skills among the workforce. The majority of people especially in the South African context did not receive basic education and those who are employed often lack the basic skills required to make the company better in its operations. Without focused development of the employees, it may be a bit difficult to manage people hence the need to observe the different backgrounds of the employees. The history of Africa shows that the majority of people have been previously disadvantaged as a result of colonialism. Thus, the concept of ubuntu is mainly concerned with providing the employees with relevant skills and knowledge to enable them to add value to the organisation so that they will be valued for their contributions to the overall success of the company (Schultz, 2007). Thus, strategic interventions aimed at this include training and development, empowerment and mentoring in a brotherly manner for the betterment of the organisation as a whole. In this context, empowerment creates an organisational culture in which the employees within the organisation are made responsible for the achievement of the organisational goals. On the other hand, mentoring is mainly concerned with socialisation, creating a sense of well being among the employees in order for them to put optimum performance in their tasks at work. The approach to management in Africa is mainly concerned with team building given the diverse cultures of the employees within the organisation (Schultz, 2005). Team building in the organisation provides a foundation for intercultural understanding as well as problem solving. Diversity is seen as a competitive business strategy in Africa given that it is still in the process of transformation from the structures that were put in place by the regime of the colonialists. The idea is to create behaviours and attitudes that will result in achieving excellence within the organisation. Focus is not only concerned with organisational development but the welfare of the people as well. The notion of ubuntu puts more emphasis on the welfare of the employees as they are the main drivers of production in any organisation. Organisations in Africa are seen as social entities where a dominant culture reflects the core values that are shared among its members (Schultz, 2007). Thus, in this case, the function of the organisational culture is to distinguish the organisation from each other to give the members an identity, guide behaviour as well as to encourage commitment to their work for the betterment of the organisation as whole. Organisational culture Organisational culture can be broadly defined as “the understanding which exists amongst members of the organisation (employees of all levels) regarding the way things are done in a particular organisation (Swanepoel, 1998). Culture is by far the most important factor influencing the practice of HRM in all organisations and this is the reason why the concept of ubuntu is given priority in Africa. As such, culture is refers to a system of shared assumptions held by the members of the organisation and they shape the way they behave (Schultz, 2005). African culture in particular is concerned with togetherness of the people and the concept of ubuntu suggests that they must pull their efforts in the same direction in order to achieve the same goals for the organisation. Different people come from diverse cultural backgrounds and they have different values. However, it is important for the managers to incorporate these values into the culture of the organisation so as to be able to create an environment that is conducive to all the employees. Performance of the employees can be greatly improved if they share the same values, attitudes and beliefs in a particular organisation given that they will all contribute towards the attainment of the set organisational goals. The culture of the organisation will allow the employees to develop a sense of belonging to it hence they will be committed to their work which will immensely contribute to the overall performance of the organisation as a whole. In this particular context, organisational culture entails that the employees must be given the autonomy to contribute towards the decision making process of the organisation (Kleynhans et al 2007). By virtue of involving the employees in the decision making process, the organisation will stand better chances of creating an effective culture which can promote harmony among all the employees. In this regard, the concept of ubuntu is primarily concerned with treating all the employees as equals whereby they will share a common understanding towards the attainment of the organisational goals. Cultures differ strongly on such things as how the subordinates expect the leaders to lead, how decisions are handled within the organisation at different levels of authority and most importantly, what motivates the employees (Kleynhans et al 2007). For instance, communication forms the most important part of organisational culture. According to Kleynhans et al (2007), in Germany, the managers are judged on their technical skills but in Netherlands, communication and interpersonal skills are regarded as more important. In the same vein, in African countries, communication is also viewed as the most important part of organisational culture. Another clear difference between cultures is often related to individualistic versus the collectivist approach. For example, American culture focuses on the individual and this has a direct impact on how to motivate the employees (Kleynhans et al 2007). Individual performance is given priority and is rewarded and more emphasis is on productivity of the organisation. On the other hand, group performance is regarded as the most important aspect to organisational success particularly in Africa. This is where the concept of ubuntu is given more priority. Thus, teamwork not competing individuals is given priority where the individuals are encouraged to work together as a group to achieve the organisational goals which is the main characteristic of a collectivist approach to business in the African context. In order to be able to compete, strong bonds of collective unity must be developed within the organisation (Schultz, 2005). Progressive organisations are realising that leaders should develop suitable competencies that will enable them to create an innovative culture that appreciates diversity especially in African context. Such a culture requires everyone in the organisation to collectively and actively contribute to the development of the business by bringing relevant knowledge and experience to it. The concept of ubuntu embraces a combination of social behaviours such as sharing, seeking consensus and interdependent helpfulness that could if recognised and valued contribute to the success of business (Schultz, 2005). Thus cultural synergy implies that the application of diversity is reflected in the organisational processes, practices, structures as well as relationships. The model of ubuntu suggests that if genuine appreciation of cultural diversity is appreciated in the organisation, shared values will be created which will immensely contribute to the growth of the organisation. African leadership The concept of leadership theory derived from overseas is applicable to the African context. However, without disregarding the value of international research in organisational behaviour, there is need to develop a leadership perspective that will reflect the uniqueness of organisations in Africa (Schulzts, 2005). According to Schultz (2007, p. 22), “uniqueness lies in what the African people are and in order to discover it, there is need to deal with humanity.” The concept of ubuntu is probably the most popular Southern African idea which posits to the effect that African people are what they are through their interaction with others. It is therefore important for the leaders in the organisation to have good understanding of the values that affect the way people in Africa behave as this has a bearing on their behaviour in the workplace. Thus, African leaders should actively find and develop a home grown concept of ubuntu which is much more than participative management. There ought to be synergy between the leadership in Africa and African people and it is crucial that the general features of the traditional African leadership are recognised and incorporated in the thinking of members of the organisation (Boon, 2001). This can be converted to the other applications especially in the workplace to reflect the background of the employees. Industrial relations should be promoted in order to reflect the values of the people which can be shared through interaction. Members of the organisation who share the same values are likely to be productive compared to those which are primarily concerned with making profits. African and Western work groups Western management runs work groups and individuals in terms of role and function where individual performance is given priority (Boon, 2001). The African work group however, assesses itself on the basis of moral and emotional grounds. In this particular type of work group, attention is given to collective action to achieve the goals of the organisation. Improvement of the welfare of the employees is also emphasised so that they can put optimum performance in their work. It can be noted that African and Western management systems are completely different hence the concept of ubuntu cannot be applied to other cultures. Individualism and individual performance is given priority in Western cultures contrary to the approach taken by African people in running the organisations. Conclusion Over and above, it can be noted that democracy in Africa evolved through different stages of conflicts and this has certainly impacted on the social welfare of people. The majority of people were marginalised a big gap existed between the rich and the poor since most African people were opposed to low level jobs. To understand people that make up the organisations, there is need to understand a great range of influences, cultures, and philosophies that affect every African. Thus, the concept of ubuntu is critical in this regard. Ubuntu is a metaphor that describes the significance of group solidarity, morality, humanness, hospitality and understanding (Mbigi & Maree, 2005). This concept is very important on survival issues in African communities which as a result of poverty and deprivation have to survive through brotherly group care and not individual self reliance. This concept is applicable to poor communities and the main idea behind it is to empower the marginalised people. With regards to organisations, the concept of ubuntu emphasises the need to harness the solidarity tendency of the African people in developing management practices and approach. The concept of culture is very important in the operations of an organisation. Performance of the employees can be greatly improved if they share the same values, attitudes and beliefs in a particular organisation given that they will all contribute towards the attainment of the set organisational goals. The culture of the organisation will allow the employees to develop a sense of belonging to it hence they will be committed to their work which will immensely contribute to the overall performance of the organisation as a whole. There is need to develop a leadership perspective that will reflect the uniqueness of organisations in Africa. However, the concept of ubuntu cannot be applied to other cultures such as western culture. Basically, western culture emphasises on the importance of individualism while focus is on collectivism in African culture. Business strategy used in western cultures is mainly concerned with the profitability of the organisation. References Boon, M 2001, The African way: The power of interactive leadership, Zebra, CT. Grobler, P 2006, Human resources management in South Africa, Thomson, London. Kleynhans, R 2007, Human resources management: Fresh perspectives, Pearson Education, CT. Mbigi, L & Maree, J 2005, The spirit of African transformation management, Knores Publishing, Randburg. Schultz, 2005, Organisation behaviour: A contemporary South African perspective, Van Schaick, Pretoria. Swanepoel, BJ 1998, South Africa Human resources management: Theory and practice, Juta, CT. Read More