Leadership leaders and Managers
I have a long believed that the foremost challenge in the countries in African is not a resources but a leadership vacuum. Resources do matter and what’s of greater concern is how resources are developed and managed. Natural resource reservoirs are plentiful in many countries in Africa along with some of the necessary conditions needed to positively impact people’s livelihoods. Why aren’t the able countries experiencing radical changes, one might ask? One word, leadership! Granted certain challenges like infrastructure, policy and so-forth are often found wanting, but it’s people with passion, vision, character and competence who can take on such issues. The lack of leadership is not only at a national governance level; the leadership trap is also a challenge for ordinary Ugandans, teachers in class rooms and Pastors of churches.
As I prepare for my next trip to Uganda, I am thinking about the logistics necessary for another round of numerous meetings with a group of Pastors, educators and business owners about leadership. I have met with many pastors before to dialogue about the challenges they face in ministry and leadership is one of the items on their list. If leaders are not born how are they made? Any answers to such an inquiry will need to consider the Ugandan cultural context since any attempts towards tackling leadership issues in Uganda will be amiss to ignore the nature of leadership styles in Uganda and African. A relevant example is how the idea of Western democracy has struggled to take root in post-colonial African countries. The Western African country of Senegal has been a flag ship of a Western democratic leadership style in Africa, but the recent presidential election period in Senegal exposed how vulnerable western democracy leadership style can be.
Like the governments in most countries in Africa, the Christian church struggles with the notion of leadership. What theory or model works best? What is biblical leadership and are leaders necessary? In Ramsey’s presentation titled Leadership without Leaders, she addresses “the conceptual problem with leader”[1] She notes that the concept of leaders assumes subject-object relation where a knowing, active subject acts upon a knowable and passive object. It ignores the relational performance, or social construction of social phenomena such as leadership.[2]
Ramsey raises yet another dimension of concern about the concept of leaders. I was intrigued by the idea that the understanding of the concept of “leaders” could be problematic. Ramsey’s thought has got implications for the growing movement of leadership development. Is it better to focus on managers rather than leaders? Both are important, but I believe that a major area to focus on, is how managers and leaders learn and are taught.
In another article Ramsey discusses the use of provocative theory in management practice. I believe that a relational approach in training leaders and managers’ which is developed from within Uganda, can assist in grappling the leadership in the cultural context in Uganda. According to Ramsey, provocative theory is “… a relational process rather than a type of academic thinking and is seen as a process whereby academic theory stimulates, incites and promotes changed practice as learning.”[3]
The provocative theory can be adaptable to the Uganda context and may facilitate discuss on how people learn while in practice. This allows for application and testing of theories, content and frameworks as to whether they work or not. A provocative approach can also be disruptive to the traditional approach to leadership where a leader takes charge, depends of explanation and sense making, provides direction for followers and manages them. For example the traditional model is used in most churches in Uganda where the main leader is the senior Pastor, as it is with the president of most countries. In response to conventional leadership, McCrimmon also contributes to Ramsey’s thought by writing:
It holds up impossible acts to follow as the paradigm cases of leadership, then it defines leadership in terms of powerful, inspiring influencing skills and, finally, it says anyone can learn to be like that. Traditional leadership theory creates employee dependency on managers for direction, which hinders employee involvement in generation of new ideas and innovations.[4]
After this week’s reading assignments, I have more items to put on the discussion table with the Pastors in Ugandan and other people in positions of influence in regards to leadership, leaders and managers. I am eager to have a robust conversation about the use of power in the dominant and traditional leadership perspective. McCrimmon show: “the paternal model of leadership is a colossal waste of human energy in a complex, competitive world where all employees must be fully functioning adults able to make independent, confident decisions”[5]
What do you think?
[1]Caroline Ramsey “Leadership without Leaders”, accessed March 9, 2015, https://sites.google.com/a/georgefox.edu/lgp4-dmin-mod4/archive
[2] Ibid.,
[3] Carolyn Ramsey, “Provocative Theory and a Scholarship of Practice” Open Research Online 45, no. 5 (2012), 2. accessed March 9, 2015, https://sites.google.com/a/georgefox.edu/lgp4-dmin-mod4/archive
[4] Mtich, McCrimmon. Burn! 7 leadership myths to ashes. (Toronto, ON: Self Renewal Group. 2006), 82.
[5] Ibid.,
About the Author
Michael Badriaki
7 responses to “Leadership leaders and Managers”
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Michael…
Reading through your post generates thought and reminds me of our various areas of concern. As I was reading I thought about transitions and the complexities of transition. What happens to people systematically when deprived of rights, responsibility and opportunity? What is it to think about each of those apart from a western exported democracy that may just have a distinct inclination toward the exporters sustenance? How do leaders lead while empowering? I think you are wise to bring the aspect of dominant and traditional power to the table of your conversations. In doing so what challenges do you think you will face?
Thank you for your insightful writing and reflection. Grace and blessing as you go (if appropriate, would you let us know?).
Carol thanks for comments and questions. You certainly toughed on great areas of concern. Your questions are pertinent to the on going discussion about leadership in Uganda. In fact, I would like to include your questions as part of the reflection process with my brothers and sisters in Uganda. Do I have your permission Carol?
I’ll be sure to let you know, for certain during the next advance.
Keep us in prayer.
Michael…
Of course you can use any questions ;). And I will keep you in prayer. Would welcome hearing more about your upcoming trip and work …
Dear Michael
A very interesting post indeed. Thank you for sharing leadership from a Ugandan perspective. You talked about “the use of power in the dominant and traditional leadership perspective.” I have seen this leadership style in other countries too, especially Korea. It can really get out of hand! I pray God will give you strength as you converse with leaders and encourage them to find more effective leadership models.
Liz thanks you for the comments. After serving and working in church planting ministry, community outreach for a number of year in Uganda, Haiti and America, I have be blessed to observe and learn certain things. I am now involved in community and leadership growth and I believe that God is doing amazing things among leaders in Uganda. My prayer is that we can see the positives things that might be in the traditional leadership models and open to other perspectives as well in Uganda.
Michael
Michael,
Thanks for your post.
I think a lot about leadership. It is sad where leadership has come to in many cases. Personally, I think that a traditional approach to leadership is better than a modern one. I have always hated the terms “senior pastor” and senior management.” So often, the reality is that the true leaders of churches and organizations are not the ones with the titles. In fact, they are often the ones without titles altogether! I think the best definition for leadership is the one that says to watch who people are following and it is there that you will find the leaders. Leadership is not only about position; rather, it is about influence. And in churches, it should be about those who are Christlike. And this might mean that these are the ones in the back, not in the front.
I am grateful for my studies of Native-American cultures and leadership. The true leaders in these contexts often show up at the last moment, when they are needed. And they may have no titles whatsoever. But they always have wisdom, a quality lacking in many of the self-aggrandizing leaders we find today. Oh that leadership would follow wisdom and tradition rather than fame and fortune, power and beauty. God help us. God help me.
Michael, This is a great post! I like how reflected in these articles from context. As you know, I share your concern about the dysfunctional leadership system in most African countries.
I did like learning about the Provocative theory because they place importance on the relational process of rather than academic thinking…. I can see how these articles can be a great resource for your fieldwork. God’s blessings on the conversation you plan to have with leaders in Uganda.