Shift from Great Man Theory to Ubuntu
Shift from Great Man Theory to Ubuntu
The great-man theory is an ideology that seeks to give credit and praise to an individual. The individual is given accolades for having accomplished certain tasks and or overcome various milestones in life. Historically, the great-man theory was used to explain the accomplishment of a few individual in society. The society considered these individuals’ leaders as they were considered to have outstanding qualities. In leadership, the great-man theory holds that some individuals are born with the attributes of a leader. These attributes set the leaders apart from the rest as they naturally have the power to assume leadership positions and roles.
The great-man theory is subjective and focuses on me. The great-man theory puts the individual at a high social status (Halverson, & Tirmizi, 2008). Unfortunately, this inhibits effective leadership as the individuals is seen as intimidating and inaccessible. Under great-man theory, leadership is for a chosen few within a society. A leader under the great-man theory aims at maximizing his personal gain over the gains of the public. Such a leader is easily obsessed with power and control.
Over time, there has been a shift from the great-man theory to collaborative Ubuntu. Ubuntu is an ideology that looks at the essence of being human. With Ubuntu man embraces hospitality and care for those around him. An individual with Ubuntu puts that extra effort for the sake of those around him. An individual with Ubuntu believes that leadership is possible to all. Ubuntu also teaches that one has to remain in touch with the event around home. Ubuntu also emphasizes on the need for community and mobilizing people in working together. Ubuntu focuses on the ideology of I am because we are. Emphasis is on us rather than me (Pierce, 2002). On leadership, Ubuntu is about creating an environment that fosters achievement for the majority of the community. This is a shift from the great men theory where achievement is based on satisfying individual needs.
The shift of the great-man theory to the philosophy of Ubuntu means that focus on oneself must be in reflection to the overall benefit of a community. The philosophy of Ubuntu stipulates that being a leader begins by understanding one self. It is only by understanding one self that an individual will work towards realizing his strengths and weaknesses. With self awareness an individual attains confidence, adequate interpersonal skills, tolerance and patience: these are crucial virtues that leaders must possess. The shift to Ubuntu makes an individual think of leadership as a servant role. A leader within a society should serve and make a difference to the members of the community (Hailey, 2008).
Ubuntu also brings to light the realization that successful leadership relies on collaboration and working together to attain success. Under Ubuntu, a leader is the glue that connects different communities and individuals together. A leader should thus strive to promote unity and cohesion amongst individuals in the community. Ubuntu acknowledges that leadership is the appreciation if the differences within a social set up. As a leader, Ubuntu advocates for the appreciation of the differences that individuals possess. An individual must strive to see beyond the surface differences in people and encourage co-existence and peace. As a leader, one should construct an identity that emphasizes on not only individual enrichment but also improving the surrounding society and community (Pierce, 2002).
Reference
Hailey, J. (2008). Ubuntu. Retrieved from http://www.tutufoundationuk.org/documents/UbuntuLiteratureReview_JH_Dec08.pdf
Halverson, C. & Tirmizi, A. (2008). Effective multicultural teams. Springer publishers
Pierce, S. (2002). Bridging differences and building collaboration. Retrieved from http://www.synergos.org/bridgingleadership/04/c_1_b_bridging_leadership_concept_p
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