Theory A: Preliminary Perspectives on an African Model of Leadership

Leading the Individuals and the Community

Leadership in a communitarian society, such as is commonly found in Africa, is defined by obligations taken on by individuals on behalf of community. While leaders have considerable power and influence in an African community, it is essential that these leaders always act in consultation with the elders of their community—who represent, in turn, the values and commitments of their ancestors. Leaders in an African community also play a critical role in overseeing the initiation of young men and women into their community. It is in the role of mentor (to use a Western term) and wise counselor that African leaders forge the vital linkage for their young initiates between individual identity and rights and collective identity and responsibility.

Somé (1999, p. 276) frames it this way:

Initiation focuses on and is a response to some basic existential questions faced by human beings since the dawn of time. Everyone wonders. Who am I? Where do I come from? What am I here for? and Where am I going?

We have already noted that indigenous people see humans as born with a purpose, a mission they must carry out because it is the reason their coming to this world. In order to deliver the gift of their mission purpose, certain conditions must be present, such as the community’s recognizing the gift that is being delivered to them.

There are mutual obligations that are sustained through the community of care and trust—not formal contractual agreements. This brings us to another important dynamic operating in African societies (and in Theory A). Behavioral economists draw a distinction between an interaction between two or more people that is based on a “market exchange” and an interaction that is based on a “social exchange.” The market exchange requires an agreement that some product or service is provided in exchange for money or some other form of direct compensation. Conversely, social exchange requires that a beneficial action taken by one person is acknowledged and rewarded by the other person in a manner that is symbolic, intangible and “heart felt.”