I recently wrote a journal paper on how to integrate strategy and culture for transformative change. I wanted to discuss the socialisation of change as a core component of sustainable institutional change. While the overall paper argues for the collaboration of strategy and culture as pillars of change what I found surprising is that recent developments in emotional intelligence (EI) map squarely onto the age old principles of Ubuntu distilled over millennia...
Ubuntu and EI are equivalent. They are only different in perspective. They are both social intelligences based on African perspective of community and Western perspectives of individualism. To operate in the Western world you need EI, to relate in in Africa you need Ubuntu. Take a close look at the five principles of EI and Ubuntu as presented by Goldman, 2000 and Mbigi, 1997 and you see striking reflection of individualism against
Self awareness <=> Dignity
Self regulation <=> Respect
Self motivation <=> Survival
Empathy <=> Compassion
Effective relationships <=> Solidarity
It is fairly clear that EI is essentially "self" centred while Ubuntu is "other" centred. At some point I thought it was necessary to "scientify" African leadership theory for it to make sense in the global context, but now I am convinced that it may be more practical to codify African leadership theory so that (modern) science can understand it. It is really a question of perspective. There are many indigenous knowledges Africa can teach the world that do not need scientific proof to be valid.
Allan Bukusi
