Constructing Self as Leader: Case Studies of Women Who Are Change Agents in South Africa

Abstract

The present article draws from the biographical narratives of three South African high school female principals which are part of a larger research study in which 26 aspiring and practicing women school leaders were interviewed. Narratives were constructed from in-depth interviews with each participant and analyzed for themes that provided insights into the skills, knowledge, and understanding that contribute to an effective African-centered leadership style that values three key principles of ubuntu: spirituality, interdependence, and unity. Findings indicate these women’s narratives are a testimony to their moral and ethical commitments in which social emancipation, compassion, and care for the community’s children are firmly rooted at the center of their leadership style. This study answers the call for research that explores context-specific leadership.

Surfacing a hidden literature

“…A second kind examined female approaches to leadership in Africa (e.g. Agezo and Hope, 2011;Dady, 2014;Grant, 2005;Kwadzo, 2010;Lumby, 2013;Lumby and Azaola, 2014;Mestry and Schmidt, 2012;Mogadime et al, 2010;Naidoo and Perumal, 2014;Smit, 2013;Wambura, 2010;Zikhali and Perumal, 2016). This latter body of studies has relied almost exclusively on qualitative methods and could benefit from an increased application of mixed methods designs.…”

“…Bush, 2013;Hoadley et al, 2009;Olaleye, 2008), transformational leadership (Nguni et al, 2006;Tesfaw, 2014;), instructional supervision (Kalule and Bouchamma, 2014;Nakpodia, 2011), teacher leadership (e.g. Emira, 2010;Grant, 2005), distributed/shared leadership (Grant, 2008;Naicker and Mestry, 2013;Tshabangu, 2013), and change leadership (Grobler et al, 2016;Mogadime et al, 2010;Ngcobo and Tikly, 2010).…”

“I Am Because We Are”

“…Spirituality seemed to permeate everything they thought about, pursued, and talked about, so much so that more often than not, it was an unspoken understanding" (Ngunjiri, 2010b, p. 183). This idea of spirituality permeating the life and leadership of these African women was also true for Madimbo (2013), Mogadime et al (2010), andNdlovu (2013) in Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe women's leadership praxis. Paris (1995) posited, referring to Africans in the continent and the Diaspora, "religion permeates every dimension of African life.…”

“…As a worldview, writers are not in total agreement on the principles or dimensions that make up the concept of ubuntu. For example, some writers talk about ubuntu as inclusive of spirituality, interdependence, and unity (Mogadime, Mentz, Armstrong, & Holtam, 2010); others talk about five core values of respecting the dignity of others, group solidarity, teamwork, service to others, interdependence, and harmony (Mangaliso, 2001; Mbigi, 1996; Wanasika, Howell, Littrell, & Dorfman, 2011). As Tutu (1999) stated above, a person with ubuntu is hospitable, generous, caring, compassionate, empathetic to the suffering of others, and affirming of others’ humanity.…”

A Narrative Inquiry into the Leadership Practice in a South African School through a Servant-Leadership Lens

“…Apart from international narrative studies on school principals (Brumley 2007;Cooper and Heck 1995;Greer 2009;Johnson 2009;Slater 2011), the use of a narrative, which has informed this study, has only been applied in a limited manner to studies focusing on school principals in South Africa. South African principals' narratives include the study on educational changes in a sample of the best Eastern Cape schools (Lawrence 2007), grounded narratives of school principals during a decade of changes (Mphahlele 2009); describing the use of metaphors in respect of school leadership among three women school principals (Phendla 2004), and constructing the self as a leader who contributes to an effective African-centred leadership style (Mogadime et al 2010). However, none of the studies provide a narrative on how a leadership practice compares to the servant-leadership model.…”