**8. African leadership concepts: lessons for the tourism sector**

There are factors influencing development and application of African leadership perspective. These factors vary from one country to country and from continent to continent. Drawing from the work by Nzelibe, there are certain trends that have influenced modern thought-system of management in Africa; these are guided by certain basic, traditional values, assumptions, and principles [55]. Hence, he refers to them as traditionalism, which has to do with adherence to accepted customs, beliefs, and practices that determine accepted behaviour, morality, and the desired characteristics of the individual in African society [21, 55]. Based on Nzelibes' proposition, one may argue that effective leaders can apply the principles and practices in their management systems in the tourism sector for common good.

**201**

**Figure 2.**

*Selected African leadership concepts.*

*Effective Leadership in the 21st Century: Lessons for the Tourism Sector in the African Continent*

For example, destinations are reinventing themselves using socio-cultural assets to attract tourists. This has been a common practice, particularly in leadership, where cultural expression involves issues and conflicts connected to the leaders and followers inside a variety of international, national, regional and organisational

Another African concept is "communalism", which stems from the belief that the individual is not alone, but belongs to the community [55, 57]. Communalism focuses on the community above the individual [50]. It implies a way of decisionmaking which is based on consensus [57], [305]. African communalism is about communal feelings, world views, moral and cultural values based on closed-knit relationship among their kith and kin within a socio-cultural setting [57]. In other words, an effective tourism leader in the 21st century must see himself/ herself as part of the community, respect the values followed in that cultural specific setting and be in a position to live by the principles favouring the position held and the community. The tourism industry leadership cannot work effectively without community support and involvement [4]. Tourism is a community product, and it is therefore necessary to have community and local capabilities such as community leadership and formal and informal networks directly involved in tourism development and promotion efforts [30]. In Dieke's words "tourism must be profitable to the communities to compensate for any dislocation of everyday life; it should gain the acceptance of the communities in relation to the type, scale and location of tourism development and planners should consider the need for protection of certain communities and sites and to meet their acceptable cultural

The third African concept covered in this chapter is "Ubuntu" which is an African value meaning 'humanness', sometimes referred to as humanity to others. It also means 'I am what I am because of who we all are', or 'a person is a person through people' [18, 21]. The concept of Ubuntu goes beyond a sense of loyalty to something that is more deep-seated; is provides a sense of belonging and purpose [58], [106]. As indicated earlier, that leadership is a group phenomenon that plays a significant part in the life of a group, tribe or community, hence, the trust relationship is of critical importance. The key values entrenched in African

contexts [56]. **Figure 2** presents the African leadership concepts.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93844*

standards" [5, 50].

#### *Effective Leadership in the 21st Century: Lessons for the Tourism Sector in the African Continent DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93844*

For example, destinations are reinventing themselves using socio-cultural assets to attract tourists. This has been a common practice, particularly in leadership, where cultural expression involves issues and conflicts connected to the leaders and followers inside a variety of international, national, regional and organisational contexts [56]. **Figure 2** presents the African leadership concepts.

Another African concept is "communalism", which stems from the belief that the individual is not alone, but belongs to the community [55, 57]. Communalism focuses on the community above the individual [50]. It implies a way of decisionmaking which is based on consensus [57], [305]. African communalism is about communal feelings, world views, moral and cultural values based on closed-knit relationship among their kith and kin within a socio-cultural setting [57]. In other words, an effective tourism leader in the 21st century must see himself/ herself as part of the community, respect the values followed in that cultural specific setting and be in a position to live by the principles favouring the position held and the community. The tourism industry leadership cannot work effectively without community support and involvement [4]. Tourism is a community product, and it is therefore necessary to have community and local capabilities such as community leadership and formal and informal networks directly involved in tourism development and promotion efforts [30]. In Dieke's words "tourism must be profitable to the communities to compensate for any dislocation of everyday life; it should gain the acceptance of the communities in relation to the type, scale and location of tourism development and planners should consider the need for protection of certain communities and sites and to meet their acceptable cultural standards" [5, 50].

The third African concept covered in this chapter is "Ubuntu" which is an African value meaning 'humanness', sometimes referred to as humanity to others. It also means 'I am what I am because of who we all are', or 'a person is a person through people' [18, 21]. The concept of Ubuntu goes beyond a sense of loyalty to something that is more deep-seated; is provides a sense of belonging and purpose [58], [106]. As indicated earlier, that leadership is a group phenomenon that plays a significant part in the life of a group, tribe or community, hence, the trust relationship is of critical importance. The key values entrenched in African

**Figure 2.** *Selected African leadership concepts.*

*Tourism*

responsibility when travelling.

sity in the tourism sector [48].

low-stress outdoor activities, supplemented by quality dining, lodging, shopping, and cultural amenities. They further state that "many younger adventurers seek destinations offering outstanding expedition hiking, cross country skiing, and mountain biking, but they also want cell phone and internet coverage, a great meal, lively night life, and a comfortable bed after their exertions" [51, 52]. This point is also emphasised by [52] that "millennials don't simply represent another generation of travellers; their preferences and lack of predictability make them different", as a result, tourists demand greater value, more experiences and higher levels of quality ([24]: 01), hence, the new ethos in the tourism industry allows the tourists to take

Tourists prefer to engage in physically and intellectually active holidays, with a growing demand for not only recreational activities, sport and adventure, but for knowledge of the history, culture and environment of the places being visited [24]. These new types of tourism are more closely linked to culture, nature, health, religion, etc., are growing three times faster than forms that are more traditional. Therefore, it is essential for a 21st century leader to possess the characteristics that makes them see opportunities everywhere; they should strive for excellence and live with an entrepreneurial spirit. They must work with a generous purpose and

Leadership in the 21st Century should be based on three pillars: values based leadership, network leadership and systemic resilience. Good leadership in Africa always shares life to others [32]. More lessons can also be drawn from the concept of responsible leadership for a leader to be 1) able to make informed ethical judgements about existing norms and rules; 2) displaying moral courage and aspiring to positive change; 3) engage in long-term thinking and in perspective taking; 4) communicate effectively with stakeholders; and 5) participate in collective problem-solving. In the 21st century, the leader must have company's intention to do the right things and act in ways that are good for society. Ethical leadership has a major impact on the behaviour and attitudes of employees as it encourages the employees

Effective leadership is gained through a combination of business knowledge and personal skills including determination, being open-minded, self-reflection, and excellent communication and team-building skills. Therefore, enhancing innovation is paramount in managing or leading in the services sector. Critical thinking is a primary tool for dealing with dilemmas and paradoxes, the support and encouragement of critical thinking is a key characteristic of effective leadership processes [54]. Stošić and Milutinović state that service excellence and innovation is a neces-

There are factors influencing development and application of African leadership perspective. These factors vary from one country to country and from continent to continent. Drawing from the work by Nzelibe, there are certain trends that have influenced modern thought-system of management in Africa; these are guided by certain basic, traditional values, assumptions, and principles [55]. Hence, he refers to them as traditionalism, which has to do with adherence to accepted customs, beliefs, and practices that determine accepted behaviour, morality, and the desired characteristics of the individual in African society [21, 55]. Based on Nzelibes' proposition, one may argue that effective leaders can apply the principles and practices in their management systems in the tourism sector for common good.

embrace culture in order to cater for the 21st century tourists.

to perform a higher quality of work performance [7, 50, 53].

**8. African leadership concepts: lessons for the tourism sector**

**200**

leadership include, being respectful to others and treating them with dignity. These values are reflected in the tourism sector where service excellence is at the centre of customer care and stakeholder engagement. Service excellence, customer care and stakeholder engagement cannot be obtained without trust and common good. Ubuntu is a critical African concept to an effective leader in the tourism industry as it promotes responsible tourism.

The forth concept is Paternalism, which is an African concept based on interconnectedness and solidarity [4, 41] Paternalism is defined as the managers' personal interest in workers' off-the-job lives and personal problems, and managers' effort to support the employees to achieve personal goals and improve welfare [35], [561]. Paternalism is a policy or practice that is fundamental for leaders to make and base their decisions on, so that they can act accordingly for the common good; whilst, constructing proper organisational practices. This concept can be beneficial to the leaders in the tourism sector. For example, [59], [91] refer to paternalistic leadership behaviour and affective organisational commitment as a concept that will have direct and indirect effects on performance of small businesses and therefore the performance of tourism destination. Paternalism is conceptualised in two types: authoritaritative and benevolent. Authoritaritative paternalism values job and does not include a sincere generosity, whilst benevolent paternalism emphasises the commitment of the subordinate and an intimate care of the manager for the subordinate.

Africans sees themselves as bound by 'a mutual obligation to consider others'. A study conducted by Nelson on travel and tourism and the common good reveals that the integration of knowledge and talent from individuals in the private, notfor-profit, and government sectors to advance the common good is important to a 21st century leader [52]. This is reflected in the impact review of and beyond [62], [14] where the company presents valuable lessons from community projects, when working with people which are as follows:


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*Effective Leadership in the 21st Century: Lessons for the Tourism Sector in the African Continent*

"Most African businesses experience dilemma when choosing leadership approaches" [38], [108]. African traditional leadership has been confined to communal areas and practiced African leadership that is "centred on culturally embedded values such as communalism, togetherness, rationalism, consensus and unity; these are encapsulated in the ethos of Ubuntu" [4, 41, 60]. Africa's tourism industry requires leaders that understand the industry, its complexity and their role within it [8]. Ubuntu as a "traditional African value that prompts the establishment of a two way trust relationships as the essence of successful leadership" [41]. Leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah and Desmond Tutu are famous for their culturally embedded values/approaches. There is a great need for the African continent to consider service leadership and ethical leadership, which is characterised by integrity, competence, responsibility, accountability, fairness and transparency. Companies often face challenges building leadership potential and effectively managing the project. There is a need to train the employees to move into leadership positions, not only for succession purposes but also for empowerment and acknowledgement. According to [9, 16], cultural enlightenment and awareness of employee diversity are critical leadership trait that encourages cross-cultural teamwork. This trait is important in the travel, tourism and hospitality sector where there is a higher proportion of women. Women generate higher returns on equity, while running balance sheets that are more conservative when it comes to business performance. In fact, where women account for the majority role players in the tourism sector, inclusion is necessary. The UN report indicated that in January 2017, only 10 women were serving as Head of State and 9 were serving as Head of Government [3]. This is an indication of the limited opportunities as far as the inclusion of women is concerned in the world. However, women such as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former President of Liberia, the first elected female head of state in Africa, Joyce Banda, who has made history becoming Malawi's first female president and only the second

There is a lot that has been written on leadership from a business perspective to the philosophers' viewpoints; even politicians and historians among others have dissected the concept of leadership. Leaders as people, play an important role in an organisation and to the society. This chapter presented the concept of leadership in the 21st century in the tourism industry as one of the services sectors in global economic growth, and Africa in particular. Effective leadership examples in the tourism industry can be drawn from large destinations with strong performance like Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritius and Zimbabwe in sub-Saharan Africa. Although South Africa, reported slower growth in arrivals in 2017, there was a strong increase in receipts, more lessons from the tourism leaders in the sub-region's top destination can be useful. Island destinations Seychelles, Cabo Verde and Reunion, all reported double-digit growth in arrivals.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93844*

woman to lead a country in Africa are inspiring.

The author thanks Tshwane University of Technology.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

**9. Conclusions**

**Acknowledgements**

**Conflict of interest**


#### *Effective Leadership in the 21st Century: Lessons for the Tourism Sector in the African Continent DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93844*

"Most African businesses experience dilemma when choosing leadership approaches" [38], [108]. African traditional leadership has been confined to communal areas and practiced African leadership that is "centred on culturally embedded values such as communalism, togetherness, rationalism, consensus and unity; these are encapsulated in the ethos of Ubuntu" [4, 41, 60]. Africa's tourism industry requires leaders that understand the industry, its complexity and their role within it [8]. Ubuntu as a "traditional African value that prompts the establishment of a two way trust relationships as the essence of successful leadership" [41]. Leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah and Desmond Tutu are famous for their culturally embedded values/approaches. There is a great need for the African continent to consider service leadership and ethical leadership, which is characterised by integrity, competence, responsibility, accountability, fairness and transparency. Companies often face challenges building leadership potential and effectively managing the project. There is a need to train the employees to move into leadership positions, not only for succession purposes but also for empowerment and acknowledgement. According to [9, 16], cultural enlightenment and awareness of employee diversity are critical leadership trait that encourages cross-cultural teamwork. This trait is important in the travel, tourism and hospitality sector where there is a higher proportion of women. Women generate higher returns on equity, while running balance sheets that are more conservative when it comes to business performance. In fact, where women account for the majority role players in the tourism sector, inclusion is necessary. The UN report indicated that in January 2017, only 10 women were serving as Head of State and 9 were serving as Head of Government [3]. This is an indication of the limited opportunities as far as the inclusion of women is concerned in the world. However, women such as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former President of Liberia, the first elected female head of state in Africa, Joyce Banda, who has made history becoming Malawi's first female president and only the second woman to lead a country in Africa are inspiring.
