1. Ubuntu
Leadership:
Leadership for
Positive
Change
Barrett Values Based Leadership
Conference
Cape Town, South Africa
September 19, 2012
Ann Dinan,The DeeperLeadership Institute

2. Ubuntu Defined
 Ubuntu – “a person is a person through other persons” (I am
because you are).
 Humanistic philosophy which developed over hundreds of years
in traditional African Culture.
 Ubuntu, expresses a basic respect and compassion for others;
represents personhood, humanity, humaneness, and morality.
 Shutte (1993) states that Ubuntu is encapsulated in our
relationship with and treatment of others.
 Louw (1997) “individuals only exist in their relationships with
others, and as these relationships change, so do the characters
of the individual.”
 Van Binsbergen (2001) states, “Ubuntu’s transformative
processes are intended to restore, initiate, and bring about
social changes in non-violent or non-threatening ways.”

3. Ubuntu Leadership
 Ubuntu Leadership Model
– a revolutionary model
that offers a way of
being, perceiving and
acting in the world. This
model maintains the
importance of facilitating
society’s evolution
toward economic, social,
and environmental
sustainability through
collaboration amongst all
three sectors.

4. Leadership Model
 The underlying way of
being is expressed through
compassion, reciprocity,
dignity, humanity and
mutuality in the interest of
building and maintaining
communities of justice and
caring.
 Self Awareness
 Self-Mastery
 Relational Awareness
 Relational Mastery
 Attitudes, Behaviors,
Thoughts, and Actions that
supports a more humanistic,
world.

5. Hybrid Model of Leadership
 The model we are
proposing takes
many of the tenets
of Ubuntu but is not
strictly “loyal” to
the African
definition. We
believe this model
has universal
application.

6. Model Framework
 The framework draws
on systems theory,
relational theory, as
well as concepts
from servant
leadership,
transformational
leadership,
appreciative inquiry,
& conflict resolution
to name a few.

7. Application of Ubuntu
Leadership Model
 SmallGroup Case
Studies

8. Question and
Answer/Dialogue Session