INTERPRETING LEADERSHIP BEYOND CULTURAL LENS: THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE

Transcription

1 INTERPRETING LEADERSHIP BEYOND CULTURAL LENS: THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE By Dr. Queen U. Njemanze, PhD Executive Director, Literacy Volunteers of Southwest Minnesota, Marshall Paper presented at Greater Minnesota Nonprofit Summit, Minnesota State University, Mankato May 16, It is because we are different that each of us is special.

2 Abstract The issue of leadership most times create barriers in the environment especially among people with diverse identities. The coexistence of the diverse ethnicities in the Southwest area of Minnesota, make it important to examine the interaction of leadership within a nonprofit organization in Southwest Minnesota. This presenter argues that, although there is the belief that ethnic, social and economic identities, influence leadership in certain domains, there is need for an all-inclusive and dynamic leadership strategies to achieve a balanced community. Keywords: Leadership, Culture, Cultural Lens, Inclusion, Change.

3 Introduction Issues bothering on leadership, change and inclusion have become clogs on the wheels of major discussions in the globe. These concepts have broad scopes which involve all citizens of a community. Leadership takes many forms, whether leading a team, an organization, a community or a movement we all engage in leadership in different ways. Leadership has much to do with openness and transparency, thus, there is no permanent definition to any of the concepts rather each one is interpreted according to the situation that surrounds it. Leadership is defined from diverse perspectives to mean; the process which influences the activities of a group in an environment towards setting goals and achieving it. Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an organized group toward goal achievement. (Rauch & Behling, 1984: 46). (Hersey & Blanchard, 1988: 86) add that leadership aims at influencing the activities of an individual or a group in efforts toward goal achievement in a given situation

4 In summary, leadership is maintenance of structure which sets out a leader from the team and enables managers to get their people to do willingly what needs to be done and well too. Leadership is dependent on interaction between two or more members of a group who are involved in structuring or restructuring of the situation and the perceptions and expectations of members of a community. Leadership occurs when one group member modifies the motivation or competencies of others in the group. Any member of the group can exhibit some amount of leadership (Bass, 1990: 19-20).

5 Leadership, change and inclusion are inseparable concepts that interact both positively and negatively in the society. In the words of (Njemanze 2013) these are broad concepts, believed, to be prone to clash of cultures and civilization. Inclusion introduces change to a new concept. It is not enough to say that things are well, whereas there exist high dimensions of restrictions. These are prominent in such issues as race, accent/language, ethnicity, class, color, disability, socioeconomic status, religion and other ideologies. These barriers are enough to disorganize the organization And the individuals involved, thereby hindering them from bringing out their full potentials in their communities.

6 Leadership Beyond Cultural Lens Leadership Beyond Cultural Lens aims at re-emphasizing that which has been neglected about being a good leader in a diverse environment. Because of the diverse nature of our communities, it is important that a good leader promotes internationalization of cultures and individuals. How can this be solved? Again, the issue of the definition of the concept arise. Internationalization as a concept is vast, however, it simply means cultural exchange and international exchange. This is largely associated with new comers, foreign people and cultures. This paper sees it as the process of integrating an international intercultural dimension into the process of non-profit leadership and organization especially in Southwest Minnesota. This will help the participants to achieve more globally oriented initiatives, policies and programs that are generally connected, all-inclusive and meaningful for the society.

7 How can this be achieved? Through adaptation to cultural exchange, this will enhances the notion of cultural consciousness or sensitivity. Being culturally conscious or sensitive is being aware that cultural differences and similarities exist between people without assigning them a value be it positive/ negative, good/ bad or right/ wrong. Cultural consciousness or sensitivity encourages both groups to understand and respect each other s characteristics. This showcases other practices and cultures. It simply means that people are not all the same and that no one culture is better than the other. Cultural sensitivity skills can include assessing different cultures, how they should be properly approached and how to communicate accordingly. Skills may also include evaluating how certain cultural differences can affect people s work, and how to value differences so that discrimination and harassment, either intended or not, do not occur.

8 Importance of Cultural Consciousness and Sensitivity Cultural sensitivity skills are important for the leader to function cohesively as a team that is respectful and courteous to each other regardless of any differences. These skills may be important for certain employees who regularly interact with outside business clients, many of whom may have diverse backgrounds and heritages. This is because instance of cultural insensitivity can damage the organization s reputation. A challenge for the Leader in diverse communities It is important to consider the following: - the complex interaction between the individuals, - relationships, - the community, and - the society.

9 When thinking of ways to improve leadership in the communities, think about activities that occur at all levels. This approach is more likely to bring about positive interactions over time. This paper therefore goes further to emphasize on building a bridge to end certain restrictions, prevalent in some areas of our communities towards members of the diverse groups through cultural re-orientation and inclusion. Leadership and Cultural re-orientation: The Challenge of Change Cultural re-orientation is a position that makes an individual aware of the existence of cultural differences and similarities in his/her environment. It is a process of learning, understanding the different individuals from different backgrounds who may be facing the challenge of re-adaptation and change in a new environment. This does not allow the person to attach any value to this existence.

10 Through cultural re-orientation and adaptation to change, issues bothering on leadership and inclusion will thrive on fairness, free engagement, respect for all, innovations and generational shift. A shift that is seen as cultural inter connection. At the point of Cultural inter connection every citizen will achieve inter cultural inclusion and change. This means that there Will be little or no judgment Maximum care about others Orientation of Healthy self-awareness Clear vision of what to achieve Creation of unbiased engagement These attributes will help achieve a healthy community.

11 Leadership in Non-Profit Organization The leadership in non-profit organization is one that does not spread its tenets beyond its domains. This restricts their reach because they do not most times have the resources to explore the benefits of diversity and inclusion. There is strength in diversity; in the words of Stephen Covey, every individual has a new information to share. Hence, every good non-profit leader should practice the models of inclusiveness, reorientation and change in his or her developmental strategies. Thus;

12 The leader should broaden staff recruitment. He/she should strengthen diverse community engagement. Build trust. Be able to reconcile the past from the present. Participate in community activities. Nominate culturally diverse staff/volunteers Search for opportunities to learn about other cultures in your communities. The non-profit leader should among other things be a good,

13 Facilitator, Negotiator and Advocate in his community and beyond. As a listener, he/she should listen without judgement. As a facilitator, he/she should care about the well-being of others. As a negotiator, he/she should be culture sensitive and give others the opportunity to express their feelings. As an advocate, he must easily adopt decisions that will be generally accepted by all. Engage everyone in the community in one way or the other and help them to achieve their set goals.

14 Reducing the Challenge of Non-profit Leadership However, it is worthy to note that the present generation is made up individuals who speak their minds about issues that bother them, using diverse medium of communication. Prominent among these generational beings are those who are described by (Howe and Strauss, 2000) as immersed into digital technology world, these group of individuals are made up of different races and cultures. (Njemanze 2014) says they are highly competent in their use of digital technology software s in all areas of their lives. These individuals are involved in online communication, tweeting, texting, online education and video-communication through many social networking sites available to them.

15 To reduce the challenge of non-profit leadership, we should therefore try to; Know your reactions to another individual s around us. we should not share our conservative views while in the workplace. Be ready to serve across board Knowledge: Be aware that what we believe may not represent the consensus, so you need to be flexible when necessary. If what you are going to speak will have a negative effect on the audience you are presenting it to, then don t say it. Value diversity, the choices that individuals make and activities that people participate in are powerfully affected by culture, we should give them space to be themselves.

16 Conclusion The adventure of being in a new place, surrounded by people who in many cases have had vastly different life experiences from my own, is a privilege. I think of leadership as something that should be transparent. I believe that People should be heard. Also create many opportunities to just listen and hear people and understand their point-of-view. I truly enjoy the work that I do and working with my team. I d say a couple things about leadership. One is that it's all about the people. I think throughout my career, both former and present I have felt like we've had a great team, or that I've worked for great leaders and great managers. Because of this I've been happy throughout my career. Also, there shouldn't be fear of failure or of trying something new. This is because as one gets further into his/her career, one tends to gain more knowledge that will help him/her thrive in his community. This cross-cultural exchange is among the most beautiful, complex, and exciting aspects of life, it s also a skill-set that is being increasingly fostered in our society.. Finally, the understanding that we live with people from diverse background, experiences, and values, has contributed to my success story, today, to lead with understanding. This is because we all have lives to live, our individual lives are special and fascinating to each person and everyone is unique. So we all should stand up for the challenge of change. THANK YOU.

17 What We Explored Leadership relationship Creating a relationship rich organization Supporting our staff to be productive so as to bring out their best in their organization and community. Questions What are the barriers to building a good leadership in your organization? How have you tried solving this problem?