Chapter 4: How the Communal Philosophies of Ubuntu in Africa and Confucius Thought in China Might Enrich Western Notions of Leadership

This chapter explores two communal philosophies of being, namely Ubuntu from Southern Africa and Confucianism from China, and seeks to contrast and compare how these ways of being inform and affect leadership theory in general, and Western individualistic notions of leadership, in particular.

The notions of Ubuntu and Confucianism are discussed within their historical context and original framework. This discussion then moves to contrast these two worldviews with the Descartian notion of individualism as a worldview. Finally, the history of Western individualistic leadership is presented briefly and then contrasted with Ubuntu and Confucianism with a view to enriching and enhancing Western leadership with the communal elements of these worldviews.