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Leadership in an Electronic Age: Towards a Regional Ontology:Towards a Socio-Technical View

Nixon Muganda, Ph.D

School of Information Technology, University of Pretoria, South Africa

E-Mail: nixon.ochara@up.ac.za

07/10/2013

Overview

• What is the Issue?

• Complex Environment of Leadership

• Organizing Vision of E-Leadership

• Towards a Regional Ontology for E-

Leadership

• Questions

Current Dilemma in Leadership Research & Practice• Richard Hackman and Ruth Wageman concluded is “curiously

unformed” (Hackman & Wageman, 2007, p.43). • Warren Bennis as early as 1959, stated that “[…] probably more has

been written and less is known about leadership than any other topic in the behavioral sciences” (Bennis, 1959, p.260).

• A fiercely behavioral school that claim ownership of the field, individual focus

• The narrow conceptualization of leadership disadvantaged leadership practice, and a decade ago, (Zaccaro & Horn, 2003, p. 776) recognized the problematic and limited conceptualization of leadership theory which tended to lead to a “limited attention to the conceptual dynamics of leadership practice”.

• Yet global advances in information and communications technologies (ICTs) may have tipped the scales towards reifying a more integrative view of leadership

• We seek to elevate the socio-technical school within leadership theory, given inevitable advances in global information systems (IS).

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Complex Environment of Leadership

• We are in a complex knowledge-based society:

– characterized by a competitive landscape driven by globalization, technology, deregulation, and democratization (Uhl-Bien, Marion, & McKelvey, 2007; Halal & Taylor, 1999).

• Unlike Ducker's 1999 prediction that developing countries would focus largely on manufacturing, on the contrary, African countries are participants in the knowledge economy e.g. m-pesa, e-fare, etc.

• Organizational and societal success and sustainability in the current knowledge – economy is premised:

– On accumulation and sharing of knowledge assets and leadership being emergent as an interactive dynamic (Uhl-Bien, Marion, & McKelvey, 2007);

– “distributed” form of leadership within a collective interactive dynamic (Gronn, 2002);

– Reducing the influence of individuals as leaders while focusing attention on activities and events for organizational transformation (Lichtenstein, Uhl-Bien, Marion, Seers, & Douglas, 2006);

– and leadership outcomes based on shared direction, alignment and mutual commitment (Drath, et al., 2008)

• Thus: In effect, a leadership that moves beyond leaders as individuals towards distributed forms of action, recognizing the influence of the knowledge-based context as playing a critical mediating role on leadership outcomes.

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Organizing Vision for E-Leadership: A Thematic Analysis

Country Locus Defining LogicSouth Sudan(MTPS, 2010)

ICT as a reform instrument for Citizen Empowerment; Enhanced Democracy; Socio-Economic Development; E-Enabled Society

Socio-Economic Development; E-Participation

 Kenya (2013 – 2017)(GOK-MOICT, 2012)

Enhanced Public Value: Connected Health; Education; Agriculture; Youth, Gender and Vulnerable GroupsDevelopment of ICT Businesses: Technology Innovation; BPO/ITES; Digital Economy Development; Strengthen ICT as Driver of ICT Industry: Driving Real Economic Growth; Open and Efficient Governance; E-Participation

Socio-economic rationality, e-participation

  Financial Services; Tourism & Hospitality; Manufacturing; Transport & Logistics; Energy; Creative Industry; Integration ICT infrastructure & info-structure; Enhanced Citizen Capacity

 

Nigeria(FMCT, 2012)

Convergence of ICT Services; Institutional Strengthening; ICT Act; Universal Access; Capacity Building; ICT Development; Liberalization of Sector; ICT Investment

Transformation to a Knowledge Economy; Legal Rationality for ICT; Economic Development

Botswana(IST Africa, 2013)

Capacity Building; E-Government; Digital Content; Universal Access; E-Health; ICT Increased ICT Investments; E-

 

  Infrastructure and Legal Framework Participation; Regional Hub for Economic

    DevelopmentEgypt (2012 – 2017)(ARE - MCIT, 2013)

Local Digital Content; Cloud Computing; Digital Identity Management; Access to information and Data; E-Commerce; Mobile Applications Development; Tablet Computer Industry; Open-Source Software; Empowering People with Disabilities

Economic Progress and Development; E-Participation

Rwanda(RDB, 2011)

Skills Development; Private Sector Development; Community Development; E-Government and Cyber Security

Socio-Economic Development; Professional Development and E-Participation

Zimbabwe (2012) Enhancement of Public Value; Infrastructure for Economic Growth Socio-Economic Rationality; E-Particpation

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1. Objectification of E-Leadership through Interpretation and legitimation

2. Legitimization and Mobilization: Reinforcing Western Thought or Afro-Centrism?

Innovation Focus Aspect of Leadership

M-PesaMobile financial services application dubbed the "future of banking"

Economic relevance of applications indicative of responsible citizenry

SliceBiz - Ghana Venture capital funding for startupsDiscovering hitherto unexplored niches providing economic relevance

PriceCheck South Africa Retail price comparison applicationAfrica is leading in coming up with "useful, elegant and technically sophisticated mobile application development" -Link to

    economic rationality

MedAfrica - KenyaHelp Africans seeking medical assistance. A medical alert system

Strong social relevance motivated by economic rationality.

mPedigree - GhanaAn SMS application for authenticating medical supplies by consumers

 

Tough Jungle - Kenya A web-based and mobile gaming applicationRouted in a unique social reality that is unique to Africa.

MafutaGo - UgandaA mobile application that directs car drivers to petrol stations that offers the best price.

Economic rationality, but still unique to Africa. Every dollar counts

iROKOtv - NigeriaAn application that allows users to stream African movies

Online and web-based gaming leadership

M-Farm - Kenya; iCow-KenyaAn application that provides farmers up-to-date information about the agricultural market and trends.

Recognition that the country is still hugely dependent on agriculture as the backbone of the economy.

     

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3. Legitimization and Mobilization Reported in Research: Academic Agenda

Key Theme Focus Locus Authors

Moral Disengagement versus Moral Engagement

Employing Systematic and Moral Disengagement Strategies for dubious public sector projects

A biased rationality, which is predominantly economic in nature

Naidoo (2013)

Visibility of Online KnowledgeSocial Inequality, Poverty, Knowledge as a Public good

Inaccessible knowledge about Africa

Czerniewicz ( 2013)

Electronic Compliance Monitoring Good corporate governance Minimizing over-regulation using ITHenk, Leonard & Strydom (2013)

ICT Policy ProcessHow policy networks influence outcomes

Political interests and foreign intervention

Metfula & Chigona (2013)

Internet Diffusion Re-orienting diffusion Policy and Regulatory effectivenessMlay et al (2013)

Access to Internet for Socially Excluded Groups

Ease of Access Relevance of Technology-Based Solutions to the Elderly

Von Solms & De Lange (2013)

Rational Choice Related to Privacy Issues

Risk – Utility Tradeoffs in Mobile Banking

Security risk is less of a deterrent in adoption

Ndlovu & Njenga (2013)

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Towards a Regional Ontology for E-Leadership

LOCUS ASPECTS

Ethical & Moral Leadership Entrepreneurial Leadership

Leadership Institutionalization

National System of Innovation

What Ethical & Moral Engagement Netrepreneurship African Values; Aspects of Western Civilization

Research & Development of “local” knowledge systems

How E-Particpation & E-Democracy Mobile Innovations; Training; Incubation

Mainstreaming Formal and Informal Organizing Forms; Accepting counter-power; Technocratic Governance

Research and Development; Education

Where National Government; Local Government

Local Levels Formal Organizing Structures; Local Organizing Forms

Universities; R & D Centers; Leadership Centers

Who National and Local Government/Business leaders; Individuals

Individuals and Communities

National, Regional, Local Structures and Individuals

National For a of Political, Business, Educational and Civil Society Leadership; Presidency; Line Ministry

When Continuous and Evolutionary Transformative and Disruptive

Continuous and Evolving Disruptive and Continuous

Why Social Sustainability Socio-Economic Rationality

Legal & Professional Rationality Global focus on knowledge flows

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The “Big” Questions arising?From a Moral Engagement Perspective:•How can ethical and moral engagement be realized in the 21st century e-leadership practices? •How can leaders be developed / trained to operate in operate in a digitally transformed environment? •How can ICT leadership and business leadership work together in the current electronic era? •How can the current demand for e-leaders be matched with the current supply?

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The “Big” Questions arising?From a Entrepreneurial Leadership Perspective:•How can entrepreneurial leadership be a foundation for resolving Africa’s unique problems? •What forms and practices of entrepreneurial leadership can evolve from Africa to inform the international discourse? •How can we better understand leadership through acts of entrepreneurship?

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The “Big” Questions arising?From a Leadership Institutionalization Perspective:•How can African values be embedded in leadership practices to ensure quality and relevance in bureacratic governance? •How can Africa’s traditional authority structures be reconciled with practices enabled by social media, open data tools, and web 2-0? •In what ways can professional and legal rationality be realized in the age of technocratic governance without threatening the independence of democratic institutions?

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The “Big” Questions arising?From a National Systems of Innovation Perspective:•What forms of leadership can enable systems of innovation for Africa’s global competitiveness? •What competencies are required? What are the implications of open government (data) for e-leadership?

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Questions?

For Electronic Copy Send e-mail to:nixon.muganda@up.ac.za

nixon.muganda@up.ac.za