Transcript Document

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: [email protected]
07/10/2013
1
Overview
• What is the Issue?
• Complex Environment of Leadership
• Organizing Vision of E-Leadership
• Towards a Regional Ontology for ELeadership
• 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
1. Objectification of E-Leadership through Interpretation and legitimation
Country
South Sudan
(MTPS, 2010)
Kenya (2013 – 2017)
(GOK-MOICT, 2012)
Locus
ICT as a reform instrument for Citizen Empowerment; Enhanced Democracy; Socio-Eco
nomic Development; E-Enabled Society
Defining Logic
Socio-Economic Development; E-Participati
on
Enhanced Public Value: Connected Health; Education; Agriculture; Youth, Gender and V
ulnerable Groups
Development of ICT Businesses: Technology Innovation; BPO/ITES; Digital Economy De
velopment;
Strengthen ICT as Driver of ICT Industry: Driving Real Economic Growth; Open and Effic
ient 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 Capa
city
Nigeria
(FMCT, 2012)
Convergence of ICT Services; Institutional Strengthening; ICT Act; Universal Access; Ca
pacity Building; ICT Development; Liberalization of Sector; ICT Investment
Botswana
(IST Africa, 2013)
Capacity Building; E-Government; Digital Content; Universal Access; E-Health; ICT Incre
ased ICT Investments; EInfrastructure and Legal Framework
Transformation to a Knowledge Economy; L
egal Rationality for ICT; Economic Develop
ment
Participation; Regional Hub for Economic
Development
Economic Progress and Development; E-P
articipation
Egypt (2012 – 2017)
(ARE - MCIT, 2013)
Local Digital Content; Cloud Computing; Digital Identity Management; Access to informat
ion and Data; E-Commerce; Mobile Applications Development; Tablet Computer Industry
; Open-Source Software; Empowering People with Disabilities
Rwanda
(RDB, 2011)
Skills Development; Private Sector Development; Community Development; E-Governm
ent 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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2. Legitimization and Mobilization: Reinforcing Western Thought or AfroCentrism?
Innovation
Focus
Aspect of Leadership
M-Pesa
Mobile financial services application dubbed the "f
uture of banking"
Economic relevance of applications indicative of re
sponsible citizenry
SliceBiz - Ghana
Venture capital funding for startups
Discovering hitherto unexplored niches providing e
conomic relevance
PriceCheck South Africa
Retail price comparison application
Africa is leading in coming up with "useful, elegant
and technically sophisticated mobile application de
velopment" -Link to
economic rationality
MedAfrica - Kenya
Help Africans seeking medical assistance. A medic
al alert system
Strong social relevance motivated by economic rat
ionality.
mPedigree - Ghana
An SMS application for authenticating medical sup
plies by consumers
Tough Jungle - Kenya
A web-based and mobile gaming application
Routed in a unique social reality that is unique to A
frica.
MafutaGo - Uganda
A mobile application that directs car drivers to petr
ol stations that offers the best price.
Economic rationality, but still unique to Africa. Ever
y dollar counts
iROKOtv - Nigeria
An application that allows users to stream African
movies
Online and web-based gaming leadership
M-Farm - Kenya; iCow-Kenya
An application that provides farmers up-to-date inf
ormation about the agricultural market and trends.
Recognition that the country is still hugely depend
ent 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
Naidoo (2013)
Moral Disengagement versus Moral E
ngagement
Employing Systematic and Moral Disen
gagement Strategies for dubious public
sector projects
A biased rationality, which is predomina
ntly economic in nature
Czerniewicz ( 2013)
Visibility of Online Knowledge
Social Inequality, Poverty, Knowledge a
s a Public good
Inaccessible knowledge about Africa
Electronic Compliance Monitoring
Good corporate governance
Minimizing over-regulation using IT
ICT Policy Process
How policy networks influence outcome
s
Political interests and foreign interventi
on
Internet Diffusion
Re-orienting diffusion
Policy and Regulatory effectiveness
Henk, Leonard & Strydom (20
13)
Metfula & Chigona (2013)
Mlay et al (2013)
Von Solms & De Lange (2013)
Access to Internet for Socially Exclud
ed Groups
Ease of Access
Relevance of Technology-Based Soluti
ons to the Elderly
Rational Choice Related to Privacy Is
sues
Risk – Utility Tradeoffs in Mobile Bankin
g
Security risk is less of a deterrent in ad
option
Ndlovu & Njenga (2013)
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Towards a Regional Ontology for E-Leadership
LOCUS
Ethical & Moral Leadership
Entrepreneurial Leaders
hip
Leadership Institutionalizatio
n
National System of Innovation
What
Ethical & Moral Engagement
Netrepreneurship
African Values; Aspects of West
ern Civilization
Research & Development of “local”
knowledge systems
How
E-Particpation & E-Democracy
Mobile Innovations; Trainin
g; Incubation
Mainstreaming Formal and Info
rmal Organizing Forms; Accepti
ng counter-power; Technocratic
Governance
Research and Development; Educat
ion
Where
National Government; Local G
overnment
Local Levels
Formal Organizing Structures;
Local Organizing Forms
Universities; R & D Centers; Leader
ship Centers
Who
National and Local Governmen
t/Business leaders; Individuals
Individuals and Communiti
es
National, Regional, Local Struct
ures and Individuals
National For a of Political, Business,
Educational and Civil Society Leade
rship; Presidency; Line Ministry
When
Continuous and Evolutionary
Transformative and Disrup
tive
Continuous and Evolving
Disruptive and Continuous
Why
Social Sustainability
Socio-Economic Rationalit
y
Legal & Professional Rationality
Global focus on knowledge flows
ASPECTS
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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?
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