Culture and Leadership in Africa - Research Paper Example

?Management College: An Evaluation of Contemporary Leadership and Governance Challenges among Universities in Africa Problem Statement In the contemporary global trends, efficient leadership and governance in tertiary institutions is a requirement for any country that wishes to meet the growth and development demands of the 21st century (Apworth, 2004). The reason why many African countries have failed to reach their development goals originates from the many challenges that they face while implementing leadership plans in the new millennium. In these countries, Universities are perceived as the vehicles for economic and leadership development and the leaders are endowed with the roles of effective organizational management and imparting leadership qualities in their student (Altbach, 2005: Kezar and Eckel, 2004). By identifying and evaluating the major challenges that face leaders in African universities, it is possible to provide research based solutions to these problems, which in turn will enhance effective leadership strategies as the path for development in these countries. Objectives of the study Main Objectives To evaluate the challenges that are facing the leaders in African Universities in their administrative role. To investigate poor leadership qualities within the administrative bodies of the university. Specific Objectives To identify, through data collection, the major challenges that leaders in African Universities have to confront in their day to day duties. To identify weaknesses that exist within the university leadership and governance that has contributed to the problem of poor leadership. To analyse the results of the survey in to establish the common leadership problems among the African universities. To recommend possible solutions to the problems that are threatening leadership and governance in African Universities. Literature Review Being the highest level of education in most counties, Universities are tools for country development and are endowed with the responsibility of pushing the country beyond international boundaries. With globalisation, countries have to meet the international standards to compete in the international market (Altbach, 2005). African countries are typical third world countries and the path to rise to international heights has become rough, making these countries remain stagnated in terms of growth and development. This has generated a lot of attention among many researchers to investigate the barriers that have kept the pace of growth in these countries slow and unyielding (Task Force on Higher Education and Society, 2000). A research by Petlane (2009) indicated that one of the major challenges in these countries is the poor leadership and governance in this country that has failed to drive the country to economic success. The findings of this research have triggered significant research to investigate the challenges that University leaders have faced in implementing development goals in the country. A recent research conducted by Kuada (2010) was meant to investigate on the knowledge gaps that exist within African leaders that have undermined the development of third world countries. The findings of this research indicate that the weakness of African leaders emanates from the shortage of development skills and knowledge that exist within them. Other researchers have identified the need shortage of technological knowledge among the leaders which is a necessity in a technologically growing environment. Previous research by Hall and Symes (2005) provided that the only way to enhance development in African countries is by maintaining effective leadership in tertiary institutions and impacting leadership mentorship in upcoming professionals. Although researchers have reached a concession that the reason why African countries have failed to shine in the global scope is because of the many challenges that confront leaders in these countries, researchers have failed to identify the specific challenges that face leaders especially the African Universities (Association of Commonwealth Universities, 2001). The motive of this research is to identify the challenges and weaknesses of African University leaders, whose findings would be superior in formulating feasible strategies to energise growth and development in these countries. Methodology In this research, both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to investigate collect, analyse and interprete the data collected from the sample population. Two universities from each country were selected from five different African countries to form the sample population. The five countries that were selected to represent the study population include South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Egypt. Quantitative data was obtained by abstraction methods from the University websites, especially on the economic budget allocations of these institutions. Qualitative data was obtained through oral interviews that were designed to contain open ended questions, which are superior in obtaining personal opinions from respondents. For the interviews, two respondents were selected from the university administration for each university. The data so obtained was qualified through reliability and validity test to ensure that it was correct and applicable in strategy formulation (Golofshani, 2003: Brubacher, 2000). Averages, percentages and proportions were computed from the statistical data obtained. Findings The financial data obtained from the university websites indicated that university budgets vary widely in different universities but within a range of $ 6.2 million dollars and & 15 million. The student population in these universities seems to increase at an average rate of 10% per year with budget allocations remaining quite constant within the last 5 years covered in this research. Of the 10 sampled universities, 80% of them expressed the need budget increase to cater for the increasing financial demands that have been brought about by an increase in the cost of living. Within the last five years covered in this study, only 4 Universities had reviewed their governance policies and the 2 of them had a future plan to do so. The mean number of administrative persons with doctorate degrees within the administrative body was about 12% in all the universities, with at most three professors in it. From the interviews with the sample respondents, most of them felt that the leadership strategies in these institutions were rigid but the process of revision was quite elaborate and resource demanding. Over 50% of the respondents blamed poor government policies as a constraint on the potential of university leadership development in their institutions. Only 20% of the respondents felt that the government had involved university leaders in country development plans and 5 reported to have been involved in planning of government projects. It was found out that at least seven of the Universities in the sample population had encountered an incidence of corruption within the administration during the time scope of this research. These corruption instances were majorly involved in money laundering and the respondents associated this with the low pay that the administration staffs get. Results and Discussions The data obtained in this research indicate that the population of students at the universities is growing year after year and that the budgetary allocations are not matching this trend of population growth. In this regard, it is possible to point out that the leaders in these institutions have to work within tight budgets and their ability to develop these institutions is limited. This can be perceived as the reason as to why many African Universities have been unable to match the global trends of technological development which has sought to transform universities into hubs of informational technology (Butts, 2000: Carnoy, 2000). The findings reveal that the university administration has to work within rigid governance policies that have been out-dated and are no longer relevant in the modern university environment. As Altbach (2005) and Dearlove (2000) points out, there is a need for universities to maintain dynamic governance policies to match the dynamic global trends. The level of corruption seems to be quite high among the administrative bodies in these colleges. This dominance of corruption seems to be fuelled by low salary schemes that provide low worker motivation and attract unethical practise within these organizations. It’s not surprising that countries such as Kenya have suffered numerous Lecturer strikes in the recent past with the main issue of concern being quest for salary increase (Franklin, 2013). In this regard, it is true to point out that one factor that has challenged leaders in African tertiary institutions is corruption low employment salaries that have encouraged them to squandered budgetary resources instead of mobilizing them for the benefit of the institution Another revelation of this research is the shortage of professional leadership within the administrative bodies in the sampled institutions. Only 12% of the leaders in these institutions had acquired a Doctorate degree and only a few had professed in their academics. Possible reasons for this shortage of skilled leaders are low education standards in these countries or a weakness in the regulations that govern formulation of the administrative bodies in these institutions (Hawkins & Marcum, 2002: Hall and Symes, 2005: Heller, 2001). The local governments in these institutions seem to have neglected involvement of the university leaders in their development plans, which is a probable reason why these plans have often failed in the implementation stage (Kaplan, 2001: Kanyenze, Kondo, Martens, 2006). The majority of the respondents felt that the government policies have failed to reach the global standards, which is a possible explanation for the low rating of African countries in the global scope. In short, the leadership problems within tertiary institutions have a relationship with the weakness in government policies and planning strategies. Conclusion From the results and findings of this research, it is possible to identify numerous challenges that have faced contemporary governance and leadership in African Universities. One significant challenge that has suppressed leadership in these institutions is the shortage of financial resources that are required in implementing technological changes to match the demands of 21st century universities (McMaster, 2007: Middlehurst, 2004, 2007). This coupled with the rise in the number of students each year in these universities has made practically impossible to keep up with the pace of other international universities (Mkude, Cooksey, and Levey, 2000). In addition, leaders in the administrative cadres in the university have inadequate knowledge and their expertise in policy review is less. This has made them remain within a rigid policy framework that significantly has led to the retardedness evident in these institutions. The reason why the Universities have failed to be vehicles of country development is because the government in these countries has failed to involve university leaders sufficiently in planning and development. Recommendations As Middlehurst (2004) points out, effective leadership in a modern university must reflect the skills of effective management and high economic understanding. Going by the words of this economist, it is important that university leaders in African universities adopt the highest level of management practice to economise the scanty resources available in these countries. The government should also supplement their budgets for tertiary institutions in to reflect the increase in student populations in these institutions to help them keep up with the changes in technology in the world (Musisi and Nansozi, 2001: Ngulube, 2004). Bolton (2000) recommends that for universities to remain relevant in the world today, they must prioritise information technology in their programs. In essence, informed leaders will manage available resources more effectively in a manner that will match international standard universities. There is the need to motivate Leaders in African Universities by paying them salaries that are commensurate to the weight of the roles they are supposed to shoulder in the institution. The leaders in these universities are involved in economic planning in the institutions and hence should be fully compensated for this work to prevent them from indulging in instances of corruption (Kumar, 2008). This should be accompanied by strict rules and regulations to counter such behaviour in these institutions and ensure that such acts are punishable in a court of law. By paying the leaders a good salary, they will be motivated to work and their productivity will result to improvement of University standards. In addition, the government in African countries should involve the University leaders in development planning and project implementation. Bloom, Canning and Chan (2006) and Sporn (2003) recognize Universities as banks of knowledge that would be constructive if integrated in community development. In addition, such a strategy will ensure that university leaders are more experience in project modelling, which will allow them to modify the university governance policies to align to the country objectives. By aligning the objectives of universities with those of the country, the two will benefit equally in this mutual relationship. References Altbach, G.P., (2005). Patterns in Higher Education Development. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Association of Commonwealth Universities, (2001). Research management in African Universities. ACU Research Management Programme Discussion Paper No. 1. London: ACU. Apworth, S., (2004). Arresting Decline in Shared Governance: Towards a Flexible Model for Academic Participation. Higher Education Quarterly, Vol. 58, No. 4: 299-314 Bloom D, Canning D & K Chan, ‘Higher education and economic development in Africa’, Africa Region Human Development Working Paper Series, 102. Washington DC: The World Bank, 2006, p. 15. Bolton, A., (2006). The leadership Challenge in Universities: The Case of Business Schools. Higher Education, 31(4), 491-506. Brubacher, J.S., (2000). On the Philosophy of Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Butts, R.F., (2000). A Cultural History of Western Education; its social and intellectual Foundations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Carnoy, M. (2000). Globalization and Higher Education. Perspectives in Education, 18(3). Dearlove, J., (2000). The Academic Labour Process: From Collegiality and Professionalism To Managerialism and Proletarianisation? Higher Education Review, vol. 30, no. 1: 56-75. Franklin, C., (2013). 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Kezar, A., Eckel, P. D. (2004). Meeting Today’s Governance Challenges. The Journal of Higher Education: vol. 75, no. 4: 371-398. Kuada, J., (2010). Culture and leadership in Africa: a conceptual model and research agenda African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 1 (1), pp.9 – 24. Kumar, A., (2008). University Administration in India. Some Suggestions for Renovation and Reform. New Delhi: Sarup and Sons. McMaster, M., (2007). Partnerships between Administrative and Academic Managers: How Deans and Faculty Managers Work Together. Association of Tertiary Education Management, Retrieved from: Middlehurst, R., (2004). Changing Internal Governance: A Discussion of Leadership Roles and Management Structures in UK Universities. Higher Education Quarterly, Vol. 58, No. 4: 258-279. Middlehurst, R., (2004). Changing Internal Governance: A Discussion of Leadership Roles and Management Structures in UK Universities.” Higher Education Quarterly, Vol. 58, No. 4: 258-279. Mkude, D., Cooksey, B., & Levey, L. (2000). UDSM-B2000 and beyond: A situation analysis of the University of Dar es Salaam’s institutional transformation programme. Musisi, N. B., & Nansozi, M. (2001). Makerere University in transition, 1993- 2000: Opportunities and challenges. Kampala: Makerere University Press Ngulube, P., 2004, ‘Implications of technological advances for access to the cultural heritage of selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa’, Government Information Quarterly 21, 143–155. Sporn, B., (2003). "Convergence of Divergence in International Higher Education Policy: Lessons from Europe. Publications from the Forum for the Future of Higher Education, Retrieved from :< http://www.educause.edu/c ontent . asp ?page_id=666&ID=FFPFP0305&bhcp=1> Task Force on Higher Education and Society (2000). Higher education in developing Countries: Peril and promise. Washington, DC: World Bank and UNESCO. Read More