ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Ubuntu, a philosophical thought system conceived in sub-Saharan Africa, where it influences work practices as well as community life. Although it can devolve into an exclusive parochial practice, Ubuntu can be practiced in an inclusive nonexclusionary manner that optimizes its enabling potential. The major focus of both Ubuntu and inclusive leadership is on collective relational practice, the entwined nature of our relationships, and increased inclusion of interconnected systems. The way leadership is viewed will also be swayed by how the group perceives the leader's ability to safeguard it. While consensus is highly valued for decision making within levels, it is hierarchical between levels, and age groups, and leaders are expected to be paternalistic and authoritative. In summary, Ubuntu, Africa's gift to the world, according to Desmond Tutu, is a relational inclusive construct focusing on inter-relationships, inter-connectedness, and social collectivism that focuses on both the social and individual units.
