Abstract:
Western management literature seldom considers the role of
faith in how executives fulfil their obligations. But on the African
continent, faith is a key element of management. A research
project conducted by GIBS found that faith informs executives’
sense of who they are as individual people, and thereby
constitutes an important source of their “psychological capital”.
Faith also guides how they act as leaders, with many of the
elements of servant leadership being in evidence. Finally, where
the local institutions are weak, faith also operates as an informal
institution that guides executives and their employees about right
and wrong actions. Faith is conceptualised in an inclusive way, as
belief in a higher power, rather than in terms of specific religion.
But although executives generally acknowledge faith traditions
other than their own, they often lack a detailed understanding
of the practices of other religions. This means that there is a
risk that managing through religious beliefs and principles can
serve to divide rather than unite an organisation. Executives are
therefore advised to take note of the tremendous power of faith.
Their challenge is to create a workplace that acknowledges faith
as a potential driver of employee behaviour, but also as a key
dimension of diversity, and to create a workplace in which both
elements are acknowledged.
