Engaged Leadership

Abstract

This chapter addresses the concept of engaged leadership in the under-researched context of African countries. It provides insights on engaged leadership based on the findings from selected Leadership Effectiveness in Africa and the African Diaspora (LEAD) research countries in Africa. The chapter utilizes qualitative data collected from leaders in business and public sector organizations using the Delphi technique, focus groups, and interviews. The findings from the Delphi technique and focus groups show that leaders who are effective are those that are perceived to be engaging, while the results from the interviews show that both local and foreign leaders view current African leadership styles as less engaging and hence ineffective. This has implications for the practice of management in Africa and similar contexts. Leaders in both business and public organizations need to be engaged to be effective in their leadership roles. Organizations, as well as universities that are involved in leadership development, need to incorporate concepts of engaged leadership in their training curricula in order to develop and foster leadership engagement competencies which would positively impact performance.