Draft Leadership Training

Learner Guide

The Change and Knowledge Management (CKM) Project

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Leadership and Management Development Programme

By Dr. Ernest Maigurira

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 Work experience is an important aspect of learning.
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Learner Guide Introduction
About the Learner This Learner Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the
Guide Leadership and Management Framework.

The series of Learner Guides are conceptualized in a modular

format and developed for all learners who go through this
Leadership and Management Framework.

The four modules are designed to improve learners’ skills and

knowledge, thus enabling them to effectively and efficiently
complete specific tasks in the respective modules.
Learners are required to attend training workshops as a group or
as specified by their organization. These workshops are presented
in modules, and conducted by a qualified facilitator.

This Learner Guide’s purpose is to provide learners with the

necessary knowledge related to Leadership and Management
Competency Framework.

Purpose

Outcomes At the end of these four (4) modules, you will be able to:

▪ Strengthen competencies related to leadership and

managerial behaviour and enhance the leadership skills set of
SADC Secretariat Management and Senior Officers to
effectively manage the internal and external ever-changing
environment.
▪ Enhance the knowledge and skills of participants to approach
managerial and leadership roles and tasks strategically,
effectively, and in line with best practices.
▪ To establish SADC as a knowledge-led, continuous-learning
organisation, it is necessary to understand the current state of
knowledge management including both the explicit sources as
well as any gaps and areas for enhancement.
▪ Address staff behavioural and attitudinal issues that are key to
a progressive secretariat culture. This will be done through a
participative cultural mapping exercise that describes current
and desired outcomes behavior, behaviour, cultural enablers,
and blockers for different staff groupings at the secretariat.
▪ Enhance Leadership and Managerial capacities through a
structured leadership development programme that
encompasses the following:
o Delegation for empowerment and results
o Effective communication
o Leading without a title
o Emotional Intelligence and
o Attitudinal change
▪ Strengthen the capacities of secretariat staff in managing
change interventions whenever they are required.

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 ▪ Development of innovative, meaningful, and viable solutions
for leadership challenges they face in their work context.
▪ Improved teamwork among all members of the secretariat.
▪ Improved communication among all officials of the secretariat.
▪ Motivated Secretarial officials working towards the same SADC
goal.

Assessment Criteria The way to establish whether a learner is competent and has
accomplished specific outcomes is through an assessment
process focusing on the new KPI, which is:

Keep people Informed

Keep people Involved
Keep people Interested
Keep people Inspired

Range of Learning This describes the situation and circumstance in which individual
competencies must be demonstrated and the parameters
learners operate in.

Responsibility The responsibility of learning rests with the learner, so:

• Be proactive and ask questions, and participate.
• Seek assistance and help from your facilitators, if required.

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Module 1: Leadership and Management Framework

Holistic Approach Leadership and Management

While cognitive learning is an important dimension of our didactic approach, we intend
PURPOSE to balance and enrich it with activities and learning experiences that address intuition,
emotions, and the body. People who complete Module 1Strengthen competencies
related to leadership and managerial behaviour and expand the behaviour of SADC
Secretariat management and senior officers to effectively manage the internal and
external ever-changing environment. Additionally, they can enhance the knowledge
and skills to approach managerial and leadership roles and tasks strategically and
effectively as per the Vision, Mission, and Mandate of SADC underpinned by
implementable values of

✓ Professionalism
✓ Teamwork
✓ Integrity
✓ People-Focused
✓ Diversity

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE

It is assumed that learners are competent in

• Communication at NQF Level 6
• Mathematical Literacy at NQF Level 6
• Computer Literacy at NQF Level 6

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 SESSION 1
Holistic Approach to Leadership and Management

Learning Outcomes
1. Successful outcomes result from an orientation toward development.
2. The healthiest and most productive development is done collaboratively through teamwork.
3. The leadership unit shapes the context of collaboration.
4. The core leadership unit is the individual, which makes every participant a leader within his or her
sphere of influence to: Keep people Informed, Keep People Interested, Keep People Involved, and Keep
People Inspired.
5. Holistically-led collaboration requires that the participant's right to self-determination be respected.
6. The exercise of self-determination in a way that realizes the individual's best potential, results from an
iterative process that must be supported.

1. Change and Knowledge Management

1.1 Background
The CKM Project implements various interventions to assist the SADC Secretariat in enhancing its internal
processes, knowledge management, and organisational culture. Following a Staff Perception Survey and a
Culture Mapping exercise, one important initiative is to develop and implement a Leadership and
Management Model or framework that responds to the leadership gaps identified at the SADC Secretariat.
The project aims to develop a leadership culture and management practices that will help support and
buttress the healthy working culture that the secretariat requires to offer the right kind of service to its
stakeholders.

1.2 Why Leadership and Management Framework?

The objective of this project is to develop and implement a SADC Secretariat Leadership and Management
Model or framework for managers and senior officers that aims to address, and strengthen competencies
related to leadership and managerial competencies, expand the behaviour of SADC Secretariat Management
and senior officers to effectively manage the internal and external ever-changing environment, and
capacitate with the knowledge and skills of participants to approach managerial and leadership roles and
tasks strategically and effectively for the benefit of SADC.

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 1.3 Defining Leadership
In the 21st century, we are becoming increasingly aware of a series of urgent, global, and
systemic problems that threaten the stability of vital ecological, social, and economic
systems. These challenges, including climate change, overexploitation of resources, rapid
loss of biodiversity, and continuing poverty, highlight the need for deep structural and cultural changes and
a global shift towards more sustainable and equal economies and societies. We also recognize that continuing
business as usual and relying on routines and mental frames of the past is no longer sufficient, and is even
likely to move us beyond thresholds and systemic tipping points that can trigger the collapse of vital planetary
and societal systems; we have learned that no single person, organisation, country, or continent is capable
of solving these problems on its own.

Simply, leadership is defined as ‘the ability to lead’. Unfortunately, this is not helpful. Another definition
comes from the BNET online Business Dictionary: ‘The capacity to establish direction and to influence and
align others toward a common goal, motivating and committing them to action and making them responsible
for their performance.’ Although this study was more descriptive, the results were not substantial. It does
not tell us what leadership is but rather what it does.

According to Peter Drucker, ‘a leader is someone who has followers. Gaining followers requires influence,
but does not exclude the lack of integrity in achieving this. Indeed, it can be argued that several of the world’s
greatest leaders lacked integrity and adopted values that are not shared by many people today. (Peter
Drucker)

Leadership focuses much more on the individual capability of the individual ‘Leadership is a function of
knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking
effective action to realize your leadership potential.’ (Warren & Bennis)

Leadership refers to the ability of an individual or group to influence and guide followers or members of an
organization, society, or team. Leadership is often tied to a person's title, seniority, or ranking in a hierarchy.
However, anyone can attain this attribute, even those without leadership positions. It is a developable skill
that can improve over time.

Leadership seems, in Kotter's terms, ‘to boil down to establishing where a group of people should go, getting
them lined up in that direction and committed to the movement, and then energising them to overcome the
inevitable obstacles they will encounter along the way’ A simple definition of leadership is the art of
motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal.

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1.4 LEADERSHIP STYLES
There are many different styles of leadership, each of which can have a different impact on an organization.
In this post, we will cover the most common types of leadership, how they influence business, and provide
tools to help determine what styles are best for an organisation such as SADC.

Therefore, Addressing the complex and urgent problems of the 21st century calls for new ways of problem-
solving within the context of international cooperation. There is a need for responsible global leaders
committed to the well-being of societies and the planet who are capable of transforming collective intentions
into collaborative action. At the local, national, regional, and international levels, responsible leaders with a
highly self-reflective attitude, advanced leadership competencies, and strong motivation to take rapid,
ambitious, and innovative action in international networks of diverse stakeholders are needed.

Every organisation has a president, board chairman, or leader. In most ways, we agree that someone needs
to head our business and social institutions individually. The leader of any organization expectedly completes
his role by communicating the values of the organization that he or she represents. Leadership skills are
required for managers to operate effectively at a strategic level, and a successful manager can identify
personal skills to achieve strategic ambitions and manage personal leadership development to support the
achievement of strategic ambitions.

He will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership plan and promote a healthy and safe
environment that supports a quality culture. Leaders have a positive impact on their daily lives and future.
Strong leadership is needed during both good and bad times. The success of a business or industry is
determined by the leaders that it chooses or inherits. How does someone earn the designation of being a
great leader? History and current experience guide how to develop the abilities demonstrated by respected
leaders. This case study examined the characteristics and needs of leaders in business, health, politics,
education, sports, and communities.

Leadership is challenging, but not a new phenomenon. Currently, the term seems to be increasingly used and
is almost inflationary. Are we simply more aware of leadership, perhaps because of its apparent absence?
We all know from experience that when a crisis is over and things are done, everyone has good ideas about
how things could have been done better than what the leaders have done. However, few can be found doing
the job when it is necessary to envision the future and make difficult decisions amid turbulence. What is
‘leadership’ then and what are the characteristics of a ‘good leader’? Are the leaders born or created? Many
people have raised these questions and numerous books have provided qualified answers. Why was there
another publication on the leadership model?

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With its leadership programmes designed as Leadership Journeys, the Academy for International
Cooperation (AIZ) brings together leaders from government, business, and civil society with
a strong motivation to jointly develop viable responses to transformational challenges.
Leadership for Global Responsibility is a value-driven and competency-based approach that
offers leaders from around the world the opportunity to further develop core leadership
competencies, collaboratively design innovative prototypes for work-related challenges,
and build effective leadership networks on a global scale. Our leadership approach was co-created
and continuously advanced by the AIZ, our worldwide partners, the participants and alumni of our Leadership
Journeys, dialogue events, innovation labs, and network activities on our virtual Leadership LAB
(www.giz.de/leadership-lab).

There are many leadership styles to select from, but the choice depends on the business situation. However,
everything new is not good and everything old is not bad. Different styles are required in different situations;
but leaders should know when to use a particular approach. Leadership strategies define leaders’ leadership
styles.

Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating
people to achieve organizational goals. Leadership is a fluid principle. Generally, leaders adapt their
leadership styles to suit their situations. This is particularly true for the longer they lead, they adapt their
leadership styles as they learn and engage with their employees.

Leaders must understand their current leadership style to become more successful. In this article, we answer
the question, ‘What is a leadership style?’ and then look at six of the most common leadership styles and
their effectiveness.

The six most common leadership styles are:

1) Transformational Leadership
2) Delegative Leadership
3) Authoritative Leadership
4) Transactional Leadership
5) Participative Leadership
6) Servant Leadership

Leadership style refers to a leader’s methods, characteristics, and behaviours when directing, motivating,
and managing teams. A leader’s style is shaped by a variety of factors, including personality, values, skills,
and experience, which can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of their leadership style. These
leadership styles are influenced by the type of approach and style. We briefly mention some of them
hereunder: -

✓ Autocratic Leadership
✓ Bureaucratic Leadership
✓ Democratic Leadership
✓ Laissez-faire
✓ Coaching Leaders
✓ Affiliative Leaders
✓ Coercive Leaders

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Activity 1

Group Work

Add other leadership styles and approaches you know and are using
currently

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Activity 2

What leadership style have you observed in SADC?

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1.5 LEADERSHIP THEORIES

It is not difficult to understand leadership theory if it is presented correctly. There are many
different types of theories of leadership, such as Fielder’s situational theory,
contingency theory, and House’s path-goal theory of leadership. These theories
are adopted to make a person, an individual, or a manager a good leader. These
theories are:

1. Trait Theory
2. Style Theory
3. Contingency Theory
4. Situational Leadership Theory
5. Path-Goal Theory
6. Leader-Member Exchange Theory
7. Transformational/Transactional Leadership Theory
8. Servant Leadership Theory
9. Strengths-Based Leadership Theory

Trait Theory: This theory is based on the personal characteristics of leaders which represents
that ‘a leader is a hero’. It is assumed that a leader is born, rather than being made.
Leadership comprises certain characteristics and personality traits. The main characteristics
are physical ability and personality traits.

Style Theory: This approach was made popular by the works of McGregor Blake, Mounton,
and Likert, who are concerned with the effects of leadership on followers, and effectiveness
implies the way leaders behave with followers.

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Contingency Theory: Made popular by Fielder and Vroom, this shows that the effectiveness
of leadership is affected by the situation/context, which means the leader should take
decisions according to the situation.

Situational Theory: In this approach, there is no single style of leadership appropriate to all
situations, because every time there is a different situation in an organization. Therefore,
leaders should change their behaviour as per the situation.

Path-Goal Theory: This theory states that a leader’s behaviour is contingent on the
satisfaction, motivation, and performance of subordinates. It originally referred to the
manager’s ability to guide workers in choosing the right and best paths to reach their visions,
missions, and company goals. This also refers to different behaviours depending on the
nature and demands of a particular situation.

Leader-Member Exchange Theory: According to this theory, leaders often develop

relationships with each member of the group that they lead. It explains how those
relationships with various members can develop in unique ways. This theory of leadership
focuses on the two-way relationship between supervisors and subordinates. However, these
are not the only two. Also known as LMX, LMET, or Vertical Dyad Linkage Theory, leader-
member exchange focuses on increasing organizational success by creating positive
relations between leaders and subordinates.

Transformations Leadership Approach: This approach shows the engagement of

employees with a commitment to work in the context of a shared vision, shared values,
shared goals, and set objectives.

Servant Leadership Theory: Servant Leadership is a leadership philosophy of ‘the servant

as a leader’. This theory states that leaders are first servants and later leaders. Such people
have a natural tendency to serve and the power to lead. This is in sharp contrast to traditional
leaders, who aspire to lead unusual power drives or acquire material possessions.

Strength-Based Leadership Theory: Strength-Based Leadership theory is also known as

organizational management. It refers to the method of maximising the efficiency,
productivity, and success of an organisation by focusing on and continuously developing
the strengths of organizational resources such as computer systems, tools, and people.

1.6 What Leadership and Management Model are we Going to Use?

Our Leadership model is a structured approach that provides effective guidance and decision-making within
an organisation. Over the years, proponents of different leadership styles have developed
programmes aimed at categorising different models, sometimes explaining when and where
certain models are likely to function best in a given situation. While the names of these
different leadership styles change over time, they all revolve around the key factors of
decision-making, recognition of team players’ skills, and the ongoing process of encouraging
the development of future leaders for the benefit of the organization.

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We offer leadership journals which apply a dynamic Leadership Competency Framework. This framework is
co-created, de-constructed and re-constructed in a permanent dialogue with diverse partner organisations
and colleagues of the Leadership Journeys. During the journey, participants use the Competency Framework
as a starting point to define and work on personalised competence development goals that reflect their
current needs, levels of ability, and work challenges.

The AIZ ‘blended’ leadership programme focuses on individual competence development in three key areas
of leadership:

Cooperation: To address the global dimension of today’s challenges in a multipolar and interdependent
world, leaders must be able to develop solutions collaboratively in international cross-sectoral and non-
hierarchical networks.

Transformation: Incremental change management and reactive quick fixes fail to address our fundamental
challenges sufficiently.

Innovation: Leaders must be able to initiate and facilitate deep structural and cultural changes at the
individual, organizational, and system levels. As a precondition, they must be able and willing to engage in
self-transformations.

Hence, this approach is based on a blended Leadership Competency Framework. Leadership and
Management Development programmes are value-and competency-based. The Academy for International
Cooperation (AIZ) has a value-oriented and competency-based leadership development tool. This AIZ tool
will be used in a blended manner to ensure that it is appropriate for the intended outcomes of the project.
This approach will be beneficial to the SADC Secretariat in increasing leadership effectiveness to meet the
RISDP and SIPO objectives.

This blended Leadership Competency model focuses on competence development in four key leadership
areas. The four competencies of effective leadership highlight the intelligence, knowledge, skills, and abilities
leaders need to achieve. These competencies are interconnected and support each other to increase the
leaders’ effectiveness. Labelling leaders as good or bad means nothing about their effectiveness as leaders.
A holistic approach to assessing leadership is needed to select the leader who best fits the needs of the team
and the organization. Focusing on these four competencies to improve leadership development increases
the likelihood that a leader will be perceived as more effective.

There are aspects of each general life sphere that can improve a leader’s effectiveness. Intellectual, technical,
social, and relational competencies have been shown to improve leaders’ success in scientific research.
Individuals who have developed all four competencies of effective leadership are candidates that
organizations should develop and promote.

Leadership is not a position, rather it is a skill, an ability, and a competence. Leadership is the ability to direct,
shape and influence the future and a new and unknown reality

A visionary leader helps one to visualise and believe in what is still not visible,
and four distinct but highly interdependent dimensions comprise the framework. Balanced development
promotes leadership growth in all aspects. Each dimension is supported by a set of capability attributes. The
attributes utilise wordings designed to enable users to visualise leadership ‘in the flesh’, and the leadership
‘styles’ one should strive for. A summary of each dimension is presented below.

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John Gimpert is the National Programming Chair and Chicago Regional Director at Leadership Council.

1.7: Holistic Approach to Leadership and Management

This approach intends to go beyond the cognitive bias of conventional didactics that favours the brain and
rational knowledge. Although cognitive learning is an important dimension of our didactic approach, we
intend to balance it with activities and learning experiences addressing intuition, emotions, and the body.
Holistic leadership proffers seven fundamental assumptions regarding the nature of effective leadership:

1) Successful outcomes result from an orientation toward development.

2) The healthiest and most productive development is done collaboratively.
3) The leadership unit shapes the context of collaboration.
4) The core leadership unit is the individual, who makes every participant a leader within his/her
sphere of influence.
5) The intrinsic desire for meaningful purposes suggests that every individual wants to realise his or
her best potential.
6) A holistically-led collaboration requires that a participant's right to self-determination be
respected.
7) The exercise of self-determination realises an individual's best potential results through an
iterative process that must be supported.

The next step in the theoretical progression of the integrative paradigm is holistic leadership. It does so by
drawing upon holistic development theory and practice, and its implications for elevating the role of self-
determination and collaborative and participative development to a position that is inextricable from
successful leadership practice. This contention is first supported by an overview of the evolution of leadership
theory, with an emphasis on the connecting strands that link other classes of leadership theory with
integrative theories of leadership. From there, a theory of holistic leadership will be presented in sufficient
detail to distinguish it from existing theories and articulate its potential as a model for leadership and
organizational development.

1.8 Holistic Development

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Wepner and Demick (2003) maintain that holistic development is inherently system-oriented, and identify
the ‘person-in-environment’ as the system state. This interface is contextualised according to three
dimensions that relate to both the person and the environment: bio-physical, psychosocial, and socio-
cultural. A holistic system’s features are interactionist, involve an adaptation process, reflect the change as a
feature of transformation, and require synchronisation and coordination of its operating elements
(Magnusson, 2001). From this perspective, leader, follower, and circumstance are not jockeying for a position
of control but are instead discrete components of a series of interconnected systems that continuously
‘adapt, transform, coordinate, and synchronise’ with each other throughout the leadership process.

1.9 Holistic Approach

We apply a holistic approach that seeks to address the cognitive, emotional, physical, and spiritual
dimensions of learners as human beings. This approach intends to go beyond the cognitive
bias of conventional didactics that favours the brain and rational knowledge. Although
cognitive learning is an important dimension of our didactic approach, we intend to balance
it with activities and learning experiences addressing intuition, emotions, and the body.
Neuroscience has shown that a holistic approach is more effective because nonrational
approaches that rouse and involve the emotional, physical, and spiritual intelligence of a person are
crucial for deep personal learning and the search for profound innovation.

Lips-Wiersma and Morris (2009) add to this construct by emphasising leadership

The role of meaningful work in framing the holistic development process states that ‘a sense of coherence
and wholeness is particularly important in experiencing meaningfulness’ (Poper,2004, p.502). Based on
research into the elements of meaningful work, they produced a model of holistic development comprising
four quadrants—developing and becoming self, unity with others, expressing full potential, and serving
others—that can be argued to orient the person-in-environment system state. Popper (2004) also addresses
the role of meaning in symbolic leadership relationships by highlighting the impact that leaders have on
followers' self-concepts and motivation for self-expression. Leaders in formal authority positions have the
opportunity to project values that followers can internalise as prized components of their self-concept and
sources of motivation through linkages with an idealised vision articulated by the leader.

1.10 Cognitive Learning

Through a process known as cognition, the human brain absorbs and retains information through experience,
senses, and thoughts. The brain’s potential can be maximised through an active learning style known as
cognitive learning. The goal is to make it easier for people to connect new information to existing ideas.
Cognitive learning can help achieve mastery in one’s career by highlighting the best ways to learn. The
cognitive learning theory explains how internal and external factors influence individuals’ mental processes
to supplement their learning.

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Traditional learning mainly focuses on memorisation instead of trying to achieve mastery in a particular
subject.

The following are fundamental aspects of cognitive learning:

1. Comprehension
For cognitive learning to be efficient and beneficial, one must first understand why one is learning a specific
subject.

2. Memory
Cognitive learning discourages information cramming, which is ineffective in education. Having a deep
understanding of a subject improves the ability to relate new knowledge to previous experiences or
information.

3. Application
Cognitive learning strategies help apply new information or skills to life situations. They encourage you as
you continue to develop your problem-solving skills.

Activity 3.
What aspects of Leadership Competencies identified from SADC can you share within your
group?

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MODULE 2
2. Effective Communication: Integrating the Work Context

PURPOSE Communication skills help leaders to define the goals of team members clearly. It also
helps understand team members' goals and desires and solve their grievances.
Effective communication skills also help foster an open and good rapport between
leaders and their teams, which increases productivity and efficiency.

Learning Outcomes
Clarity and direction: Good communication is essential in any work environment. When team members
can communicate clearly with one another, it ensures that everyone is on the same page and working
towards the common goal.
Trust and collaboration: Good communication is essential in achieving effective teamwork because it
helps to build trust and foster collaboration. When team members feel confident that they will be heard
and respected, they are more likely to offer their ideas and work together towards a common goal.
Conflict resolution: It is easy to get wrapped up in our perspective, but, as a leader, it is important to learn
to see the different sides of the equation. Leaders must also be prepared to have difficult conversations
while keeping the exchange calm and respectful. Communicating effectively ensures that an ideal solution
can be achieved—in business and life.
Better customer relationships: Good communication is at the heart of any successful relationship,
whether personal or professional.
Goal alignment: Aligning goals within an organisation can be a complex and challenging process. However,
good communication skills can help to simplify this process and ensure that everyone is working towards
the same objectives. By clearly communicating the organisation's goals and aspirations, employees will be
able to understand what is expected of them and how their work fits into the bigger picture. Effective
communication can also help build trust and rapport within the organisation, making it easier to align goals
and work towards common objectives.
Good communication skills will help you build strong relationships with your colleagues and clients, and
they will also help you resolve conflicts quickly and efficiently.

2:1 Effective Communication: Integrating the Work Context

Leadership is systemically integrated into the work context of participants and aims to foster change within
the organisation and highlight the competencies at the workplace that require skills, knowledge, attitudes,
and behaviours demonstrated when these are applied to perform effectively in the respective job.

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 Project Communication Management & Leadership, Gray, Laron, Schneider, Dowd and De Janasz. (2015)

It is important to have individuals who can still perform in emotional states; although this is not always the
case, it can cause issues with the project team or project manager when making decisions. In cases where
the project manager is emotionally altered, it will make it difficult for them to fully communicate or perform
leadership at a time of need. To develop good communication skills, you need to know the seven c’s of clear
communication skills. The seven C’s and the ways you can adhere to them to improve your communication
skills are as follows:
1. Conciseness
2. Clarity
3. Courtesy
4. Consideration
5. Completeness
6. Correctness
7. Concreteness
These seven C’s are a list of principles and best practices that should be followed consistently to make oneself
effective as a business professional or employee. Effective communication is vital when building employee
relations or negotiating with potential clients.
✓ Solve problems
✓ Overcome differences of any sort
✓ Build relationships
✓ Increase productivity
✓ Encourage and support your colleagues or employees
2.2 What is the No. 1 leadership principle?

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement—you are never done growing as a leader.

What are the 70-20-10 rules in leadership development?

One concept that has stood the test of time is the 70-20-10 leadership development
model. As the 70-20-10 name implies, the learning model calls for 70 percent of
development to consist of on-the-job learning, supported by 20 percent coaching and
mentoring, and 10 percent classroom training.

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The 70-20-10 rule reveals that individuals tend to acquire 70% of their knowledge from challenging
experiences and assignments, 20% from developmental relationships, and 10% from coursework and
training.

2.3 Context is Crucial in Leadership

Smart organizations know that leadership development needs to emphasise skills and experiences that will
be most relevant to their organizations. An evolving competitive landscape and changing business objectives
imply that today’s challenges are not the same as those of the following day.

A McKinsey article exploring why some leadership development programmes fail reminds us that
understanding the context is crucial to understanding the type of leadership that we need to develop.

What types of challenges are organisations likely to face? What are the key skills that an organisation needs
from its leaders moving forward? If the organization plans to render service delivery to diverse membership
stakeholders, negotiation skills might be an area to critically examine. Increasingly, evidence shows that ‘soft’
skills like communication and relationship-building or capabilities like empathy and compassion are most
relevant to the challenges of leading through uncertainty and unpredictability.

The Leadership Competency Framework is a key element of our leadership program and the overall approach
to leadership and management responsibilities. Applying the very principle of cooperation in an
internationally diverse community of partners to focus on the Leadership Competency Framework, in its
current shape, centres on the mindset and inner condition of a leader and encompasses four key areas of
competencies that we consider most relevant: cooperation, transformation, innovation, and knowledge.
Change management leadership offer leaders a learning space to develop these key leadership competencies
in a self-directed and empowering manner.
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2.4 Integrating the Work Context
Management focuses on how to do work; it aligns processes and people so that work is consistent and
efficient. Leadership focuses on what to do and why leaders articulate a vision and inspire people to work
together in complex and innovative work.

How are management and leadership related?

Management includes planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, and leadership is mainly a
part of the directing function of management. Leaders focus on listening, building relationships, teamwork,
and inspiring, motivating, and persuading followers.

Keith Rogers COO, C-Level Executive | Helping Organisations Translate Their Business Goals to Reality

Activity 3.1

In your groups

What are the similarities and differences between management and leadership
within the SADC? ( compared to the above diagram)

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MODULE 3

3. Types of Leadership: Qualities of Leadership

PURPOSE Leadership is a vital management function that helps to direct an organization's
resources for improved efficiency and the achievement of goals. Effective leaders
provide clarity of purpose and motivate and guide the organization to realise its
mission.
Leadership improves morale, engages people, builds trusting relationships,
inspires confidence, and enables innovation.
It strengthens the ties between individual employees and the company.
Leadership skills help encourage and organize others to reach a shared goal.
Whether you're a manager, a project leader, or a team member, these skills allow
you to motivate others. Leadership is not just one skill but a combination of
several different skills.
Learning Outcomes
Successful leaders can transform organizations, enhance value creation, create efficiencies, and engage
their employees to deliver better results.
Improve their capabilities, inspire their teams, and achieve outstanding business results.
motivate, inspire, and help develop those who report to them, while also making sure that the goals of the
team align with the larger goals of the organization.
Develop the emotional intelligence to handle different situations.
Work to identify and improve their leadership style.

Module 3.1 Types and Qualities of Leadership

We begin by discussing leadership types, the qualities of good leaders, and whether gender has an impact on
leadership. Next, we will conduct a self-assessment of leadership abilities and self-confidence and discuss
some strategies for developing and addressing challenges to leadership. The main approach is structured
development programme workshops in a modular form, as indicated below.

3.2 What Are the Four Competencies of Leadership?

Leadership competencies are leadership skills and behaviours that contribute to superior performance. There
are four leadership skills needed by leaders in every organization, regardless of role, industry, or
location: self-awareness, communication, influence, or learning agility. Leaders at different levels of an
organization face different challenges. Leadership competencies are skills and behaviours that contribute to
superior performance. While some leadership competencies are essential to all institutions, an organization
should also define which leadership attributes are distinctive to a particular organization to create a
competitive advantage. Hence, our case study is based on the SADC.

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Leadership competencies refer to the specific set of knowledge, skills (technical and soft), and attributes that
make an individual an effective leader. These aspects are integral to modern workforce management and
succession planning.

There is no unique set of leadership competencies that works across all industries and companies. Even
different leadership positions within the same organization may require different competencies. Therefore,
many organizations work with a Leadership Competency Framework, which is a collection of competencies
identified as key to success for their leaders and their organization.

When the leadership competencies that you have on board align with the organization’s vision, it creates a
competitive advantage. It is also important to note that the value of a leader is not just defined by their
success but also by the success of the entire team they manage.

3.3 Importance of Leadership Competencies

Defining and developing leadership competencies in managers, business leaders, and oneself as HR
professionals is essential for many reasons such as:

Inspiring and motivating employees: A strong leader has the power to inspire, energise, and motivate
the entire team to work together to achieve shared goals, leading to more effective collaboration, innovation,
and productivity.

Effective leadership is key to organizational success: Motivated employees create a positive

environment from which everyone benefits and, in turn, leads to better performance. Therefore, it is vital to
identify employees who have the natural potential to lead and nurture themselves. Done
effectively, leadership development leads to sustainable success in organizations’ work.
Building strong relationships: People with strong leadership attributes and competencies are not only
able to build strong relationships with their team but also with shareholders and customers, which is essential
for long-term success.

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Making informed decisions: Developing leadership competencies helps leaders consider problems
and challenges from different perspectives, analyse potential outcomes, take calculated risks, and make
decisions that help propel the organization forward.
Navigating and driving change: Leadership skills are vital for identifying the need for change, executing
change management processes, managing periods of uncertainty and disruption, and maintaining
organizational stability and continuity.

Source: Adapted from McCauley, C. (2006). Developmental assignments: Creating learning experiences
without changing jobs.

Although leadership competencies vary between roles, some core leadership competencies are essential for
every leader, regardless of the industry or company. Being able to understand and identify these leadership
competencies enable HR personnel to make better-informed decisions regarding hiring, developing, and
promoting leaders.

Leadership competencies should be connected to organizational values and cultures. It is crucial to involve
stakeholders across businesses so that leadership competencies drive behaviour and success. Any leadership
competencies developed in a bubble and filtered down are unlikely to become truly embedded, believed, or
felt, and are a missed opportunity to influence change and progress across the workforce when they are not
included in the change. Displaying leadership competencies is more important than simply stating what
leaders are and expecting employees to live with them.

When determining the leadership competencies which should be at play across an organization, you have to
consider strategic ambitions and organizational values to ensure success. This allows the continual evolution
of your internal culture and space for creating connections with your employees and customers, enabling
them to truly experience your organization and ensure that what is expected internally is also felt externally.
Authenticity is the key. Jay Barrett, Founder & HR Executive of the HR consultancy Culture Canopy.

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Activity 4

In your group – What would you say are the leadership competencies in SADC?

4.1: Leading organization (SADC) competencies:

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4.2: Leading self competencies (In SADC):

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4.3: Leading others competencies (in SADC):

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Module 4
4. The Context of Competency Management (CM): Why is it Used? Shaping
Organizational Culture
PURPOSE

CM can identify the skills a person needs to perform well to succeed in their specific
role. Productivity is improved by the ability to evaluate skills, identify the ones an
employee is lacking, and provide necessary training.

Learning Outcomes
A better understanding of the skills are necessary for the organization to grow and succeed in the future,
and for the ability to select or train new and current employees in these skills.
Identifying the core competencies of a role creates a stronger employee.

A strong culture of CM allows an organisation to develop both employee and organizational competency,
adding value to the organisation as a whole.

Skills become more meaningful. When the level of ability for each skill is quantified by proficiency levels,
more information can be gained.

4.1 The Context of Competency Management

The concept of organizational competencies is often misunderstood and misinterpreted by management

professionals in general, and human resource managers in particular. Organizational competencies refer to
the core cross-functional competencies required by the workforce to achieve its mission and vision in
conjunction with strategic direction. Competencies are defined in the context of the organization and not in
the employee. The framework encompasses the necessary skills, behaviours, measures, performance
standards, and work culture required to ensure the survival, sustenance, growth, and success of an
organization, irrespective of changes in the socio-economic-political environment. The competency
dictionary defines the universe of competencies required by an organization for success in both present and
future environments. The competencies presented in this chapter do not define this universe, which is
beyond the scope of the book. It also does not specify behaviours, measurement criteria, or metrics for
evaluating the presented competencies. The complex aspects of designing and deploying an enterprise
Competency Framework are discussed in a subsequent publication. The competencies presented in this
chapter provide readers with a fair idea of the differences between organizational and individual
competencies. It should be noted that the list is by no means exhaustive or generic. Actual usage may vary
depending on the deployment environment.

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4.2 Different Dimensions of Competency Frameworks

✓ This covers different dimensions, namely personal, technical, social, and implementation
competencies.
✓ Adapt some very common themes in their unique way within a work context.
✓ Emphasise key themes or dominant values and institutionalise practices that systematically
reinforce the desired beliefs and values.
✓ The secretariat leadership must also learn from their knowledge and experience; this aspect will
be facilitated during the workshops.

CM is the practice of identifying the key skills necessary for an employee to reach the target performance in
their specific role, and then developing and optimising those skills to best align with the business strategy
of an organization.

4.3 What Are the Three Components of Competency?

Competencies can be classified into three main categories: Core, Cross-functional, and Functional. All of
these are important, but there is a hierarchy.

Core Competencies: Core competencies lie at the top of the hierarchy and are mandatory. They align with
and are central to an organization’s ability to achieve its strategic intent, that is, the functional areas that, in
the company’s mind, create a competitive advantage when executed properly. These include decision-
making skills, team effectiveness, individual reliability, motivation and commitment to tasks, adaptability and
flexibility, demonstration of the skills required to solve complex problems, individual integrity, superior
written and verbal communication skills, initiative (sometimes called bias for action), and grit (i.e. the
demonstration of perseverance required to achieve a desired goal).

The Basic Competencies

o Intellectual Competencies - Those which determine the intellectual ability of a person

o Motivational Competencies - Those which determine the level of motivation in an individual
o Emotional Competencies - Those which determine an individual's emotional quotient
o Social Competencies - Those that determine the level of social ability in a person
Professional Competencies

o Professional competencies are acquired by individuals during their course of study or work
experience. Professional competencies are important from an organizational perspective
and encompass the knowledge, experience, and expertise of the workforce.
These include the following: -

o Motivational Competencies
▪ Continual Learning • Perseverance • Achievement Orientation
o Time Management Competencies
▪ Communication • Creativity • Analytical Ability • Planning and Organizing
o Social Competencies
▪ Teamwork • Inter-personal Skills Responsibility
o Customer Orientation and Emotional Competencies
▪ Initiative • Optimism • Self-Confidence
o Leadership Competencies
▪ Managing Stress • Managing Change

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 Professional Personal Competencies: by Sudhir Warier

CM involves mapping organizational competencies to individual competencies. The extent of fitment has an
important bearing on an entire gamut of critical activities that serve to enhance Organizational Economic
Value Added (EVA).

Cross-Functional Competencies: Cross-functional competencies are useful across a broad matrix of

organizations and organizational silos. They support the organization’s ability to reduce or eliminate silo
thinking and management practices. Instead, they catalyse valuable qualities within an organization, such as
knowledge sharing across organizational entities.

Functional Competencies: Sometimes referred to as technical competencies, they define the specific skills
required daily by professionals in a given field or position. They are job-specific and relatively easy to identify
in terms of the elements of success required.

4.3.1 Understanding Individual Personal Competencies

Competencies can be broadly classified into core (intrinsic) and professional (acquired). Core competencies
refer to the base competencies inherent in all individuals, with only a variation in their degree of existence.
For example, problem-solving is a competency that exists in every individual, but in varying degrees.
Professional competencies supplement basic competencies, are job-related, and are acquired through
specialised or professional education, work experience, or a combination of both. For example, the effective
handling of a sales call is a prerequisite for sales personnel. Therefore, competencies can be summarised as
core (intrinsic) or professional (acquired).

4.4 Why is Competency Management Important?

Organizations face greater challenges in retaining highly skilled employees in a competitive market while
improving performance and developing leadership talent. CM can help to address these issues.

4.4.1 Benefits of Competency Management

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 • CM can identify the skills a person needs to perform well to succeed in their specific role.
• This ability to identify the skills necessary for a job means that HR can better identify the candidates who will
succeed in that role.
• Employees’ onboarding and training are made easier when there is a structure in place. Employees who receive
clear and defined instructions regarding their job parameters perform better in their roles.
• Productivity is improved through the ability to evaluate skills, identify which employees are lacking, and provide
the necessary training.
• Errors and other issues will be decreased as a result of this improved training.
• Employee retention is improved. Employees who feel that their leadership team is investing in them are more
likely to stay in their jobs and maintain their valuable skills and knowledge within the organization.
• A better understanding of the skills necessary for an organization to grow and succeed in the future, as well as
the ability to select or train new and current employees in these skills.
• Leaders can be created within. Leadership opportunities are important to employees. Building a skilled and loyal
leadership team through effective CM engages employees and turns them into long-term assets.

4.4 What Is Shaping Organizational Culture?

Shaping culture requires that all aspects of the organization work together. Organizations that thrive in
shaping culture are best able to align their culture with their overall strategy and integrate internal processes.

It enables the organization to meet ongoing challenges, anticipate and respond to change, foster a sense of
individual ownership in employees, expect independent judgment from everyone, and empower people
throughout the organization, instilling a drive to seek opportunities for improvement.

4.5 What is a Competency Model?

A competency model is a guideline developed by a Human Resource department that sets out the specific
skills, knowledge, and behavioural requirements that enable employees to perform their jobs successfully. A
sound understanding of the business framework and operational scope is a prerequisite for efficiently and
effectively mapping the competencies required for specific job roles. Organizations assign responsibilities
such that activities requiring similar expertise and resources are entrusted to employees or groups of
employees. In addition to key business objectives, an organization needs to take care of its resources, culture,
employees, social obligations, statutory requirements, shareholder expectations, etc. Organizations entrust
these responsibilities to their employees and provide them with the requisite resources and support for
executing tasks.

The modern organizational landscape is witnessing rapid changes in its structure and management. Managing
its intangible assets is of paramount importance to an organization, irrespective of its size, sector, or domain,
to enable it to withstand the rigours of current global economies. Only organizations with a well-defined and
integrated CM Framework would be able to successfully survive and compete in the knowledge economies
of the future. CM and its allied terminology are buzzwords in corporate circles. The proliferation of mobile
computing devices, coupled with 24 × 7 Internet connectivity, has brought about a flood of information within
individuals’ reach.

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 Valamis Learning Solution Knowledge Hub Skills Management Competency Model

Competency models define what performance success should look like within an organization for each job.
The model has been applied to recruitment practices, talent management, training, and performance
assessments.

4.6 Peer-to-Peer Approach

Our leadership approach emphasises peer-to-peer learning. Each participant brings a wealth of
experiences, perspectives, and ideas to a leadership journal or multi-stakeholder setting. International
diversity (in the case of a group of participants from several countries) may be another asset that
allows the creation of global microcosms in small and diverse peer groups. These microcosms are
ideal settings for international and cross-sectoral dialogue that fosters collaboration and innovation.
Peer groups work on individual leadership challenges, develop a deeper understanding of global
leadership challenges, and concrete meaningful prototypes of social innovation.

4.7 Integrating the Work Context

Leadership journalists systemically integrate the work context of participants and aim to foster change
within the organisation and system in which the participants are embedded. The journey begins at
home. Before departing, the participants were assisted in reflecting on the key leadership challenges
they faced in their daily work. This can include a reflection of challenges to their organisation, field
of work, or country. To identify the most pivotal challenges and the potential for change, participants
were invited to hold dialogue interviews with colleagues, superiors, and relevant stakeholders. During
the Leadership Journey, participants explored their leadership challenges individually, in peer groups,
and through coaching. Reflecting on personal learning goals and work challenges, the participants
focused on the development of selected leadership competencies during the journey.

4.8 Shaping Organisation Culture

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Managers directly influence the corporate culture through leadership, communication, and
delegation. They can strengthen their business culture by ensuring that their actions and words adhere
to the values and visions of the organization. Managers directly influence the corporate culture
through leadership, communication, and delegation. They can strengthen their business culture by
ensuring that their actions and words adhere to the values and visions of the organization. Managers
must set a good example for their teams to encourage the adoption of this culture. Clear and
transparent communication promotes frequent feedback, sharing, and collaboration with staff.
Managers have an easier time conveying cultural values when communication channels are readily
available. Culture shapes managers’ leadership styles. If your organisation emphasises a positive
work-life balance and working together, then managers should show that through their actions. A
team requires a positive role model to emulate. In this environment, managers should work reasonable
hours and collaborate with other teams to incorporate these values into their leadership skills.

Furthermore, delegation contributes to cultural reinforcement. The respective managers empower

team members with responsibilities capable of showing them a big-picture of their work. They have
ownership of this duty and understand how it fits with the company's plans. An integral part of this
process is to ensure that their job is not disconnected from the vision and mission of the organisation.
Effective delegation gives managers more time to emphasise an organization’s values and build trust
within the team.

To recap, the Vision, Mission, and Mandate of SADC are underpinned by the implementable values of:

✓ Professionalism
✓ Teamwork
✓ Integrity
✓ People-Focused
✓ Diversity

Poor communication and execution of organizational culture can negatively affect team morale.
Managers unable to talk to their teams may encounter many issues. Projects fall behind schedule
when employees have no direction. Stressful deadlines are put in place to adhere to the original plan,
but this move results in major burnout.

4.9 The Importance of Proper Training on Culture

Proper communication techniques are the most important tools to influence organizational culture
positively. Managers must take steps to increase their teams’ comfort levels. If employees do not feel
confident talking to leaders, many opportunities to reinforce the culture are lost. The organisation's
values are lost due to mixed messaging, as the upper management says one thing, but the staff's direct
manager says another. This confusion makes it difficult for employees to remain engaged; therefore,
top-tier communication skills are one of the best tools managers have.

However, effective communication skills do not appear to be spontaneous. Managers need proper
training to learn how to handle employee communication, the right practices to implement, and listen
to strategies. Invest in training for your managers and give them the resources and support they need
to achieve this communication-friendly environment. You may need to bring in one-on-one coaches,
send your managers to classroom workshops, or purchase effective online training courses. The
benefits of promoting a positive company culture far outweigh the expenses.

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 Visual Elements of Culture: by Schmitz: Creative Commons.

A formal orientation programme indoctrinates new employees into the organisational culture and
introduces them to their new jobs and colleagues. An orientation programme is important in any
organisation because it plays a role in making new employees feel welcome, in addition to imparting
information that may help new employees achieve success in their new jobs. Many large
organizations have formal orientation programmes consisting of lectures, videotapes, and written
materials, whereas others may follow unusual approaches. According to one estimate, most
orientations last anywhere from one to five days, and some companies are currently switching to
computer-based orientations.

Leaders are instrumental in creating and changing an organization’s culture. There is a direct
correspondence between a leader’s style and an organization’s culture. For example, when leaders
motivate employees through inspiration and involvement, interest, and information-sharing,
corporate cultures tend to be more supportive and people-oriented. When leaders motivate by making
rewards contingent on performance, the corporate culture tends to be more performance-oriented and
competitive (Sarros, Gray, & Densten, 2002. Leadership and its impact on organizational culture.
International Journal of Business Studies, 10, 1–26). In these and many other ways, leaders directly
influence the culture of their organizations.

Part of a leader’s influence over culture is through role modelling. Many studies have suggested that
leader behaviour, consistency between organizational policies and leader actions, and leader role
modelling determine the degree to which an organization’s culture emphasises ethics. (Restoring a
culture of ethical and spiritual values: The role of leader storytelling. Journal of Business Ethics, 73,
205–217). The leader’s behaviours will signal employees what is acceptable and unacceptable
behaviour. An organization where high-level managers make an effort to involve others in decision-
making and seek others’ opinions, a team-oriented culture is more likely to evolve. By acting as role

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models, leaders send signals to the organization about the norms and values expected to guide the
actions of organizational members.

Leaders also shape culture through their reactions to others’ actions. For example, do they praise a
well-done job or do they praise a favoured employee regardless of what was accomplished? How do
they react when someone admits to an honest mistake? What were their priorities? What types of
questions do they ask at meetings? Do they want to know what caused the accidents so that they can
be prevented or do they seem more concerned about how much money was lost as a result of the
accident? Do they seem outraged when an employee is disrespectful to a co-worker, or does their
reaction depend on whether they like the harasser? Through their daily actions, leaders shape and
maintain an organization’s culture.

4.10 Reward Systems

Finally, organisational culture is shaped by the type of reward system used in the organization and
the kinds of behaviours and outcomes it chooses to reward and punish. One relevant element of the
reward system is whether the organization rewards behaviour or results. Some organisations have
reward systems that emphasise the intangible elements of performance as well as more easily
observable metrics. In these organisations, supervisors and peers may evaluate an employee’s
performance by assessing the person’s behaviour and results. In such organisations, we may expect a
culture that is relatively people- or team-oriented and in which employees act as part of a family.

Activity 5

In your group, discuss and share what professional competencies must be

enhanced or introduced in SADC Secretariat.

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5.1 What issues concerning organisational culture should SADC introduce?

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