A cultural group’s worldview is the way the group makes sense of their lived reality, which is contributed to by their reasoning (logic), knowledge (epistemology), understanding of the universe (cosmology), their values (axiology) and being (ontology). The definition of African worldview includes respect for others, self and nature as fundamental to cosmological and societal relationships. Despite the impact of Westernisation, a common worldview of communal ideology is still prominent within the culture and customs of African people. Existence is viewed through social structure and culture within communities. Experiential learning is valued and passed on by elders who are cultural custodians. Cultural knowledge is not necessarily researched or verified, but seen as authentic therefore treated as a norm, and strictly adhered to.
Western psychology is constructed from experiences of one sector of the human race, assumed as an absolute norm through which the entire human race is to be understood. However, the idea of a monolithic African culture is a chimera given the fact that the many African cultures within the continent are inextricably infused with those of non-African origin. For science to be seen as reflective or representative of African experiences, it should not be solely constructed from foreign epistemology.
That said, even though coaching continues to gain currency in Western psychology its utility in an African context elicits ambivalent reactions and remains fluid. It is viewed in the West as the best approach to improve organisations and their executives: the organisation gains by leveraging from the positive changes that manifest in the executive or top leadership. The training of executives remains the domain of psychologists who have developed various models of coaching to meet the demands of different cultural settings. The evolution of coaching has displaced traditional models with modern ones judged more responsive and pragmatic in meeting needs through inculcating cross-cultural realties into the coaching milieu or practice. The integration of cultural elements is crucial and gives the coach more opportunity to achieve the overall objective by bridging the cultural gap.
Even though many executive coaches grapple with similar challenges such as business culture against other odds and the primary goal of the organisation or agency, in the African context it is far more complicated. Hence, the drive to develop African psychological concepts based on African epistemology, ontology and cultural experiences. Corporate leadership style in Africa is claimed to be predominantly Eurocentric even though at present there is greater awareness of leadership styles and values that are Afrocentric.
A balanced approach to coaching includes sensitivity, compassion and courage by taking cognisance of a people’s history and present socio-political context. In Africa, there are negative aspects of collectivism, which are more pronounced as attachment to tribal and religious groupings in low-status jobs, but progressively diminish as the African executive moves up the ladder in an organisation. This, it is believed is largely because those who demonstrate majoritarian cultural values are likely to be promoted. On the other hand, an ascriptive value system lays emphasis on one’s system status at work.
A holistic framework for research on African psychology promotes African values, worldview and philosophy but cautions African psychologists not to ignore various aspects of modernisation. Madiban tradition establishes a new paradigm in which progressive components of Western and African psychology are now integrated in studies about mutual co-existence and equitable participation in the research milieu. Therefore, the concept of Ubuntu provides an entry point not only for the study of African psychology, but also coaching from an African viewpoint. It gives primacy to a holistic approach to human life and this attitude is deeply rooted in African tradition and the African population alike.
Even though coaching is a new field, it is fast growing. It has been noted that in the African context, when it comes to coaching practice the Eurocentric and Afrocentric approaches are not competitive, but complementary and should be treated as such. However, it is evident that African techniques have a more holistic view than the traditional Western approach as they incorporate not only the physical and the mind, but also emotional and spiritual dimensions.
One such technique is Ubuntu philosophy which focuses on a communal way of being by laying emphasis on the collective connection of humanity and is therefore considered African age-old tribal. It has been widely advocated that Ubuntu should be entrenched in African business leadership style. Ubuntu coaching behoves leadership to place greater value in environment, community, collectivity and organisation, and not the individual. Ubuntu being essentially the bedrock of transformation leadership predicates the core system values of interrelationship and humanness. The skills related to Ubuntu come from psychotherapy, such as empathy, conflict resolution, process observation, self- awareness and listening.
Ubuntu is now used in sub-Saharan Africa to demonstrate the nature of humanness, interdependence and collective consciousness in interactions across communities. Ubuntu provides a cultural framework that permeates all contexts, both rural and urban settings, and weighs heavily on but is not limited to social, cultural and economic conditions. Overall, Ubuntu philosophy emphasises the collective ethic or psyche upon which community solidarity thrives and people are able to share and care for one another. Such context encourages interdependence and empathy as well as partnership.
In addition, there are various alternative coaching methods such as storytelling, metaphors and constellation which mingle in the concept of spirituality as an African worldview. Storytelling has a broad universal application across cultures, while its origins remain unclear. It has found relevance in modern-day coaching, where it is being implemented in various ways such as teller and listener, leading to new knowledge and shared meaning. In African and South American cultures, storytelling is used as a method of healing. Similarly, metaphors, like storytelling, are not only used to demonstrate the past or emotion, but also as a motivating visualisation in coaching about future events. Constellation is evident through sharing of information within groups and teams working together on shared principles that enhances cross-cultural and diversity bonding. In Western philosophy, however, it is likened to systems theory and existential phenomenology. Therefore, both storytelling and constellation work can be used to help individuals see the bigger picture within the organisation and they are used as a way to provide value and make sense of situations.
Since Ubuntu connotes collectivism, is intrinsically African, and embraces a holistic approach to an understanding of Africa, it continues to be in the fore in carving a niche towards an African psychology. This helps to infuse humanness, interdependence and collective consciousness in African psychology. A holistic approach in coaching aims for collective or systemic change within the organisation and does not target the individual in relation to the organisation, but the organisation in relation to the individual:
A non-Afrocentric African person operates in a predictable and negative fashion; everything about him is contradictory to himself due to a lack of centre and therefore destructive to both collective growth and personal development. Benevolence in this case covers altruism and humanness, as the moral base within the organisation. The logic and notion of Ubuntu expects African leaders to develop statesmanship, frown upon egoistical tendencies, and regard caring for humanity as a priority. Within the African society, elders have always been the custodians of knowledge, offering words of wisdom, guidance, mediation and solutions to problems. This informal approach to coaching emulates the spirit of Ubuntu in the African perspective. However, African psychology in coaching lacks a scientific theoretical analytical basis that makes it viable and proves its existence in coaching, unlike the Eastern and Western approaches that are widely used in coaching psychology at present.
It is essential to develop theories that address African strengths and are not primarily based on Western psychology. African psychology is a critical consciousness that does more than describe the cultural history and worldviews of people of African descent. Afrocentric psychology incorporates African, Eastern and Western experiences that reflects diversity in Africa, and even though the branches are extended towards these other cultures, the roots of African psychology are still embedded within African culture. Africans should therefore look at the world through an African cultural lens, explicating the world’s mysteries through African value systems and perspectives. Western psychology is therefore only a partial perspective when it comes to the African context; the whole being a combination with the African cultural perspective.
Finally, I believe that hybridity and mainstreaming is the way forward in relation to including African psychology in coaching. This inculcates not only a local but global worldview in handling complexities when coaching both the individual and the organisation on how to effectively manage and integrate systems. This is informed by the fact that adoption of either a Eurocentric or Afrocentric approach denies the African executive access to a diversified or integrated approach, which would make them more productive in the diverse environment in which they operate. Therefore, there is a need for coaches to develop a better understanding of the complex situation in order to proffer more cultured and grounded solutions.
