WHAT IS UBUNTU IN SIMPLE WORDS?

 “Ubuntu means ‘I am, because you are’, ‘you are because I am’

 In fact, the word ubuntu is just part of the Zulu phrase ‘Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’, which literally
means that a person is a person through other people.

A set of values

 A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that
others are able & good, based from a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she
belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are
tortured or oppressed.

 Ubuntu is the essence of being human.

 Nelson Mandela explained Ubuntu as follows; A traveller through a country would stop at a village and
he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food and attend him…
 UBUNTU ETHICS

Specifically, is defined as a set of values central among

which are;
 Reciprocity,
 Common good,
 Peaceful relations,
 Emphasis on human dignity,
 The value of human life
 Consensus,
 tolerance, &
mutual respect.
 Ubuntu, understood as be-ing human (humanness); a
human, respectful and polite attitude towards
others constitutes the core meaning of this aphorism.
 WHAT IS UBUNTU IN BUSINESS?

• Simply put, Ubuntu means humaneness and the philosophy of

Ubuntu includes mutual support and respect, interdependence,
unity, collective work and responsibility.
• It involves a common purpose in all human endeavour and is
based on service to humanity (servant leadership )'
 APPLYING UBUNTU TO BUSINESS

 The concept of ubuntu in business is evident in the

increase of concepts such as social entrepreneurship
and 'business for good'.

 Accordingly, the concept of Ubuntu can be applied in

business strategies to secure progressive partnerships
and client relationships.
 WHY IS UBUNTU IMPORTANT IN LEADERSHIP?

 As an ideal, Ubuntu means the opposite of being selfish and

self-centred.

 It promotes cooperation between individuals, cultures and

nations.

 Ubuntu thus empowers all to be valued to reach their full

potential in accord with all around them.
 HOW TO APPLY UBUNTU IN LEADERSHIP?

 From a leadership perspective, Ubuntu requires that

leaders model the way for others.
 As a role model, the leader legitimizes his or her
leadership by a commitment to such African values as
honesty, sincerity, truth- fulness, compassion, empathy,
dignity, and respect for others (Malunga, 2009)
 HOW CAN UBUNTU PROMOTE ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR?

 At the normative level, Ubuntu ethics prescribes

individuals to identify and exhibit solidarity with one
another, by promoting the behaviors that are more
likely to improve the quality of life of others.

 A fundamental concern in this philosophy is how it

bears in the (bio)medical contexts, issues, and practices.
 HOW UBUNTU CAN BE APPLIED IN A BUSINESS

 Ubuntu is Good for Business and the World.

 The Ubuntu philosophy is the antithesis of greed,

selfishness, power trips, indifference to morality and
Machiavellian (cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous,
especially in politics) attitudes in business, and can have a
positive impact on your business