Lekgotla: Leadership through dialogue in Southern Africa. Presented at the Annual Conference of the

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Lekgotla Leadership through dialoguein
Southern Africa.Presented at the Annual
Conference of the International Leadership
Association. Collaborative Leadership in
Transitional Development Networks-SessionWashing
ton DC November 4-7 2004.by Lovemore
Bingandadibingconsult_at_yahoo.co.uk
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Lekgotla Topics.

• Characteristics of Lekgotla leadership style
• National settings of Lekgotla
• Transferability of Lekgotla style to modern
  regional settings and context
• African Regional Economic Communities
• Success Stories

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Lekgotla Origins

• Kgolta-(Setswana word)-a public place where
  traditional consultative meetings judicial
  proceedings are conducted.
• Concept common in most other Southern African
  societies.(Dare -Shona Insaka-Bemba
  inkundla-Zulu)
• Before 1900, kgotla was also a trade and
  fairground
• Today Lekgotla is a consultative process between
  groups pursuing common goals.
• Public consultations-an integral feature of
  democratic traditions in Southern Africa.
  societies

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Lekgotla Dimensions

• Shared responsibility between leaders and
  followers
• Authority derived from publics trust
• Kgosi ke kgosi ka batho- a leader is a leader
  by the people
• Communal-interests of corporate existence of the
  community higher than individual interests
• Free exchange of ideas and views - no opinion is
  too foolish to be aired.

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Lekgotla National settings

• Traditional and modern leaders, in government,
  business and civic areas are obliged to consult
  the governed, clients and community members
• Lekgotla now influences governance models
• It is applied in modern national constitution
  development, legislative reviews, national and
  community policy development, regulation, dispute
  resolution and other decision making processes.

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Lekgotla Regional settings

• Small fragmented markets-different nations
• Regional Economic Community -Southern Africa
  Development Community (SADC).
• Larger integrated markets where goods, services
  labor move freely.
• Requires harmonized policy, laws,
  standards,systems procedures tariffs removed.
• Demands SHARED leadership, vision, institutions,
  strategies programs.

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Lekgotla Regional application

• Extensive policy dialogue at various
  levels-Political and technical.
• Participatory implementation process.
• Creation of regional institutions networks.
• Information and knowledge sharing.
• Coordinated and sequenced harmonized reforms.
• Rotating chairmanship, multiple governance
  structure.

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Lekgotla Pros

• Reduces conflict-consensus based
• Transformative-group process
• Empowering-equal opportunity to participate for
  all
• Operates at emotional and practical level
• Promotes participation, accountability and
  respect of rights.
• Increases ownership of developmental process and
  results.
• Improves sustainability.

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Lekgotla Cons

• Slow and cumbersome
• May raise costs of reforms
• May create deadlock and impasse

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Lekgotla Success stories

• Creation of the SADC Free Trade Area
• Development of regional protocols and agreements.
• Legal and policy reforms at national level.
• Development of regional networks for training and
  capacity development.
• Developing system, rules and procedures for
  shared natural resources
• Developing and running a regional electricity
  pool
• Development and adoption of norms for governance
  and conduct of national elections

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I am because we are.Thank You