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Article Title:
Identification of Key Values and Behaviours Influencing Leadership Orientation in Southern Africa
by Shameem Ali, Victor Katoma and Errol Tyobeka

Abstract:
In Southern Africa, apart from probably South Africa, there are a number of emerging economies, each with their own cultural and administrative differences. This study examines the elements of the value systems and behaviours of managers from several corporate companies and develops insights into constructs of leadership styles shaped by individual value systems and behaviours in the workplace. Leadership primarily stems from the desire to control one?s environment including people and productive resources. Data was collected from 259 managers using a survey questionnaire and exploratory factor analysis and comparative means were used as the basis of analysis. The study reveals that there may be four leadership orientations in the African context. The first group comprises those who are driven by an achievement orientation which requires ambition and to be challenged in the role. The second group comprises those motivated by the rewards of leadership in terms of wealth and security. The third orientation type was managers who seek a degree of conformity and loyalty from subordinates and followers. The forth was a more transformational leadership and innovative, with the willingness to challenge existing managerial paradigms. These orientations were not deemed to be mutually exclusive as managers may in fact display more than one of these orientations. The measure of how successful a manager is likely to be in a particular leadership role may depend on the strength of their orientation in relation to achievement, reward, conformity and innovativeness. These findings are significant for understanding leadership motivations and drivers of behaviour especially in selecting managers to fulfil specific roles. For example, a situation that predominantly demands innovativeness and outcomes (achievement) will need individuals who score the highest in that area rather than on ?reward and conformity

Keywords: values, leadership orientation, behaviours, workplace, Africa.

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