Exploring the African business model in relation to entrepreneurial and business leadership paradigms from other parts of the world

Abstract

The paper sought to answer the many questions asked of entrepreneurship growth and support in Africa by analyzing different entrepreneurial and business leadership paradigms from America, Europe and Asia. Literature shows that the Americans and Europeans grew their societies as a result of individual creativity and heroism. The Asians placed much emphasis on the family and the worker as espoused in the Kaizen Japanese philosophy. Africans have focused on doing it together, as expressed in the Ubuntu spirit. After discussing the African model in light of these different perspectives, the author concluded that work on advancement of entrepreneurship in Africa should focus on the need to produce local entrepreneurs who are culturally self-thinking and creative. They must use what Professor Rukuni termed, the machobane principle which postulates that, the best thinking and creative entrepreneurs are those who build their own local assets, construct their own roads and bridges, and dig their own deep water wells, in order to increase the value of their local communities. This is very important for social workers as they endeavour to build the capacities of communities to build their own sources of income as a way of taking themselves out of poverty.

KEY TERMS: Entrepreneurship, cultural paradigm, leadership, Ubuntu, Zimbabwe