Ubuntu: An Inspiring Story about an African Tradition of Teamwork and Collaboration, by Bob Nelson

I picked up a book called Ubuntu: An Inspiring Story about an African Tradition of Teamwork and Collaboration, by Bob Nelson at a $1 pile at a great used bookstore in Manhattan. Very simple storytelling, and even though I'd heard of philosophy of Ubuntu before, for some odd reason I was compelled to get it as a tangible reminder.

A few favorite parts:

"Later at lunch, John [manager] is asking [Simon, the African new hire] some questions about his previous life. He owned his own business in Africa [he came to USA to get an MBA].

"What was your business?"

"I had a sewing factory; we manufactured African garments for sale and for export."

"You said 'we'. Did you have partners?"

"Yes--everyone who worked at the factory."

Noticing John's confused look, Simon added, "In the U.S. a small business owner would say "I" to demonstrate ownership. In my tradition we use the word 'we,' because even though I owned the business, at work we were a family, and as such, everyone was important."

During the apartheid period, there was a lot of indignity, banning of black people to live in outskirts of Johannesburg in hovels (the area called Soweto), blatent oppression. Peaceful protests were squashed by gunfire and brutality. After one protest, the African blacks were so afraid they did not even come out of their homes to collect the dead.

However, deep in the psyche of the African people of all races is something of the essence of Ubuntu--"We are in this together"--"It connects all clans."

So after all those years of atrocity, many people sought revenge when the tables turned....

"That is part of the genius of Mandela. His philosophy of reconciliation was built around an idea that existed throughout Africa. Because we are all connected by our humanity, Ubuntu suggests that to harm another person would be to harm yourself. To seek revenge on others would be to hurt yourself. Mandela and Bishop Tutu helped us understand that Ubuntu meant accepting the humanity of our oppressors even as we detested the years of oppression. We had to unconditionally accept the humanity of each human being." - Bob Nelson, Ubuntu

Another favorite snippet:

"My journey stated," Simon began, "with being open to feedback from my employees [remember Simon's the owner of a business back in Africa before he came to grad school]. For example, I had one older woman who worked for me who once asked if she could give me some personal advice. Since I've never had an employee request that before, of couse I said yes. She pointed out that when I was upset with people, I let my frustration and my emotions get the best of me. And it made it more difficult for others to hear what I had to say. I had lost sight of my goal--to get the other employees to work more efficiently. So I learned to wait until I was calm and collected before discussing a problem with an employee so we could focus on what could be done, not what had been done."

"What a great story. I'm surprised she had the courage to speak up." [, John replies.]

"That is part of the Ubuntu tradition. When someone in the village is acting in a way that threatens the harmony and unity of the community, the elders take action. Ubuntu is a compassionate philosophy, but it is not soft. My temper was threatening the harmony of the community, and the woman, as an elder, felt the responsibiity to tell me so." - Bob Nelson, Ubuntu

Comments

[Ole J]

Hi Evelyn. I "accidentally" found your writings, and like them.. Hereby subscribed via RSS :-).