Ubuntu Leadership Across Cultures: A Comparative Study of Its Prevalence and Outcomes in South Africa and the United Kingdom

Background Ubuntu is widely recognized as an African philosophy that shapes the African way of life. In theory, Ubuntu should be most prevalent within Africa, where individuals are expected to resonate strongly with this philosophy. This study examines Ubuntu leadership as an emic phenomenon, distinct from leadership approaches in other cultural contexts, specifically the United Kingdom (UK).Aim The aim of this study is twofold: (1) to determine whether employees’ perceptions of their managers’ Ubuntu leadership differ between South Africa (SA) and the United Kingdom (UK), and (2) to assess whether the relationships between perceived Ubuntu leadership and key employee outcomes, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and well-being, are stronger in the South African context.Setting The study draws on data collected from employed individuals in South Africa and the UK, contrasting acts and perspectives shaped by different geographical and cultural contexts.Methods A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Respondents completed measures of Ubuntu leadership, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and well-being. Following tests of reliability and factorial validity (including measurement invariance), mean scores for Ubuntu leadership were compared across the two cultural groups. In addition, correlation coefficients were calculated and their magnitudes examined to assess the relationships between Ubuntu and outcomes across groups.Results The psychometric properties of the instruments were satisfactory. Results indicate that South African managers were perceived by employees to score significantly higher on Ubuntu leadership than their UK counterparts, supporting the view that Ubuntu is more salient within the African context. Contrary to expectations, however, the positive associations between Ubuntu leadership and the three employee outcomes were not stronger in the South African sample than in the UK sample.Conclusion Ubuntu leadership may hold particular relevance in cultural contexts aligned with its philosophical underpinnings, as reflected in its prevalence in South Africa. Its predictive power is substantial and not confined to South Africa, suggesting that the principles of Ubuntu leadership extend beyond their cultural origins and hold relevance in broader, non-African contexts.