CHAPTER 1

TEAMWORK

In Sesotho, there is a concept called letsema. This is a culturally-embedded indigenous practice meaning to voluntarily work together for a common goal. Letsema is predicated on unity, social cohesion and collaboration. In particular, it aims to address the needs of the community based on the belief that we are all connected and must all play a vital role in the community's well-being.

Its origins lie within the cultural traditions of the Basotho and Batswana people in Southern Africa, but its underlying principles of community cooperation and shared responsibility resonate across African societies. It represents people coming together to pool resources and share common risks in a region to tackle challenges. In a more contemporary context, it has evolved to become a symbol of community mobilisation and resilience while demonstrating the power of collective action. In 2008 LDM ('Oupa') Lebeloane and Kofi Poku Quan-Baffour described letsema as 'the voluntary spirit among Africans [that] made people sacrifice their time to assist fellow community members in undertaking various projects. Indeed, one does not have to be a family member or relative to get help from you. There was a communal spirit, a cultural value that drove members to assist each other. This voluntary cooperation was based on the belief that your neighbour's problem or success is yours too.'7 Put simply, it refers to the spirit of sister and brotherhood. As the authors state, this is not a political ideology such as Marxism, Leninism or socialism, but rather, it is an unstructured and undocumented African way of life.

This practice finds roots in the ubuntu philosophy, referring to our humanity towards others. Ubuntu is a uniquely African concept that speaks to a collection of values and practices contributing to a more significant relational, communal, societal, environmental, and spiritual world. If we consider letsema as a philosophy that encourages collectivism over individualism, there are distinct lessons that can be translated into the practice of leadership.

Leadership, after all, cannot be viewed as a solitary undertaking. This sentiment finds echoes in many idiomatic sayings across various languages. For instance, the Setswana saying says, 'tsie e senya ka bontsi' - more hands make the job easier. This sentiment finds parallels in Afrikaans - 'baie hande maak ligte werk' and in other languages. In Haya, spoken in Tanzania, the saying is 'abema hamoi basindika eitara' and in Swahili it is 'mikono mingi kazi haba'. The African belief across regions and languages is that there is power in the collective. These sayings suggest that tasks or challenges become more manageable and less burdensome when people come together and work in unison towards a common goal. By distributing the workload, efficiency and productivity are increased. Embedded in this common proverb is an acknowledgement that there are intrinsic benefits in diverse perspectives, mutual support, and the fostering of strong community bonds that encourage us to reduce the burden on any single individual. This distribution of labour acknowledges that the collective effort can lead to better outcomes.

This concept finds its roots also in other sayings and proverbs. For example, the Sepedi saying 'tau tsa hloka seboka di shitwa ke nare e hlotsa' means that lions that fail to work as a team struggle to bring down a wounded buffalo. This saying emphasises the importance of collaboration and cooperation in achieving common goals. Lions typically hunt in prides. By coordinating their actions, lions can bring down larger prey such as buffalo that they may not be able to handle individually. When lions fail to collaborate and work as a team, the task of bringing down even a wounded buffalo becomes much more challenging. If there is a lack of coordination and unity, it weakens their ability to overcome this challenge effectively. They may struggle to overpower the buffalo or even fail to bring it down entirely, potentially endangering themselves in the process. The wisdom embedded in this Sepedi saying suggests that even those seen as strong and capable can face difficulties if they do not collaborate and coordinate their efforts.

The Tanzanian proverb 'two ants do not fail to pull one grasshopper' demonstrates the value of unified power. Individual ants are often associated with great strength. They are also highly organised in colonies, which increases their strength and serves their common purpose of survival. Ant colonies are described as 'superorganisms', as together they behave like a single organism working towards achieving their goals. In this proverb, the grasshopper represents a seemingly insurmountable task. When individual ants join forces and combine their efforts, they can overcome obstacles that they would not ordinarily be able to achieve alone. This metaphor suggests that individuals should pool their strengths, resources and skills - particularly in challenging situations.

In a leadership setting, all these sayings demonstrate the value of the collective. Effective leaders facilitate the power of the collective by encouraging teamwork. This is essential for innovation and achieving outcomes, and echoes the fundamental principles of letsema.

In short, the sayings and proverbs included in this chapter demonstrate strength in collaboration and unity. Faced with shared goals and a common purpose, leaders have to encourage their teams to combine their efforts in order to support each other.

Yet, this emphasis on collectivism is often not readily embraced in Africa. For instance, South Africa is considered an individualist society as there is a high preference for a loosely-knit social framework, according to Hofstede Insights.8 In individualist societies, citizens are focused on themselves and their direct family, whereas in collectivist societies the very concept of letsema is emphasised. Some criticisms levelled against individualist societies include a lack of social cohesion, a reduced sense of collective identity that could lead to social fragmentation, greater inequalities as personal success and achievement are emphasised and create significant disparities and social divisions, and weakened social safety nets when inequity of access persists.

In part, South Africa's emergence as an individualist society can be attributed to the pervasive legacy of apartheid and our inability to effectively achieve transformation. This has perpetuated many of the divisions apparent in our society across various lines, such as class, gender and race. One might even ask whether South Africa's individualism has led to our leadership crisis or vice versa. Although ubuntu, as an ideology aimed at bringing about harmony and cohesion, was emphasised in the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa, we have demonstrably strayed away from this philosophy. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once asserted, 'We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world.'9

What is apparent is that leadership requires the fundamental ability to work cooperatively with others to achieve objectives. Leaders make strides by acknowledging that we should not and cannot work in silos. Importantly, in collectivism, the emphasis on diverse people and opinions leads to better decision-making and improved outcomes. While leaders may have visions and provide direction for their teams, they rely on the support and contributions of others to turn those visions into a reality.

Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, perhaps best explained this concept. He said: 'The world needs new leadership, but the new leadership is about working together.'10

The importance of this concept is apparent at various levels. In my experience at the helm of an institution, an important lesson for me has been to delegate tasks and trust the teams under me to achieve our goals and realise our vision.

The same would apply at a national and even global level. Nationally, for example, the interface between local and national governments is vital for service delivery. It involves the coordination, cooperation, and exchange of responsibilities between the different tiers of government to meet the needs of the people and address local and national challenges.

Globally, it is evident that collaboration is the key to achieving many of our shared objectives. For instance, the United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 interconnected goals aimed at eradicating poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. These targets require a synchronised effort across nations and organisations alike if we are to meet any of these goals by 2030.

The COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, demonstrated the danger of acting individualistically. As the scramble for vaccines indicated, the divisions between the Global North and the Global South starkly revealed themselves. Countries in the Global South, including African states, faced significant challenges in securing an adequate supply of vaccines. Structural inequalities, limited resources, and fragile health systems further compounded these disparities, exacerbating the health...