Global Journal of Management and Business Research: A Administration and Management Volume 20 Issue 3 Version 1.0 Year 2020 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Online ISSN: 2249-4588 & Print ISSN: 0975-5853 A Critiquing of Masculinity Leadership Syndrome in African Organizations: A Lens from Kitchen to the Palace of Modern Organizations By Ukpata, Sunday Ijuo PhD, Agha Nancy PhD, Nwekpa C. Kenneth PhD & Ama A. Udu PhD Federal University Wukari Abstract- Scholars have described leadership based on different experiences and practices. It is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. This paper is an examination and critiquing of the masculinity leadership syndrome in African organizations. It is common traditions, which Africa and Africans perceived leadership as mainly the affairs of the men folks in which the women are alienated from organizational decision- making; hence the delineation of the roles of women in the Kitchen while the men have to sit at the palaces to make decisions on rulership and governance and that man is chosen divinely by nature to lead and govern his environment. This they strongly believed in the “Great Man Leadership Theory” which was popularized by Carlyle, Thomas, 1940. Africans generally believed that leadership is an exclusive reserve of the great men and not great women. Keywords: leadership, biases, organizations, power, in clusion. GJMBR-A Classification: JEL Code: M10 ACritiquingofMasculinityLeadershipSyndromeinAfricanOrganizationsALensfromKitchentothePalaceofModernOrganizations Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: © 2020. Ukpata, Sunday Ijuo PhD, Agha Nancy PhD, Nwekpa C. Kenneth PhD & Ama A. Udu PhD. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. A Critiquing of Masculinity Leadership Syndrome in African Organizations: A Lens from Kitchen to the Palace of Modern Organizations α σ ρ Ѡ Ukpata, Sunday Ijuo PhD , Agha Nancy PhD , Nwekpa C. Kenneth PhD & Ama A. Udu PhD Abstract - Scholars have described leadership based on predetermined goals, and these goals may or may not 2020 different experiences and practices. It is a process whereby an be organizational. Hence could sometimes be ear Y individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a individual-oriented goals which the leader may common goal. This paper is an examination and critiquing of sometimes impose on the members. However, this 35 the masculinity leadership syndrome in African organizations. depends on the type of leadership style being used in It is common traditions, which Africa and Africans perceived leadership as mainly the affairs of the men folks in which the each situation. Leadership therefore, involves working with and through people to accomplish specific goals, women are alienated from organizational decision-making; hence the delineation of the roles of women in the Kitchen which sometimes may not necessarily be organizational while the men have to sit at the palaces to make decisions on goals. (Umoh 2002, 16-18). Therefore, all that the rulership and governance and that man is chosen divinely by leadership function requires is the possession of some nature to lead and govern his environment. This they strongly competencies. These competencies include technical believed in the “Great Man Leadership Theory” which was skills, conceptual skills, human resource management popularized by Carlyle, Thomas, 1940. Africans generally skills, motivation skills, creativity skills, the endowment of believed that leadership is an exclusive reserve of the great wisdom, etc as this list is inexhaustible. Therefore, it men and not great women. This age-long dogma has adversely retarded the development of creative and innovative follows why most scholars have defined the term as the skills and abilities of women in most African private and public process of influencing the activities of an individual or a organizations. Therefore, this study attempted a critiquing of group in efforts toward goal achievement in a given A the dogma and fused in a debate that advocates for situation. From this definition, it means that the () leadership inclusiveness that will tap-in the reservoir of Human leadership process is a function of the leader, the Resource endowments in various African organizations for followers, and other situational variables. (Blanchard sustainable development. and Blanchard 1972, 9). Keywords: leadership, biases, organizations, power, in From this basic analysis, there merge, some clusion. critical questions that are very important to this study. First and foremost, one would ask, do the leadership I. Introduction competencies outlined above suggest any exclusivity in he term “Leadership” is a broad concept that has their natural endowments to men or that the men may been given different meanings by different have more robust natural endowments than the Tscholars and practitioners. In everyday usage, it females? Would a woman be less creative, less skillful, permeates our human activities, organizations and other or less technically sound than a man due to gender social settings. Organizations have leaders that pilot the disposition? These few questions enable us to address affairs with the aim to achieve specified goals and our context of masculinity leadership syndrome in objectives. Groups and sub-groups within the African organizations. As we defined leadership earlier, it organization have their leaders. Communities have their is necessary to define the term “masculinity” in light of leaders, labor unions, political groups, market women this paper. “Masculinity,” which is also associations, students’ associations, etc all have their called manhood or manliness, is a set of attributes, leaders with who authority and power are vested on behaviors, and roles associated with boys and men. As them to direct the lead the members toward achieving a social construct, it is distinct from the definition of Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XX Issue III Version I male biological sex. From historical periods, the standards of manliness or masculinity vary widely Author α: Federal University Wukari, Nigeria. across different race and cultures. Both males and e-mail: [email protected] Author σ ρ Ѡ: Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria. females sometimes do exhibit masculine traits and e-mails: [email protected], e-mail: [email protected], behavor or, vice versa. But behavors such as e-mail: [email protected] strength, courage, independence, leadership, violence, ©2020 Global Journals A Critiquing of Masculinity Leadership Syndrome in African Organizations: A Lens from Kitchen to the Palace of Modern Organizations and assertiveness are believed to be men’s traits. • To critically evaluate the impact of masculinity These features and or characteristics drive the total leadership on heterogeneous employees’ manliness attributes of the African management world performance in African organizations and they negatively interpose the medieval and modern • To ascertain how the men-men leadership management system in African organizations. syndrome in African organizations can be Therefore, the term “masculinity leadership” is a eradicated. system of leadership that vested leadership position exclusively on the male folks to which the female is and c) Research questions In this research, we have been confronted by should be made to have subordinated roles to the man’s authority and dictates. As is most commonly the following research questions: found within the African organizational systems that are • What are the barriers to women’s leadership in mostly influenced by African cultural norms. Masculinity African organizations? leadership does not foster leadership inclusiveness and • What is the influence of gender discrimination on 2020 therefore, it is patriarchal and kleptocratic. women’s leadership participation in African According to Patel, Gita, and Buiting Sophie ear organizations? Y (2013) “the human resources available to most • What is the impact of masculinity leadership on countries are made up 50% of women. This means that 36 heterogeneous employees’ performance in African since half of the total stock of human resources in a organizations? given country is not being channeled into the economy • How can men-men leadership syndrome in African and not being made part of decision-making processes, organizations be eradicated? then that country’s economic potential is bound to suffer, by losing 50% of its capacity” They further II. Review of Related Literature collaborated this view that, for countries to navigate a) Theoretical base their ways out of the current economic crisis, business The theory anchoring this study is based on the leaders and indeed policy-makers need to aggregate “Great Man Leadership Theory” Popularized by Carlyle, talents of both women and men more than ever to be Thomas (1940). The Central thesis of the theory is that able to come up with the best solutions” (9). Hence the “Great leaders are God-gifted, not man-made" thrust of this present research effort is to present a This portrays the view of the Great Man Theory of scholarly “critiquing of masculinity leadership syndrome Leadership, in