Ubuntu Politics of Process: An Alternative Conflict Management Culture in Universities

Abstract

Conflict is inevitable in an organization that depends on people’s collaboration and togetherness in actualizing its aims and objectives. A university system, which comprises staff, students, and other extraneous subjects and objects, remains under perpetual uneasiness due to interpersonal conflicts between members of staff, management and staff, students, and students and management or against other staff. The conflicts between these critical stakeholders are inevitable, not only because of the differences in their responsibilities towards organizational goals but because the place of individual differences can not be underestimated. This study presents the Ubuntu politics of process as an alternative to managing organizational conflict in the university system. The study answers questions such as: what are the Ubuntu politics of process, and how can it be deployed to manage or prevent conflicts? This article is theoretical and located within the transformative paradigm. A conceptual analysis was employed to interpret Ubuntu as a framework for alternative conflict management in universities. The concept of Ubuntu was presented, and its politics of process as the assumptions were also presented. The nexus between Ubuntu and conflict management was also argued. The findings showed that the spirit of solidarity and sharing, positive and optimist mindedness, compassion and inner goodness factors can minimize organizational conflict in the university system. The study concludes that the Ubuntu politics of process is a dimension of conflict management in the university system. Universities should promote solidarity and the spirit of sharing, positiveness, an optimistic way of life, caring and compassion, and inner goodness among stakeholders.