Programme Features

UCD is powerful because its three tightly integrated components combine the paradigm-shifting power of deep hands-on Ubuntu experiences with a wealth of insights, advice, strategies, and operating principles gleaned from the world’s top experts and practitioners on personal empowerment, leadership, and systemic change.  Moreover, its Five C’s grounding model – described earlier on page 3 – is a remarkable tool for integrating modern/western/ productive change strategies and African/Ubuntu principles of social interaction and human community.  This is a uniquely powerful combination of learning resources for South African corporations seeking success in the fast-paced global economy.  

1.Personal Discovery enables participants to undertake a paradigm-shifting journey of exploration, discovery and understanding of the nature of change, South Africa’s diverse cultures, and themselves.  On the first day they will develop and understanding of the essence of different cultures and the keys to breaking down relational barriers to them.  The highlight of this powerful perception-expanding experience is a self-initiated two-night stay with a family in a local township – followed by a day-long guided opportunity to assess “who they really are,” “what the future can become,” and their innate leadership potential in light of the previous three days’ experiences. These four days of inner discovery are designed to be a springboard to UCD’s other two impactful components.  

2. Leadership Empowerment builds on the paradigm-shifting experiences in the Personal Discovery component.  It offers participants six transformational one-day opportunities to explore, experience, and incorporate into their own lives and job roles the deep essence and lessons from the extensive body of leadership and change research summarised and explained in Schwahn and Spady’s highly acclaimed Total Leaders book – and in the powerful work it has spawned.

These six experiences enable participants to examine and test out the deep essence of Ubuntu;  the key domains of successful leadership performance;  the nature, pillars, and natural patterns of personal and organisational change;  their innate gifts and personal passions;  their orientations toward learning, leading, and living;  the powerful tools used by successful leaders to create and sustain productive change;  and their deep personal potential for continuous growth and change.  Longer, more intensive versions – or shorter, more abbreviated versions – of this component will also be offered for teams or organisations seeking them.

3.Organisational Transformation offers participants the opportunity to consolidate and apply their UCD learning in a significant and sustained “Leading Transformational Change” project connected to their current job role.  These projects will be designed to improve the Ubuntu culture, climate of change, service delivery, and financial productivity of each participant’s organisation.  UCD will provide each participant with specific tools and measures for guiding and assessing her/his organisation’s progress during this segment and beyond.  The duration of this component will vary depending on the scope of the projects participants undertake.