The concept of intergenerational leadership: A study of the influence of traditional African leadership practices in government organizational culture, in The Gambia, West Africa

This research presents the results of a grounded theory analysis of appreciative interviews at the, departments of the government of the Gambia. Five core categories of events and behaviors are described: (1) the factors underlying traditional African leadership practice, (2) the influence of inspiring a shared vision in which the staff feels it belongs to them, (3) the nurturing of accountability so that both the leaders and staff become efficient and effective in the government, (4) the development of patriotism in which the civil servants in the government love, honor, and had faith and pride in their country, and (5) the acceptance of leaders to relinquish and share authority with all staff plays a key role in sustaining openness and willingness to change in African government. I interpret results in terms of appreciative inquiry theory, a framework for understanding appreciative leadership and change that has not been previously explored with detailed interview data from African governments. The final chapter of this paper addresses the conceptualization of the concept of intergenerational leadership that has never been discussed in leadership literature that we read.