Thriving Social Networks within African Work Organizations: The Role of Leadership

Abstract

The presence and growth of social networks within African work organizations is a phenomenon which given its implications on the survival and effectiveness of the organization, calls for a more in-depth review and investigation. This study reviews literature on the prevalence and nature of this social phenomenon especially given groupings such as religion and ethnicity within the African work organization. The study therefore investigates through a review of extant literature, the relationship between leadership and thriving social networks within African organizations. The review of literature provides an in-depth assessment of the nature leadership and its role as an antecedent in fostering workers engagement and involvement with various forms of social networks and the implications of such groups for the overall functioning of the organization. The literature revealed support for a substantial level of association between the variables with outcomes of social networks and group participation by workers, tied significantly to leadership styles and activities.

Keywords: Leadership, social networks, religion, ethnicity