Mutua Jacqueline Nthoki, Kiruhi Timothy Mwangi
School of Leadership and Governance, International Leadership University, Kenya.
International Leadership University, Kenya.
Heliyon. 2021 Mar 8;7(3):e06411. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06411. eCollection 2021 Mar.
Village eldership, though a voluntary and non-salaried position, plays a crucial role in public leadership in Kenya. The choice of village elders has to be done in line with expected roles but guided, importantly, by the values needed for the office. Generally, some values (such as altruism, solidarity, reciprocity, equity, social justice, among others) are considered distinctive to active volunteers as they influence their outcomes and prosocial behaviour variation. The purpose of this study was to establish the relevance of values in volunteer leadership in the public sector in Kenya, and specifically focused on village elders. Thirty respondents (composed of village elders, chiefs and community members) were purposively chosen to participate in this qualitative study. The study, which was guided by the servant leadership framework, revealed that peace, respect, harmonious living, relationships, justice, honesty, and hard work are important values for volunteer leadership. These values influenced the village elders' attributable contribution, guided them in decision-making, and earned them respect while also providing them with the mandate to lead. The study contributes to the field of volunteerism by highlighting the place of values in public service leadership in Kenya, and in relation to village elders.
村长老一职虽是自愿且无薪的职位，但在肯尼亚的公共领导中发挥着关键作用。村长老的人选必须符合预期角色，但重要的是要以该职位所需的价值观为指导。一般来说，一些价值观（如利他主义、团结、互惠、公平、社会正义等）被认为是积极志愿者所特有的，因为它们会影响志愿者的成果和亲社会行为差异。本研究的目的是确定价值观在肯尼亚公共部门志愿者领导中的相关性，特别关注村长老。本研究特意挑选了30名受访者（包括村长老、酋长和社区成员）参与这项定性研究。该研究以仆人领导框架为指导，结果显示，和平、尊重、和谐生活、人际关系、正义、诚实和努力工作是志愿者领导的重要价值观。这些价值观影响了村长老的应有贡献，指导他们进行决策，并为他们赢得尊重，同时也赋予了他们领导的权力。该研究通过强调价值观在肯尼亚公共服务领导中以及与村长老相关方面的地位，为志愿服务领域做出了贡献。
