Framing ethical isomorphs in educational leadership: a sociological approach

Abstract

This commentary is inspired by Begley's (2000) definition of (ethical) isomorphs as: 'Social conditions or value postures that appear to share the same shape or meaning in different countries but actually consist of quite different elements' (p. 23). I take this to mean that the value of 'rule of law', for example, may have the same meaning in different countries in terms of nation states organising themselves around certain laws. However, such laws are arrived at, understood, and applied differently. In reality, this means recognising common features of various values while accepting their different contextual nature.

Reimagining Ubuntu in schools: A perspective from two primary school leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“…When framed on a cross-shaped low/high sliding scale, as shown in the Figure 1, they generate four ontological spaces, within which African Ubuntu interactions occur. While the whole outline of the methodology of Ubuntu can be accessed from Elonga Mboyo (2016b), it suffices to highlight here that Ubuntu, as a theoretical tool for investigating various topics including tribal(ism), journalism, politics, legal systems, ethical isomorphs (Elonga Mboyo, 2017b), and many more, flourishes in quadrant 4 of Figure 1 when agents are low in fear and structures are high in self-scrutiny. For Elonga Mboyo (2016b), then, Ubuntu is arguably greater than an exclusive theory of ‘right’ actions (Metz, 2007) and that citizens should be aware of both the bad and the good of their society in order to take responsibility, hold themselves and others to account and understand the patterns of movement within different quadrants as well as from immoral actions (Quadrants 1, 2 and 3) to right ones (Quadrant 4) and vice versa.…”