Professor Josef Wieland, Vice-President for Research at Zeppelin University, Germany, visited the Albert Luthuli Centre for Responsible Leadership (ALCRL) from 15 to 18 July 2019. Prof Wieland, who holds the Endowed Chair of Institutional Economics, is a professor of institutional economics, organisational governance, integrity management and transcultural leadership at the Zeppelin University.

Prof Wieland, who is also currently the Director of the Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin (LEIZ), came to South Africa to strengthen the ties between the LEIZ and the ALCRL. He furthermore came to discuss the joint international funded research project between the two institutes, which focuses on the role of leadership in implementing and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The research will compare multi-sector partnership practices and the implications for leadership in Germany and South Africa.

The expected research outcomes include academic publications, practice and policy inputs and a framework for leadership engagement in partnerships for development. The research feeds into the ALCRL’s role in the SA SDG Hub, hosted by the ALCRL and located in the Department of Business Management. SDG 17 specifically refers to the importance of partnerships in implementing the SDGs. Very little research has been done locally and internationally to investigate the leadership practices and, more specifically, the most effective form of leadership in achieving the SDG goals.

During his visit Prof Wieland delivered a guest lecture to MPhil students in Responsible Leadership, MPhil in Development Practice, as well as PhD students in Leadership. The theme of the lecture was ‘Relational leadership in inter-sectoral partnerships for shared value creation’. The interactions with the students after the lecture were a clear indication of how insightful and intriguing the lecture was, and confirmed the importance of extending this crucial debate on leadership and development.

This visit to South Africa was enthralling for Prof Wieland, since it was his first time on South African soil. He describes his time here in South Africa and at the University of Pretoria as being very interesting and informative and expressed appreciation for the ALCRL’s academic leadership on the African continent and beyond in the broader field of responsible leadership. He looks forward to the outcomes of the research project and the growing relationship that has now formed between the LEIZ and the ALCRL.