TITLE:
Exploring Servant Leadership Model at the Christian Bilingual University of Congo (UCBC): Practices, Challenges, and Strategies for Sustaining the Model
AUTHORS:
Marc Salama Asobee
KEYWORDS:
Servant Leadership, Organizational Culture, Ubuntu, Christian Bilingual University of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Leadership,
Vol.15 No.3,
September
20,
2026
ABSTRACT: This article examines the application, challenges, and strategies for sustaining the servant leadership model at the Christian Bilingual University of Congo (UCBC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drawing on Greenleaf’s servant-leadership philosophy and Spears’ ten characteristics of servant leadership, the study employs a qualitative case study approach based primarily on secondary literature and institutional information. The analysis situates UCBC’s leadership practices within the broader historical, cultural, economic, and institutional realities of the DRC. The analysis indicates that UCBC has intentionally integrated servant leadership into its institutional vision, mission, core values, educational model, and organizational practices. Practices such as listening, empathy, healing, participatory decision-making, stewardship, mentoring, staff development, service-learning, and community building demonstrate the institutionalization of servant-leadership principles. However, the sustainability of this model is challenged by hierarchical leadership traditions, relational networks that may encourage favoritism, communication gaps, inconsistent accountability, resource constraints, organizational growth, and the realities of operating in a conflict-affected environment. At the same time, communal values associated with Ubuntu and UCBC’s principle of Tuko Pamoja provide a culturally relevant foundation for servant leadership. The article proposes strategies including leadership development, transparent communication, equitable accountability, sustainable human-resource and financial stewardship, succession planning, staff well-being, and organizational learning. The study concludes that sustaining servant leadership at UCBC requires alignment between relational values, institutional systems, accountability, and adaptive capacity.