Unit 4: Case Study

Directions

1. Read the full case study in the textbook: Case 7.2 Kakenya Ntaiya.
2. Answer the case study discussion questions.
3. Submit your work for review.

Case Summary 7.2 Kakenya Ntaiya

• Kakenya Ntaiya, from Massai, Kenya, was a young woman with a passion for education and a vision for the future. At the age of 5, she was betrothed to be married upon reaching puberty. She was forced to participate in what was known as the ceremony, which in the Western world is known as female genital mutilation. Her childhood consisted of her training to be a mother and wife, focusing on domestic tasks daily. She was permitted to attend school, but only after her household chores were completed. Her mother encouraged her to complete school, and she very rarely saw her father, who only returned home once a year to sell the livestock and the products his wife raised, using the money to drink with his friends.

  Kakenya had wanted to become a teacher, however, she knew once the ceremony was completed, she would be forced to remain in the village and would not be able to pursue her dreams. She convinced her father that she would only go through with the ceremony if her marriage was permitted to be postponed so that she could return to school. She healed from the ceremony and returned to school in three weeks and received a scholarship to attend college in the United States.

  Ntaiya used power of persuasion to convince the village elder and 15 additional men in her village to attend college. They pulled their resources together so she could receive plane fare to attend college. Once in college, she learned that she participated in female genital mutilation, which was against the law in Kenya. She also learned that women did not have to be abused because they were women, and that women had the right to own property. She then earned a degree in International Relations and Political Science and would earn her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. This would lead her to come back and help her village and create a school for the girls in the village.

  In order to attend school in her village, there were two conditions that were placed on admittance. First, the parents had to agree that no girls would go through female genital mutilation. Additionally, the girls would not marry until they at least finished high school. She had hoped to enroll 10 girls but had 100 girls interested in attending. She initially enrolled 30 to start her school. There were still challenges in gaining acceptance for a school in her village, but Kakenya continued to meet with the elders and help to alleviate their concerns.

  Kakenya eventually would find Kakenyas Dream, an organization that helps to end harmful traditional practices and work with the community, while providing mentoring, scholarships, tutoring, and career advice, and delivers life schools education to both boys and girls through weekend and week-long camps.

Case Study Questions

1. Northouse (2020) stated that charismatic leaders create change by linking their vision and its values to the self-concept of followers. How did Kakenya accomplish this?
2. How would you describe Kakenyas vision? According to Northouse (2020), a vision has five characteristics: a picture, a change, values, a map, and a challenge. How are each of these elements expressed in Kakenyas vision?
3. Given the cultural challenges, articulating her vision was a critical component to Kakenyas success. Using the four elements of articulation described in this chapter, what are the challenges Kakenya faced and how did she address those through articulation?
4. What roles did building credibility, setting high performance standards that motivated others to accomplish the vision, and empowering others play into Kekenyas vision?

Please answer all questions. I really need help with this.