Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives (DLd)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Ekaputra Tupamahu, PhD

Second Advisor

Jennie Harrop, PhD

Third Advisor

Jason Swan Clark, DMin

Abstract

Foreign-led initiatives operating in Nouakchott, Mauritania, encounter challenges in collaborating effectively with local communities, hindering the growth of sustainable, locally driven leadership and contextually relevant initiatives. This doctoral project investigates how relational dynamics shape intercultural collaboration and responds through the development of a structured relational leadership certificate program grounded in the Mauritanian context.

Using documented discovery workshops and one-on-one interviews with Mauritanian and international practitioners, the research identified recurring concerns regarding decisionmaking authority, communication clarity, and the distribution of responsibility within foreignled initiatives. Participants described patterns in which expectations were inconsistently communicated, local voices were unevenly integrated into decisions, and shared ownership of work remained fragile. These findings indicated that technical improvements alone were insufficient and that leadership development focused on relational capacity was necessary to strengthen collaboration.

This project emerged from the author’s vocational experience within a foreign-led nonprofit clinic in Nouakchott. Efforts to improve efficiency, organizational structure, and service delivery revealed that technical solutions alone did not address relational barriers affecting daily work. Across contexts, trust, communication, and collaboration emerged as gradual, practice-based capacities requiring intentional cultivation over time.

In response, the project resulted in the design of Leading Together: Sharing Etay—A Three-Cup Framework for Growing Trust, Communication, and Collaboration, an eight-week, in-person leadership certificate program for Mauritanian and international professionals currently engaged in, or preparing for, intercultural work. The primary artifact is a facilitator’s manual outlining curriculum, session structure, experiential exercises, and assessment tools. Together, these elements provide a structured approach to cultivating trust, communication, and collaboration in intercultural settings.

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