Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives (DLd)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Mario Hood, DMin

Second Advisor

Karen Tremper, PhD

Third Advisor

Jason Swan Clark, DMin

Abstract

To be seen, heard, and to have a voice are deeply human desires, regardless of where one finds oneself in the world. In the culturally and ethnically diverse Saharan nation, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (RIM), the capital, Nouakchott, serves as a central hub shaped by a strong Islamic identity, historical hierarchies, and long-standing foreign involvement in development efforts. These dynamics create both meaningful opportunities and real challenges for leadership practices across sectors.

Development efforts in RIM have long sought to strengthen communities through education, healthcare, and economic initiatives. While these efforts are well-intentioned, sustaining impact has remained a persistent challenge, particularly when external leadership or resources are withdrawn. In this context, Mauritanian communities lack a voice in development efforts due to top-down leadership, limited collaboration, and insufficient listening, leading to sustained community disempowerment.

Both leaders and community members express a desire to be heard and to listen well; however, practical and culturally responsive pathways for doing so are often absent or misaligned with local realities. Research conducted through interviews, design workshops, and pilot initiatives suggests that relational dynamics, especially listening, trust, and shared responsibility, play a central role in whether change endures over time.

In response, Journeying Together: Empowering Voice and Transforming Teams was developed as a cross-cultural coaching framework designed to strengthen listening, collaboration, and shared leadership within teams. The framework integrates individual and team coaching, interactive skill-building, and leadership growth planning informed by longterm practice in Mauritanian clinical and organizational settings. Emphasizing relational engagement, cultural humility, and participatory leadership practices, Journeying Together seeks to create spaces where voices are welcomed and trust can develop. Through this approach, the framework aims to support leaders and teams in cultivating collaborative practices that contribute to sustainable transformation in RIM

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