Abstract
There is an increasing recognition that Management is a critical factor in the running of African organizations and in pulling African countries out of their economic crisis. Although efforts have been made to provide management and administrative training, the role of culture in management remains poorly understood. This paper evaluates studies that look at the role played by African culture in managerial behaviour. It examines how values and approaches derived from African culture may or may not be affecting managers and the functioning of organizations. It examines how African managers diverge from managers in other countries. It concludes by emphasizing that there are many shortcomings in research on the African culture-managerial behavior dynamic. It points to various suggestions that may help clarify the inconclusive results in this area of research.
Highlights
Several factors have converged to expedite efforts aimed at understanding the nature of management in Africa
Examples include the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) in Zambia, Tanzania’s Institute of Development Management, The Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce (BIAC), and the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Administration (ZIPA). Many of these were created with the help of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) (Kiggundu, 1993)
To manage effectively in organizations that have been imported from Europe, there is need to recognize the differences these organizations represent to African culture and learn to use those differences to raise organizational performance and efficiency
Summary
Several factors have converged to expedite efforts aimed at understanding the nature of management in Africa. As Mathews (2000:13) has argued: ‘Like their counterparts the world over managers in developing nations are looking for ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the work place. These managers have to cope with unique external challenges found within the developing nations. These questions are important for they might help explain why African organizations may not have performed very well for a long time They may help us to identify cultural sources of resistance to management practices that affect organizational performance negatively. To manage effectively in organizations that have been imported from Europe, there is need to recognize the differences these organizations represent to African culture and learn to use those differences to raise organizational performance and efficiency. It suggests some angles that might help resolve the impulse on this important topic
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