Cross‐cultural management and organizational behavior in Africa

Abstract

AbstractFor Western operations to succeed in Africa, foreign executives must embrace cross‐cultural management skills as part of a broad strategic focus. This article examines culture as the crucial dimension to forging strong social, economic, and diplomatic ties between Africa and the Western world. To globalize successfully into the African marketplace, the effective cross‐cultural manager must have an in‐depth understanding of the African cultural value system. By analyzing African conventions, whose norms differ greatly from Western culture, this article clarifies the key roles that African culture plays in management methods, organizational behavior, and business practices in the sub‐Saharan region. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.