Influence of Chinese managerial soft power on African skills development

Abstract

Through the prism of soft power theory, this paper examines the influence of Chinese managerial soft power on the development of management skills by Africans who had previously studied in China before returning to Africa to run their own businesses. From a thematic analysis of semi-structured interview data, we identify themes emerging from the cognitive repertoire of African managers after their cultural adaptation in China. The themes include network development, risk-taking, optimism and pragmatism. The results of this study help to shed light on how international activities such as study abroad programs affect business management skills and provide new understanding of soft power for the field of business studies. The study shows that China influences not only through aid, foreign investments and its economic model but also through the diffusion of its management ideas via soft power.