Infusing African management philosophy into project management

Carl Marnewick,Nazeer Joseph,Wikus Erasmus

doi:10.4102/ac.v18i1.585

Abstract

Orientation: The project management field of study is investigated in the context of the current debate on decolonisation of the university curriculum.Research purpose: Current project management theories and curriculum are based on Western management philosophy (WMP). This creates tension on the African continent where the debate is currently about the revival of African management philosophy (AMP) and how it should form part of management theories and the discourse in general.Motivation for the study: The problem currently is that AMP is not incorporated or even discussed within project management literature. The aim of this article is to create discussion around AMP and how it can be infused into project management theories and ultimately the curriculum. The AMP and WMP are discussed through the lens of project management, specifically the Project Management Body of Knowledge.Research design, approach and method: Philosophical discussion was employed to facilitate the discussion of infusing AMP into project management. Various historical concepts and practices were explored to provide perspective concerning management philosophies and theories.Main findings: Infusing AMP into the curriculum must be a conscientious effort from the academic staff who teach project management. Moreover, true infusion of AMP is best facilitated through the interaction between academics, students and stakeholders. There are, however, certain processes that are principle agnostic and are independent of either AMP or WMP.Practical/managerial implications: We should philosophise more on infusing AMP into project management, creating new theories, and that the curriculum should be adjusted to incorporate AMP.Contribution/value-add: This paper stimulates discussion around AMP and project management.

Highlights

The social media movement in South Africa called #FeesMustFall reintroduced the concept of decolonisation to all universities’ agenda (Hamilton 2016)
Academic staff within the project management discipline still struggle with this concept and with the extent to which the curriculum must change to accommodate decolonisation
Western management philosophy in project management is evident in formal standards and practices such as Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Association for Project Management Body of Knowledge (APMBOK) and PRojects IN Controlled Environments 2 (PRINCE2) (Association for Project Management 2012; Office of Government Commerce 2009; Project Management Institute 2013)

Summary

Introduction

The social media movement in South Africa called #FeesMustFall reintroduced the concept of decolonisation to all universities’ agenda (Hamilton 2016). Literature on decolonisation focuses either on decolonisation as a concept or on the humanities (Pillay 2015; Tuck & Yang 2012) This narrow focus creates a challenge for academic staff within the project management discipline as they do not have any theory to draw upon. Western management philosophy in project management is evident in formal standards and practices such as Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Association for Project Management Body of Knowledge (APMBOK) and PRojects IN Controlled Environments 2 (PRINCE2) (Association for Project Management 2012; Office of Government Commerce 2009; Project Management Institute 2013) This raises the question whether African and for that matter other non-Western philosophies can be introduced into the project management discipline. Project managers can draw from a wealth of knowledge when these two seemingly contradicting management philosophies are infused into each other

Literature review

Control stakeholder engagement

Findings

Conclusion