Abstract
PurposeThis article empirically assesses the extent to which factors rooted in the cultural and institutional framework in sub-Saharan African organisational contexts challenge and resist the penetration of global practices and how these dynamics impact on human resource management (HRM). This article examines whether universalistic perspectives are significant for African HRM. The article discusses the tensions between the contributions derived from local and historical factors and that of other environmental agents to African HRM practice.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a survey among 100 practising African HRM executives representing significant organisations in sub-Saharan Africa.FindingsThe main findings established that in spite of westernisation and globalising trends in learning and development in Africa, human resource practices are still profoundly embedded in the African cultural fabric. Significant elements of cultures in sub-Saharan Africa pervade organisational processes; such aspects include collectivism and paternalism, which persistently resist change. The article, however, concludes that the resisting parts of sub-Saharan African cultures which are viewed as counterproductive can have positive resonance if constructively deployed.Originality/valueThis article contributes to African HRM literature, a significantly under-researched field. The paper provides an opportunity for African HR managers to be more pragmatic in identifying the contextual issues and aspects of African culture that could be value-adding in a fast-changing managerial field. The findings demonstrate that human resource strategies and policies have specific cultural orientations and reflect the societal predispositions of a particular collectivity; this epitomizes the intertwining of cultural paradigms, political spheres and organisational life in sub-Saharan Africa.
Highlights
It is well documented that African human resource management (HRM) is a generally under-researched (Ngongalah, Emerson, Rawlings & Muleme, 2018; Abdul-Kahar & Sulaiman, 2017; Kamoche et al, 2012)
Rawlings & Muleme, 2018; Abdul-Kahar & Sulaiman, 2017; Kamoche et al, 2012). This makes the evaluation of African HRM practices very difficult owing to this deficiency of an literature and to the socio-cultural and political intricacies (Mamman et al, 2018; Iguisi, 2014)
2014; Mamman, Kamoche, Zakaria & Agbedi, 2018). The corroboration of this can be seen through the opinions of the African HRM managers who accept that the organisation pp is an extension of the family
Summary
It is well documented that African HRM is a generally under-researched (Ngongalah, Emerson, Rawlings & Muleme, 2018; Abdul-Kahar & Sulaiman, 2017; Kamoche et al, 2012). This makes the evaluation of African HRM practices very difficult owing to this deficiency of an literature and to the socio-cultural and political intricacies (Mamman et al, 2018; Iguisi, 2014). The last two decades have witnessed many countries transforming their economies into substantial contributors to the globalising economy African countries such Nigeria, Ethiopia t and Kenya, etc.
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