Western Management Practices Research Articles

Adapting Western management practices: the rationalization and Taylorization of Turkish state monopolies in early republican Turkey (1933–1950)

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the introduction of rationalist concepts through Taylorization to Turkey during the early republican era, using Wallace Clark’s case of the Turkish State Monopolies.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a historical narrative approach to explore the roles of foreign experts in the transfer of rationalist and Taylorist ideas to Turkish State Monopolies (Inhisarlar Idaresi).FindingsThis study illuminates the introduction and adoption of Taylorist principles in early republican Turkey through multiple lenses. First, it underscores the era’s fervent drive for rapid modernization, rooted in emulation of Western models perceived as progressive. Second, using a historical narrative approach, this research highlights the pivotal role of foreign expertise in catalyzing and formalizing rationalization efforts.Originality/valueThis study makes a unique and meaningful contribution to the history of management in terms of demonstrating the international influence of the Scientific Management Movement through the neglected case of Turkey.

Ethnoecological perspectives on environmental stewardship: Tenets and basis of reciprocity in Gitxsan and nłeʔkepmx (Nlaka'pamux) Territories

Abstract Local and Indigenous Peoples steward and protect a significant proportion of biologically diverse ecosystems globally. This fact is increasingly acknowledged by researchers and international organizations, offering both opportunities and challenges at the intersection of Indigenous and western knowledge production in the context of environmental management research and policy. Drawing on half a century of ethnoecological research and personal experiences in Gitxsan and nłeʔkepmx Territories in the Pacific Northwest of North America, this research considers the role of reciprocity as an inherent philosophy and tenet for successful environmental stewardship. Reciprocity is a legal responsibility and moral perspective that foregrounds many Indigenous worldviews. Such cultural drivers and obligations towards lands and biota appear to be unknown, marginalized or instrumentalized in mainstream and western science and policy. We conclude that fundamental elements of reciprocity may not be adequately blended or braided into western environmental management frameworks. As such, alternatives to blending include acknowledging sole proprietary and self‐determining rights for Indigenous Peoples to govern and steward lands outside of western infrastructures and value systems. This study raises critical questions about the feasibility of reconciling reciprocity with western environmental management practices and regulations. It explores the implications for Indigenous rights and sovereignty, and climate change mitigation. By addressing these complex issues, we contribute to ongoing discourse on the integration of Indigenous and western knowledge in environmental stewardship research, and the ethical, historical and cultural challenges that come with it. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Cross‐cultural experiences and self‐protective leadership: A multi‐country comparison of managerial perception

AbstractIn this study, we examine the effect of cross‐cultural experiences on perceptions of the effectiveness of self‐protective leadership (SPL). We use survey data from 15 non‐western countries collected in the second wave of the GLOBE leadership project to analyze the relationship between the global experiences of non‐western managers and the leadership schemas they hold. We examined three types of global experience – working in a multinational corporation, being trained in western management practices (WMP), and living abroad – and the leadership schema of self‐protective leadership (SPL). These results show that prior work experience in a multinational company and receiving training in WMP are associated with more negative perceptions of SPL, whereas having lived abroad has a more complex relationship with SPL. These results provide empirical evidence for the link between global experiences and cognitive schemas about leadership. Non‐western managers with international work experience and training hold SPL schemas that are significantly different from the SPL schemas of their peers with no such experience. Further, consistent with Implicit Leadership Theory (ILT) and recent research that links leadership effectiveness to expectations about behaviors associated with gender stereotypes, we find that SPL, a leadership style that encompasses behaviors that are traditionally associated with a male stereotype (conflict inducement, procedure orientation, status enhancement), is viewed more negatively by female managers compared to their male counterparts. Practical implications of our findings are provided.

УДОСКОНАЛЕННЯ СИСТЕМИ СТРАТЕГІЧНОГО УПРАВЛІННЯ ПЕРСОНАЛОМ НА БУДІВЕЛЬНОМУ ПІДПРИЄМСТВІ

In the modern world, personnel management plays a very important role in the development of society, since the management of the organization as a whole depends on the correct approach to management. With the help of staff, managers achieve their goals and objectives, using the work, intelligence and motives of other people's behavior. Personnel management is decisive in the efficiency of economic activity in the labor market. The competitiveness of the enterprise is always related to the people who work at the enterprise. The problem of personnel management of enterprises has always had a significant and urgent importance both among researchers-scientists and among managers-practitioners. Such popularity is due to the importance, first of all, of personnel in the activities of any business entity. In addition, the theory and practice of management is undergoing significant changes both under the influence of external challenges – the pandemic, digitalization, the emergence of artificial intelligence, and as a result of significant disparities between the achievements of Western researchers and management practices in international companies and the realities of management systems of domestic enterprises. This requires research and implementation of best practices and personnel management tools in the activities of domestic construction enterprises. The construction industry has a steady tendency to increase the need for qualified personnel. Yes, the last 20 years have been characterized by a change in the personnel structure at enterprises. Under today's conditions, under the influence of scientific and technical development due to the increase in the level of equipment with computerized production machines and lines, automation of logistics and production complexes, which require employees to have developed skills and abilities. Construction, in all its "sections", is a direct reflection of the state and level of development of the economy of any state. This sphere of management characterizes the nation's culture and aspirations for economic growth. Qualitative and quantitative indicators of the construction sphere of the state and private sectors of the economy largely depend on the level of qualification of construction personnel and on the technical equipment of its subjects.

National business cultures of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine as a factor of the synthesis of Western and Eastern management styles

In this study, based on the identification of similarity factors of the national business cultures of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine, the hypothesis was formulated and verified concerning the formation of premises for a new management style – Eastern European management as a synthesis of Western and Eastern management. Using the measurement tools of modern economic comparative analysis, an analysis of the business cultures of these countries was conducted. The feature system was built by comparing western and eastern conceptual management approaches and practices. It has been proven that the great proximity (similarity) of the national business cultures of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine creates conditions for optimal combination of the advantages of Western and Eastern management.

Prostate Cancer Disparities and Management in Southern Africa: Insights into Practices, Norms and Values.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of mortality in men of African origin. While men of African descent in high-income countries (HICs) demonstrate poor prognosis compared to their European counterparts, African men on the African continent, particularly Southern Africa have shown even higher PCa mortality rates. Extrinsic factors such as the socioeconomic status, education level, income level, geographic location and race contribute to PCa patient outcome. These are further deepened by the African norms which are highly esteemed and may have detrimental effects on PCa patients' health. Insights into African cultures and social constructs have been identified as key elements towards improving men's health care seeking behaviour which will in turn improve PCa patients' outcome. Compared to Southern Africa, the Eastern, Western and Central African regions have lower PCa incidence rates but higher mortality rates. The availability of cancer medical equipment has also been reported to be disproportionate in Africa, with most cancer resources in Northern and Southern Africa. Even within Southern Africa, cancer management resources are unevenly available where one country must access PCa specialised care in the neighbouring countries. While PCa seems to be better managed in HICs, steps towards effective PCa management are urgently needed in Africa, as this continent represents a significant portion of low-middle-income countries (LMICs). Replacing African men in Africa with African American men may not optimally resolve PCa challenges in Africa. Adopting western PCa management practices can be optimised by integrating improved core-African norms. The aim of this review is to discuss PCa disparities in Africa, deliberate on the significance of integrating African norms around masculinity and discuss challenges and opportunities towards effective PCa care in Africa, particularly in Southern Africa.

The Role of Confucian-Transformational Leadership in Shaping and Influencing Chinese MNEs

The demand to comprehend leadership across the world is becoming necessary and more urgent since the inevitable trend of globalization. In today’s global arena, on the one hand, China has maintained its remarkable economic performance and Chinese culture will have a more powerful influence in the foreseeable future; on the other hand, due to the policy of reform and opening and the economy market, western management theories and practices have flowed into the Chinese market and influencing Chinese companies. Thus Chinese leadership needs to develop more compatible with western leadership, thereby Chinese MNEs become more adaptive and competitive in the current global business environment. Against this background, this paper focuses on Confucian leadership, the most important Chinese leadership shaped by traditional Confucianism for more than 3000 years, and attempts to explore the compatibility of Confucian leadership and transformational leadership. After a thorough case study of Haier Group and its CEO Zhang, Ruimin, the research found that the great success of Haier is due largely to Zhang’s Confucian-transformational leadership, which combines both the wisdom of traditional Chinese Confucianism and the essence of western transformational leadership theory. Therefore, it is demonstrated that Confucian leadership plays a vital role in shaping the management style and performance of Chinese companies, and there can be a high level of compatibility between Confucian leadership and transformational leadership.

Kinship-like Relationship and Organizational Crisis Management Ability Grounded in Chinese Local Culture: The Comprehensive Role of Employees’ Crisis Awareness and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

In the era of self-media and mobile internet, very small incidents may lead to severe public opinion and crisis for organizations. Once the organizational crisis breaks out, its dissemination and destructiveness will bring great harm to the organization and society. Therefore, exploring the impact of kinship-like relationship based on Chinese local culture on the improvement of organizational crisis management ability and its internal mechanism and path can enrich the theoretical research on organizational crisis management in China and guide Chinese organizations to improve their crisis management ability. Compared with the instrumental trade contracts based on the principle of reciprocity in the West, kinship-like relationship rooted in traditional Chinese culture helps to improve organizational crisis management ability. Based on the local culture of China, 1226 sample data are collected from employees of organizations in China, which include employees’ crisis awareness and organizational citizenship behavior. This paper empirically tests the relationship between kinship-like relationship and the improvement of organizational crisis management ability, and analyzes and refines its internal path and mechanism. The results show that: （1） the cultivation of kinship-like exchange relationship contributes to the improvement of organizational crisis management ability, in which employees’ crisis awareness and organizational citizenship behavior play an important role; （2） compared with organizational citizenship behavior, employees’ crisis awareness plays a more significant role between kinship-like relationship and the improvement of organizational crisis management ability, and the kinship-like relationship between employees and organizations enhances organizations’ crisis management ability by enhancing employees’ crisis awareness; （3） kinship-like relationship promotes employees’ organizational citizenship behavior, thereby enhancing employees’ crisis awareness and organizations’ crisis management ability. Based on the above, combined with Chinese traditional culture, this paper puts forward some practical value enlightenment from three aspects: cultivating kinship-like exchange relationship between employees and organizations, stimulating organizational citizenship behavior, and cultivating employees’ sense of hardship. The main contributions of this paper are as follows: （1） Combining with Chinese culture, from the perspective of organizational culture and individual employee, this paper explores the mechanism of kinship-like relationship based on Chinese traditional culture to enhance organizational crisis management ability, so as to enrich the theoretical discussion of localized crisis management of Chinese organizations and enhance the adaptability of Western organizational crisis management theory into Chinese local organizations. （2） This paper combines Chinese local organizations with traditional culture, and embeds employees’ unique psychological, emotional and behavioral characteristics into management practice; it combines Western crisis management theory and practice with Chinese traditional culture, and directs localized management practice with the formation of organizational management situation; it also has practical value in management to improve China’s organizational crisis management and response ability.

Convergence of management practices in India’s IT sector with ana priorivalidation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to document similarities and differences between management practices of different types of organizations in India’s IT sector through an empirical survey. The authors expected these differences to be significant enough for us to be able to groupa priorithis set of companies meaningfully through cluster analysis on the basis of the similarity of their management practices alone.Design/methodology/approachUsing a mixed-methods approach, 73 senior-level executives of companies working in India’s IT sector were approached with a pretested questionnaire to find out differences on eighteen management practices in the areas of operations management, monitoring management, targets management and talent management. The different types of organizations surveyed were small and amp; medium global multinationals, large global multinationals, small and medium Indian multinationals, large Indian multinationals and small and medium local Indian companies. The differences and similarities found through statistical testing were further validateda priorithrough cluster analysis and qualitative interviews with senior-level executives.FindingsThe management practices of multinationals in India are moving toward Western management practices, indicating that management practices converge as the organizations grow in size. Though the practices of large Indian multinationals were not significantly different from those of global multinationals, the surprising finding was that large Indian multinationals scored better than global multinationals on a few practices. The practices of small and medium Indian companies differed significantly from those of other types of organizations and hence they formed a cluster.Practical implicationsThe finding that large Indian IT multinationals have an edge over global multinationals in certain people management practices is a confirmation of the role of human resource practices in their current success and their continuing competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis is perhaps the first study of its kind to document state of specific management practices across different types of organizations in India’s IT sector and then use measures on these practices to group a priori these organizations for validation.

A conceptual review of human resource management research and practice in Taiwan with comparison to select economies in East Asia

Human resources are increasingly crucial to the growing economies of East Asia, which are striving to diversify economically toward higher value-added product-markets to continue their growth. Human resource management (HRM) in Taiwan, based on Confucianism and influenced by Western management research and practice, has been experiencing a major paradigm shift of sorts in recent years. With Taiwan’s rapid economic growth followed by its industrial and institutional transformation, HRM in the region has been developing to cope with the increasingly competitive and fast-changing business world. As such, this study reviews HRM’s development in Taiwan over the recent decades. The reviewed studies were gathered from work published from 1990 to 2016 appearing in the Social Sciences Citation Index or Taiwan Social Sciences Citation Index Chinese journals. A detailed discussion of HRM development in Taiwan is made, along with a summarizing scheme and some comparison to HRM in other select economies in East Asia, including those of Mainland China and Hong Kong which share the same cultural lineage and values.

South–South? Culture Talk and Labour Relations at a Chinese‐owned Factory in Hungary

ABSTRACTIn 2011, a large Hungarian chemical factory was acquired by a Chinese competitor. The resulting encounter between Chinese managers and Hungarian staff — which took place in the context of a harsh retrenchment that has curtailed the powers of organized labour in Hungary — highlights the inadequacy of dichotomies such as North/South, East/West and socialist/capitalist. As with other corporate acquisitions in Europe, Chinese managers expected to ‘learn’ from ‘advanced Western management practices’; instead, they found what they interpreted as a backward, ‘socialist’ work culture in need of modernization. For their part, Hungarian staff feared the imposition of a culturally inappropriate ‘Asian labour discipline’, but have come to see at least some of the changes as part of a necessary modernization. ‘Asian’, ‘European’, ‘Western’ and ‘socialist’ are floating signifiers used by both Chinese and Hungarian staff at the factory in various, often contradictory ways to justify management choices, staff resistance or individual preferences. As a result of their analysis, the authors suggest that discussions about the impact of Chinese investment on labour practices should recognize a wider range of contexts, including the presence of precarious socioeconomic environments within the so‐called ‘advanced economies’.

Indigenous and Western Environmental Resource Management: A Learning Experience with the Laitu Khyeng Indigenous Community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh

Indigenous and Western Environmental Resource Management:A Learning Experience with the Laitu Khyeng Indigenous Community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh Ranjan Datta (bio) and Jebunnessa Chapola (bio) WE EXPLORE THE WAYS Indigenous identity and practice were framed in relation to the politics of environmental resource management.1 We have examined two main questions: (1) How do Indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh view environmental resource management in relation to their own knowledge and practices? (2) And to what degree were governmental and transnational policies constructed within the contested social and ecological landscapes of the CHT? We applied interdisciplinary approaches in order to understand management in its relation to conceptions and practices, such as how to efficiently address Indigenous ecological, economic, and social challenges to those of us who have invoked this environmental resource management term. In accordance with the research questions specified above, this study was guided by the critical concerns of identifying problems of existing environmental management. Our focus related to everyday practices and traditional experiences within Indigenous regions. This study followed a relational research framing with an emphasis on the researcher's relational accountability and obligations to the study participants. We concluded by advocating for the Indigenous practice-based management for its effectiveness in guiding policy makers and researchers to develop robust governance for Indigenous knowledge integration in forest and land management. The level of engagement in environmental management by Indigenous people has strengthened internationally. With an increase in awareness of their rights, their interests, and the value of their Indigenous sustainability, Indigenous people are appealing to offer their insights (Berkes 2004; Escobar 2010; Nadasdy 2011, 2003; Nakanura 2008). Considering environmental management as a component of complex social–ecological system dynamics, recent developments have identified that integrating traditional Indigenous practices, in addition to Western science, can increase system attributes associated with sustainability (Berkes 2004; Folke 2004; Walker and Salt 2006; Chapin III et al. 2010). Studies (Datta 2015; Gupta 2011, 2009; Escobar 2010; [End Page 52] Nadasdy 2011) also recognize that the Western and Indigenous meanings of "management" have fundamentally different perspectives. These interpretations stem from different worldviews with differentiated philosophies, practices, and methods. In many Indigenous communities, Western and Indigenous understandings of management are ontologically contradictory due to differing worldviews. However, some studies recognize the importance of Indigenous knowledge in environmental management with respect to implementing concrete policies at a local level. Currently, Indigenous management knowledge and practices have become an invaluable element of the Western management process (Berkes 2004; Escobar 2008; Gupta 2011; Nadasdy 2011). Amplifying attention on Indigenous practice-based management can provide further holistic understanding, with the potential to provide benefits for both Western and Indigenous sustainable management practices (Reo 2011). Such a shift could reduce misunderstandings regarding Indigenous environmental resource management perspectives, and lead to valuable insights for society at large (Tuck and McKenzie 2015). Throughout this article, we recognize that sustainable management has many dimensions and meanings to the Indigenous community. We explored meanings of management through participatory action research (PAR) with members of the Laitu Khyeng2 Indigenous community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh. This community, isolated at one time yet thriving in its own unique way, is now on the brink of extinction (Adnan and Dastidar 2011).3 Traditionally, the Laitu Khyeng took care when extracting environmental resources, prudent not to destroy the forest, as sustainability of their resources was necessary for their long-term survival in the area (Adnan 2004; Mohsin 2002; Roy 2000). However, according to Adnan (2004), Khyeng land-based rituals, practices, and traditional experiences, as well as the spiritually dominated sociopolitical structure, have been transforming in recent years. These changes, which have been reported in various research studies, are linked to government development projects and forest management policies. This can be interpreted as a part of new land-based processes introduced through the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries during European colonization (Adnan and Dastidar 2011; Mohsin 2002; Roy 2000). Despite the official end of colonization in 1947 across South Asia and in CHT Bangladesh, people have continued to experience threats to their land rights, culture, and spirituality by means of government land management, resettlement, displacement, development projects...

The influence of Gulf States' culture upon workplace behaviour and motivation: a research program

This paper argues for close examination of the relationship between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States' culture and organisational behaviour. Previous research has already identified a current predominance of authoritarian and hierarchical organisational structures, centralised decision making and the influence of in-groups on team work. In essence, it seems that GCC organisations exhibit low adaptability to many organisational practices due to the Western cultural value orientations embedded in those practices. There is a great need for research from which we can develop GCC culturally specific management approaches. The originality of this paper includes its presentation of a research framework designed to provide an emic understanding of why members of GCC culture sometimes resist, and sometimes adopt or adapt, Western management practices.

Transferability of western MNCs human resource management practices: A case study

Transferability of western MNCs human resource management practices: A case study

Exploring Human Resource Management System of Saudi Electricity Company: A Review of Policies for Effective Workforce Management

In this paper, we investigate the current state of human resource management development by conducting a case study of Saudi Electricity Company. Through interviews with HR managers, documentation and archival records examination, we were able to describe and systemize HR policies designed to ensure the well-being of Saudi Electricity Company employees. The findings suggest that Saudi Electricity Company’s level of HRM practice is of appropriate level, with comprehensive medical and social care being provided. Furthermore, the company recognizes good work performed by the employees and rewards them for their loyalty. Through the implementation of the performance management system, the company is able to evaluate the performance of the employees, monitor their progress and offer training and development programs. The value of the conducted case study is that other Saudi Arabian companies can learn and implement similar policies from a successful Saudi Arabian case, instead of blindly copying western management practices.

Business success and corporate culture

Purpose – To describe how Town Star Ltd – a leading company in the coal industry in Shanxi Province in China - combines traditional culture with modern management methods. Design/methodology/approach – Outlines the main strands of traditional Chinese thinking and explains the relevance of Confucianism and Taoist philosophy to organizational performance and culture. Illustrates this with a case study that provides examples of a culture-driven management model. Findings – Chinese civilization stretches back 5,000 years. But when the planned economy gave way to an “open door” policy in 1978, there was a drive for wholesale Westernization. Local enterprises adopted Western management ideas, focusing on profit maximization and quantitative management. Three decades of unprecedented change and rapid economic growth followed, until the world economy suffered a major setback in 2008. China recovered comparatively quickly from the global financial crisis, but the experience raised questions about dependence on Western management practices. Instead of regarding Chinese traditions as backward and antiquated, many people have started to ask what traditional culture can contribute to economic development. Practical implications – Illustrates the ways that a “Yin Yang” approach to human resource management can enhance core competitiveness. Originality/value – Draws attention to opportunities for future research into the ways that indigenous firms are developing in China following the global financial crisis in 2008.

Rethinking Hybridity in Postcolonial Contexts: What Changes and What Persists? The Tunisian case of Poulina’s managers

Drawing on postcolonial studies of management, this article highlights the importance of adopting a contextualized approach to hybridization processes that, first, takes into account the importance of the historical and cultural contexts from which hybridity emerges and, second, helps to identify the elements that change as well as those that persist when western management practices are imported into developing countries. Using a discursive analysis, this article shows the ambivalent nature of the accounts given by managers (trained in western traditions) of the Tunisian company Poulina as they explain how they modernized their company through the implementation of a US management model. The managers’ ambivalence takes on two distinct forms. First, while they seem to have internalized the rhetoric of modernization in insisting on how they used the US management model to overcome the ‘dysfunctional’ family-based organizational system, they simultaneously express resistance by detaching themselves from the French colonial organizational model. Second, when they describe the implementation of the US management practices and how workers resisted them, it seems that they have implicitly negotiated and reinterpreted these practices via a local cultural framework of meaning. Based on these findings, I argue that hybridity is best understood as an interweaving of two elements – the transformation of practices and cultural continuity – in which identity construction, local power dynamics and cultural frameworks of meaning jointly shape the hybridization process of management practices.

Keeping the sparkle on

PurposeThe Indian diamond cutting and polishing (CPD) industry enjoys a global leadership position, but at the same time is vulnerable to economic shifts in the global market. Historically, such shocks have resulted in shake down of the industry, including closures, bankruptcies, job losses and labour unrest. Most recently, the vulnerability was experienced during the economic recession of 2008, which impacted both entrepreneurs and diamond workers alike. The shock elicited different adaptation strategies from individual firms. The paper aims to understand the adaptation strategies of large and formally organized diamond enterprises in Surat, India, with particular reference to “labour hoarding” as a strategy for workforce management.Design/methodology/approachUsing case studies of four large CPD firms, the paper investigates patterns in managerial decision making pertaining to workforce management and adaptation strategies taken during recession. The authors also traced the subject companies' performance post‐recession. The tool used for data collection was semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with entrepreneurs and human resource managers. For additional inputs and triangulation of findings, content analysis of news reports, along with interactions with several knowledgeable persons from both industry and government, were conducted.FindingsThe authors' study of the sample firms neither supports the popular notion of “workforce retention by large diamond enterprises, in spite of recession” nor the generalized statements about “massive lay‐offs by all”, as reported in popular media. The authors found that, due to recessionary pressure, there was a deep managerial dilemma in the companies about how to strike the right trade‐off between workforce retention (labour hoarding) and downsizing. The paper argues that, post‐recession, the companies whose decisions were pro‐labour retention (hoarding) oriented were able to come back in business stronger and perform better.Originality/valueThe diamond industry of India is ethno‐bound in its functioning, where community and regional/linguistic affiliations of both workers and entrepreneurs traditionally played a vital role. Therefore, the employee management practices adopted do not strictly fall within the general realm of western management practices or popular HRM frameworks. The study shows that context‐dependent employee management strategies, suiting the need for maintaining the traditional ethno‐bound values even during recessionary pressure, created long‐term positive effects for the firm.

Philosophy, training and spirituality: a longitudinal, empirical study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze whether Chinese philosophy can have positive results in long‐term training.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examined its effect based on Kirkpatrick's model. The qualitative data were the interviews, observations, and documents from 2004 to 2012. The quantitative data included three questionnaires for the employees and the customers distributed in 2005, 2006, and from 2009 to 2011, with 3,601 valid ones in total.FindingsThe results show that using Chinese philosophy as training content can increase trainees' training motivation. In addition, better training motivation can bring positive reaction, learning, and motivation for transfer. Second, at the individual level, Chinese philosophy can increase the employees' motivation for transfer and workplace spirituality. Third, at the organizational level, it shows an enhancement of service quality (SQ).Practical implicationsFirst, human resource (HR) practices can take the country's cultural features into account and do not necessarily have to adopt Western management theories and practices. Second, the “best practice” can be a useful reference for HR managers in the Chinese organizational context. Finally, the training contents are not necessarily about knowledge or skills. For the service industries with intensive interaction with customers, enhancing work attitude can further increase SQ.Originality/valueFirst, Chinese philosophy involves the concepts of business management. Second, this longitudinal research pointed out that Chinese philosophy can enhance employees' workplace spirituality; and further, it enhanced the SQ. Third, the training evaluation result is more comprehensive for it includes individual level and organizational level.

Rethinking Management in Africa: Beyond Ubuntu

The arrival of colonialism in Africa disrupted the people’s cultural beliefs and traditions and led to the transplant of Western organizational practices and standards into the African context. However, with business leaders being confronted with numerous contemporary challenges, it is almost certain that they require not only generic, but also realistic leadership and management know-how, which the Western paradigms seem not to provide. This paper has four main aims: firstly, to propose a new philosophical rejection for the rationale and institution of Western management theory and practice in Africa; secondly, to provide an approach for appreciating management in Africa through evaluating the role of ubuntu; thirdly, to evaluate the dilemma of ubuntu as an alternative to Western paradigms in Africa; and lastly, to suggest the way forward for management in Africa. Besides these aims, I wish that this paper will initiate true philosophical literature on the subject of management practice and leadership styles in Africa, and serve as a general foundation for a more detailed and specialized philosophical and social study of the subject.