Western Management Theories Research Articles

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.

Bridging Western management theories and Japanese management practices: case of the Toyota Way model

Subject area Manufacturing, Western management theories and Japanese management practices. Student level/applicability This case can be used in project management or management-related courses at tertiary institutions at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level. Case overview This case provides students with an opportunity to find out what make Toyota so successful in manufacturing through its famous production system as well as the underlying Toyota Way principles. All students are expected to understand the Toyota Way model with a balanced view that goes beyond a set of lean tools such as just-in-time. This case opens a historical account for the Toyota Way model by connecting with possible Western management theories and Japanese management practices. Expected learning outcomes It is expected to significantly benefit students with industry experience with the intention of initiating appropriate changes in their own industry and/or organization by applying what they have learnt from the Toyota Way, through bridging with Western management theories. Supplementary materials Teaching notes.

Fukuyama's End Of History Thesis: Are Western Marketing Theories The End Point Of Marketing Theory Evolution?

This paper is an exploratory literature review of western management and marketing philosophies which are increasingly dominating the theory and practice across the world. Applying Fukuyama’s argument that western liberal democracy is the end point of political history to management and marketing philosophies, this paper examines whether western marketing and management theories are the final outcome of marketing and management evolution that can be universally accepted and practiced. A review of the current literature relating to the globalization debate suggests that globalization recognizes both the differences and the similarities in countries that should be taken into account in appropriately approaching business across borders. Since developing countries have differing socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, this reality provides a justification for investigating whether western marketing and management philosophies are deemed appropriate in the context of developing countries. An examination of the trends in developing countries, such as India and China, in the development and application of indigenous management theories provides a basis for arguing that western marketing and management philosophies may not be the final point of marketing and management evolution in some developing countries. Several research questions are raised in this paper for further exploration and it aims to stimulate debate on the current state of marketing theory evolution.

The Challenges of Evolving and Developing Management Indigenous Theories and Practices in Africa

The evolution and development of indigenous management theories and practices in Africa has been seriously affected and retarded by colonialism. The colonial administration introduced western management theories and practices, considered as the drivers and the panacea for the continent’s socio-politico-economic development. Western scholarship and literature generally devalued and deprecated the astonishing management prowess and practices of early African civilizations, as evidenced, for example, in the building of the great Egyptian pyramids. These foreign management systems generally failed to achieve the expected goals as they discountenanced African cultural inertia and social milieu. The paper argued for the development of indigenous African management philosophy, which will be rooted in the African culture, value system and beliefs, to provide the practical way for the efficient and effective running of organizations in Africa, with its global competitiveness. The Ubuntu management system and the “new management techniques”, which emphasize humanness, communalism and African patriotism, provide the veritable starting point for the development of indigenous African management philosophy.

Conceptual determinants of construction project management competence: A Chinese perspective

In recent years Western project management theories and practices have become increasingly recognized and dispersed in China, particularly in construction-related work. The assessment and development of project management competence in China are driven by attempts to follow the Western standards-based competence certification programmes. Yet little is known about whether and how the predefined set of knowledge embodied in the Western standards are used by Chinese project managers in their workplace. In this paper we report an empirical exploration of Chinese construction project managers’ ways of conceiving and accomplishing their work. We replicate in the Chinese context the previous UK-based phenomenographic study of construction project management competence, which revealed three different conceptions arranged in a hierarchy of performance. The results of this China-based study confirm the conceptual determinants of construction project management competence first revealed in the UK, and provide practical implications for effective training and professional certification of project management competence in China. Meanwhile, the replication of the phenomenographic approach to understanding project management competence in China enhances the cross-cultural validity of the approach and highlights its potential for explorative management research.

Transfer of Taylorist ideas to China, 1910‐1930s

PurposeManagement is a “hot field” in China, yet little has been written in English about the history of management in China. Contrary to contemporary management literature, the paper aims to show that Chinese entrepreneurs and managers were exposed to modern management ideas from the early twentieth century. The paper is an initial exploration of the transfer of managerial knowledge to China, especially Scientific Management, during the interwar period.Design/methodology/approachDraws on Chinese journal articles and books from 1910‐1930s, supplemented with archive materials and secondary sources in Chinese and English.FindingsChinese industrialists, officials and academics were attracted to Taylor's ideas of scientific management during the 1920s and 1930s, which were experimented with on a wider scale than is commonly realized. The interest in “new” management extended beyond industrialists and industry officials to reportage in the popular press.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should consider first how new ideas about management and organization were implemented on the shopfloor in individual Chinese enterprises, and second examine the role of social networks constituted by native place, industry ties and professional association membership in the diffusion of managerial ideas among the Chinese business elite of the period.Originality/valueThe paper shows that the transfer to China of modern management as an ideas system was not a recent phenomenon, but part of a century‐long process of transfer and adaptation of western management theory and practice.

A managerial and personal control model: predictions of work alienation and organizational commitment in Hungary

Abstract This article examines the influence of managerial and personal control upon work-related alienation and organizational commitment in the Eastern-European nation of Hungary. The research identifies the extent to which Western management theory and practices are relevant to transitional economic nations such as Hungary. We chose leadership and job characteristics as managerial control mechanisms and locus of control as a personal mechanism of control. These categories of control variables have well-established associations to attitudes and behaviors in the Western management literature, but limited evidence has been generated in Hungary. A survey among 395 Hungarian workers in five companies found that leadership, job characteristics, and individual locus of control explained work-related alienation but did not explain organizational commitment. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

East European Managers and Western management theories: an ethnographic approach of Romanian service sector enterprises

East European Managers and Western management theories: an ethnographic approach of Romanian service sector enterprises

Developing management systems for emerging countries

Application of Western management theories in different contexts has been questioned for several decades. However, there is still no well-defined theoretical framework for understanding management systems in non-industrialized countries. This article provides some guidelines to develop these frameworks by elaborating some of the major characteristics of strategies, structures, decision-makings and management systems in Developing Countries (DC). The analysis showed evidence that the complexity of national environmental forces of DCs has made the application of Western management theories more problematic in these countries. The article concludes that global business firms should realize that it is time to stop transferring these management systems to DCs and trying to adapt their organizations to these systems and that a clinical type of approach may be more effective.

Asian management style versus Western management theories – A Singapore case study in construction project management

The Asian financial crisis snowballed in July 1997 following the devaluation of the Thai baht. This triggered off a chain reaction which led to similar crises in many countries in Asia, including Singapore. One of the arguments put forward to explain the financial crisis in Asia relates to the Asian style of management, which purportedly includes kinsmanship and guanxi or family connections. But is this really the case? Is the Asian management style significantly different from the Western style of management? It is shown that the style of management in Asian countries can also be explained and described using contemporary management theories from the West. This is achieved through a case study in construction project management for a typical family‐run building firm in Singapore. Field observations on the construction site suggest that the style of management in Asia can be related to modern management theories from the West.

Asian management style versus western management theories: a case study in construction project management

The Asian financial crisis snowballed in July 1997 following the devaluation of the Thai Baht. This triggered off a chain reaction which led to similar crises in many countries in Asia, including Singapore. One of the arguments that has been put forward to explain the financial crisis in Asia relates to the Asian style of management, which purportedly includes kinsmanship and guanxi or family connections. This paper seeks to discover whether the Asian management style is significantly different from the western style of management. This is achieved through a case study in construction project management for a typical family‐run building firm in Singapore. Field observations on the construction site suggest that the style of management in Asia can be related to modern management theories from the West.

Reconciling Western management ideas with far Eastern realities

Various writers have tried to force-fit Western management theories to South-east Asian businesses. Some rail against the lack of focus and suggest there is a need for Chinese entrepreneurs to concentrate on core competencies and to break up their conglomerates. Other authors recognise the differences in Asia, especially the need to understand the importance of the family, government and other networks and to appreciate the role which conglomerates play where ‘Western type’ financial markets and other financial institutions are weak. The author argues that there are differences in Asia. These are partly cultural and partly due to the stage in development of the region. However, as we see more globalisation, the breakdown of protective trade barriers and the acceptance by Asian conglomerates of outside capital to support their growth, there will be changes. There will be pressure towards more disclosure and more responsible corporate governance. The article describes ‘The Constitutional Triangle’, a practical approach which can help Western managers to reconcile the Anglo-Saxon shareholder value approach with ASEAN values and customs.

The Internationalization Process of Singapore Government-Linked Companies: A Contextual View

Western management theories on internationalization do not fully explain the evolution of Asian MNCs. In East Asia, state policy has been an important intervening variable in the growth and development of the local MNCs. However, the patterns of firm growth differ from country to country and the strategic frames are embedded in the local political and cultural context. The internationalization strategies adopted by firms in East Asia are best understood if viewed from a contextual perspective.

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ALIGNING MANAGERIAL BEHAVIORS WITH CULTURAL WORK VALUES

Attempts to transfer Western management theories without considering the host's cultural value system is a prescription for failure. While conceptual frameworks for understanding cultural differences exist, such as the ones developed by Hofstede and Hall, we know little about which managerial practices are relevant in what cultural settings. Adopting the view that the effectiveness of different management behaviors depends on the culture in which they are practiced, this paper develops various propositions that match specific managerial behaviors with cultural work values. The matching of managerial behaviors with cultural values has a wide range of applications in overseas selection decisions and training programs.

The Hegemony of Western Business Management Literature in Non-Western Settings

SUMMARY This paper addresses the pedagogical issue of the relevance of Western Management literature to non-Western management students. A model of organisational life is presented. Culture is a lens through which organisational learning is filtered. Western literature reflects the Western lens. However, students from non-Western countries will interpret organisational life through their societal/ cultural lens. Or is this just a series of “logical assertions?” A study in Hong Kong, and a series of “tests” found that the home culture is alive and well, even in students who profess to be Westernised. In a learning world where almost anything offered by the “teacher” is perceived as erudite and appropriate, management lecturers have an added responsibility. This is to relate Western management theory and practices to the cultural framework of students.

Management Education and Training Strategies in The People's Republic of China: An Overview

This paper looks at management education and training in the People's Republic of China, in relation to the broader issues of modernisation, cross-cultural knowledge transfer, and skills-development. It examines the infra-structure of such training and focuses specifically on the adoption of Western management theory and practices in a selected number of University Management Schools and Senior Executive Training Centres.

Experiences in Training Chinese Business People To Use U.S. Management Techniques

This article presents a training program developed in Beijing (Peking) China. In discussing this program, the authors highlight student actions in behavioral exercises and reactions to Western management theories. Explanations of these actions and reactions point to a combination of influences on modern Chinese organizational behavior. The authors found that traditional Chinese culture and modern socialist development have merged to produce unique forms of modern behavior.