Decision-making
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Management Workshop in Cape Town April 2004

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'Management and Change in Africa'

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Themes in Management and Change in Africa

Decision-making and Access to Decision Processes

Developing real and effective internal means for incorporating the perceptions, expectations, strengths and interests of stakeholders and different cultural and gender groups into the decision-making process and the management of change, through active participation.

In a study of 199 South African organisations Viljoen (1987) found the following dominant management styles:  46 per cent autocratic; 33 per cent collaborative; and 12 per cent participative. In another study Hofmeyr (1998) found that South African organizations were generally over-managed and under-led: management styles were often seen as rigid, bureaucratic, directive and task-oriented, and sometimes decision making was over-centralized; and, leadership aspects such as direction, vision and effectiveness were often seen as lacking. From the available literature this seems to be repeated in sub-Saharan countries generally (Blunt and Jones, 1992). Yet this may be more reflective of a post-colonial management system, rather than anything that is indigenous to Africa.

With the influence of democratic processes, western approaches to management (see post-instrumental management systems), and perhaps even African approaches (see African Renaissance management systems), organizations may well be looking towards more involvement of its people in decision process.

Yet only lip-service may be being paid to participative management in organizations. Often downsizing and delayering leads to ‘empowerment’ of managers and staff at lower levels of the organization than was previously required. This may well lead to the impression of participative management. Yet participative management may only arise through the active empowerment of the diverse interest groups in African countries. For example, in South Africa, in which country the statistics are available, with more than 79 per cent of the management population white, and over 78 per cent of all managers being male (Breakwater Monitor, 2000) full participation in decision-making of all members of the stakeholder populations of organizations may be some way off.

In African societies, as in many communalistic societies, the barriers between community life and organizational life must be broken down in order to provide a context for commitment and motivation of the workforce. This may go hand in hand with bringing in a form of participation that involves stakeholder interests from the community and within the organization (many organization are starting to do this, and we will be providing links from this page to specific case studies in due course). Hence, it is likely also that organizations will have to: Next

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AfricaManagement.org © Terence Jackson 2002