Getting involved
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Aloe - A hybrid that is highly adaptive to its African environment Afriland First Bank - Creating a class of entrepreneurs in Africa A tree of the savanah - providing shade and a place to discuss Offices of the Social Insurance Department in Yaonde, Cameroon - providing innovating ways to meet the needs of clients Victoria Hospital in the old Transkei, South Africa - providing essential services The Giraffe - rising above the challenges of the African landscape

How can you get involved?

Why the project?
There is a lack of information and knowledge about managing organizations in Africa. Current textbooks are based on American and Western theory. We are learning more and more about other parts of the World such as Japan. Yet we have no theory or evidence about what is appropriate and what works well in Africa, and what is not appropriate.

What are we doing?
We are doing two main things: (1) a study in breadth across a target of 21 countries using a management questionnaire that asks managers from different cultural backgrounds to give their views on management in their organization, the way this is changing, and the desirability of this change; and, (2) a study in depth, currently in South Africa, Kenya, Cameroon and Nigeria, which focuses on specific organizations across a range of sectors. We use a management and an employee questionnaire. We interview at least six key managers and collect policy and other documentation where this is available. This enables use to construct in-depth case studies as well as develop comparative information within and across sectors, and across countries.

If you are a researcher or academic
You may like to become a member of the international research team. This may involve collecting data in your country, and contributing to developing theory, publication, and to development activities at a later stage. Please contact tjackson@africanmanagement.org

If you are a manager
If your organization is prepared to participate, we will ask questions on: operating constraints and opportunities; strategic directions; operating culture; internal climate; management motivation and reward systems; management development needs; organizational change; and, intercultural relations. This is all confidential. We won’t use names of individuals or organizations without express permission.

What does your organization get out of it?
As a corporate participant in this major international project you will have access to our results in a form that will help your management and organizational development processes. You will get a report on your organization. If you wish we will facilitate a management workshop to discuss the results. We are funded. The whole process will only cost your time. When we produce textbooks and education and training material resulting from this, you will receive copies.

More information

You can find more detailed information on the project here: More information

What do you need to do now?

Get in touch with us:

Terence Jackson, Professor and Director, Centre for Cross-cultural Management Research, ESCP-EAP European School of Management, Oxford, England. Tel. +44 1865 263212, Fax. +44 1865 251960, Email. tjackson@africamanagement.org