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The Project in A Nutshell
Rationale
The project arose because of a growing interest in a
neglected area, on the one hand, and a lack of systematic empirical study and
information on the other. It recognizes that there are multiple stakeholders
(including the main target audiences: world development community; global
management community; management community in Africa) with different interests,
and standing in different power relations with each other. Also,
structural/economic ‘solutions’ applied to the ‘African situation’ have
failed, and attempts to transpose western approaches to management also appear
to have been inappropriate.
Re-conceptualising Africa: Levels of Cultural Interaction
The project recognizes a conceptual failure in terms of the developing-developed
world paradigm, implicit in much work on management in Sub-Saharan Africa, but
pejorative and obstructive to research. Rather, the project applies a
cross-cultural methodology in recognition of the reality of African countries
that are multicultural at different levels: intercontinental, cross-border or
intra-regional, and inter-ethnic.
Intercontinental Interactions and Systems of Management
At the intercontinental level there are both historical and
current interactions between western and African approaches. These give rise to
different combinations of management systems (post-colonial – often
identified with ‘African’ management in the literature and treated
derogatively; post-instrumental – from modern western approaches; and African
Renaissance – an emerging, ideal type, which provides a view of what
Africa can offer global management generally).
Cultural Crossvergence and Hybridization
Modern cross-cultural theory is built on a concept of
crossvergence of cultures. In Africa (as probably across the globe) this leads
to different hybrid management systems: some are highly adaptive to the context;
some are mal-adaptive. Often the nature of cross-cultural hybridization is
dependent on power relations within the interaction. Cross-cultural analysis at
inter-continental level focuses on the appropriateness of management systems.
Cross-border Interactions: Developing Regional Cooperation
Regional cooperation is developing in importance in Africa,
and the ability to manage across borders is important. Cross-cultural analysis
at this level is therefore seen as feeding into management development efforts.
Inter-ethnic Differences: Managing Synergies
African countries are multi-ethnic. Management in
organizations therefore has not only to resolve conflicts in the workplace, but
also to develop synergies from this multiculturalism to be effective.
Cross-cultural analysis at this level is rare, and difficult, but forms an
integral part of the project.
Cross-cultural Methodology
The project’s cross-cultural methodology is based on
multi-method, multi-level empirical research; working with partners throughout
sub-Saharan Africa. A broad survey of managers across countries was first
necessary (an initial target of 21 Anglophone, Francophone and Lusaphone
countries). This is providing comparison of ‘cultural manifestations’ in
management and organizational characteristics among the countries, and within
countries among ethnic groups. Organizational surveys have been initiated,
currently in South Africa (10 organizations), Kenya (10 organizations) and
Nigeria (15 organization); and next year in Cameroon and one other francophone
country. This involves using an extended management questionnaire, an employee
questionnaire, and interviewing key managers in each organization. This is
designed to provide information on hybridization, and its successes and failures
from the perceptions of different ethnic, work and gender groups. Organizations
are selected to provide a spread across sectors. Management workshops will be
organized as focus groups to further discuss the resulting information and to
refine our analysis.
Outcomes
1. The project will provide comparative data among
sub-Saharan African countries. This will inform the management and
organizational development initiatives of organizations, particularly
organizations developing regional and pan-African cooperation.
2. It will provide identification and analysis of the
management systems in a process of hybridization, and success and failures of
such systems. This will inform the organizational development process through
assessing the appropriateness of management systems in African contexts. The
success of such efforts are likely to be dependent on the identification of
different stakeholder perceptions and their incorporation into a process that is
inclusive of such stakeholders. The analysis of power relations within
cross-cultural interaction is a prerequisite to this.
3. It will provide analysis of inter-ethnic perceptions of
management practices and cultural expectation, to facilitate the management and
development of inter-ethnic synergies in effective cross-cultural management.
Future Work
This is necessarily a broad project at this stage. It is
currently funded by Danida, and Institut Vital Roux (Paris Chamber of Commerce).
Further work will focus on particular key sectors: the appropriateness of
management in public sector reform; and, developing effective management in the
health care sector.
Further Details
Terence Jackson, Professor and Director, Centre for
Cross-cultural Management Research, ESCP-EAP European School of Management, 12
Merton Street, Oxford, OX1 4JH, England. Tel. +44 1865 263212, Fax. +44 1865
251960, Email. tjackson@africamanagement.org
AfricaManagement.org © Terence Jackson 2002
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