Written by Bruce MacDonald | From BDlive

While it would be dangerous to generalize in terms of trying to imagine one type of African management style, there are some common elements that are different from the rest of the world.

For starters, African managers need to be flexible and have above-average cultural sensitivity.

This is partly because of the incredible diversity on the African continent.

For instance, SA has 11 official languages and 13 main cultural groups, while Kenya has 13 cultural groups and Nigeria has more than 380 tribal groups.

Many African languages are tonal and therefore the same word with the same spelling can mean two different things.

Showing respect and a willingness to learn about local culture and languages is a must for anyone wanting to operate in any country, not just in African countries, say business experts.

But in Africa, one also has to consider the burden of histories marked by colonialism and imperialism — which were characterised by foreign powers imposing rules and regulations on local cultures.

Lwandile Qokweni, development director for media agency Carat, says a new generation of managers is emerging that fits this bill.

“The biggest change agent in Africa today is the emergence of a group of African professionals determined to solve Africa’s problems with African solutions,” Qokweni says.

“These dynamic young entrepreneurs are aware of Africa’s past mistakes and have an internal drive to change and be counted. They are rapidly emerging as the future leaders who are ushering in a new age for Africa.”

This suggests another dimension to the role of the African manager — a subtle but palpable resistance to Western-style business practices and organisational cultures, which are sometimes imposed unilaterally on African businesses in the mistaken belief that they will work better or produce better results.

African managers also need a fair degree of resilience. In an article published in the African Journal of Business Management, George Tasie of the School of Business and Entrepreneurship at the American University of Nigeria says: “The average executive in Africa works 45 hours a week and faces increased complexities posed by globalisation, domestic competition, government regulation and shareholder pressure.

“The task is further complicated by rapid change, inadvertent disruption as well as minor and major crises such as the current economic, financial and political crises in Africa.”

Tasie says that despite the availability of capable and educated people, many African organisations are hampered by conflicts and unhealthy politics, which undermine team spirit and innovation.

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