Africa Business Research as a Laboratory for Theory-Building: Extreme Conditions, New Phenomena, and Alternative Paradigms of Social Relationships

Abstract

Abstract:Africa is an increasingly important business context, yet we still know very little about it. We review the challenges and opportunities that firms in Africa face and propose that these can serve as the basis for extending current theories and models of the firm. We do so by challenging some of the implicit assumptions and stereotypes on firms in Africa and proposing three avenues for extending theories. One is taking the extreme conditions of some Africa countries and using them as a laboratory for modifying current theories and models of the firm, as we illustrate in the case of institutional theory and the resource-based view. A second one is identifying new themes that arise from analyzing firms in Africa and their contexts of operation, and we discuss four themes: migrating multinationals and the meaning of home country, diaspora networks within and across countries, a recasting of cultural and institutional distance, and new hybrid organizational forms. A third one is developing new theories based on alternative paradigms of social relationships that have emerged in Africa that differ from those underpinning existing theories of the firm, such as kgotla and its view of community-based relationships or ubuntu and its humanizing view of relationships.

Human stickiness as a counterforce to brain drain: Purpose-driven behaviour among Tanzanian medical doctors and implications for policy

“…Consequently, the promise of triple win via triangular human talent flow does not materialise, further contributing to extreme conditions in developing countries (cf. Barnard et al, 2017;Tung, 2008). This highlights some of the challenges associated with current policies.…”

“…Kultalahti, Karppi, & Rantala, 2006; see also Hatton & Williamson, 2005), but rarely related purpose-driven individual behaviour to migration, especially that which is faith-based (for an exception, see Marchal & Kegels, 2003). This lacuna applies also to management research more broadly (Anderson, Quinn, & Thakor, 2018;Barnard, Cuervo-Cazurra, & Manning, 2017). We join the stream of research suggesting that migration behaviour is more individually grounded and socio-emotionally constructed than what economic-based explanations suggest (Barnard & Pendock, 2013;Boccagni & Baldassar, 2015).…”

Dekolonisering van die kurrikulum: ʼn Kontekstualisering van Ekonomie- en Besigheidstudie-onderrig

“…Interculturality is an active process of transformation, which identifies the integrated relationships between persons or social groups of diverse worldviews and cultures. Selecting relevant EBST resource material is important, such as use of African case studies and the encouragement of Afrocentric innovations (Barnard et al 2017). For years, the most accessible and dominant resources for EBST have been from a Western and/or Eurocentric worldview from which narratives revolve around a masculine, white, and liberal view of reality (Maistry & David 2018).…”

“…ʼn Belangrike hulpbron in EBSO is die gebruik van gevallestudies. Van die mees toegank like en dominante hulpbronne vir EBSO is egter gefokus op Westerse besigheidsopvoeding en wat dikwels teenstrydig is met die inheemse kennisstelsels in Afrika (Barnard et al 2017;Maistry & David 2018). Afrika-gevallestudies kan studente in staat stel om sin te maak van wat op die vasteland van Afrika gebeur (Barnard et al 2017).…”

“…Van die mees toegank like en dominante hulpbronne vir EBSO is egter gefokus op Westerse besigheidsopvoeding en wat dikwels teenstrydig is met die inheemse kennisstelsels in Afrika (Barnard et al 2017;Maistry & David 2018). Afrika-gevallestudies kan studente in staat stel om sin te maak van wat op die vasteland van Afrika gebeur (Barnard et al 2017). Die UK en Wits Business School Case Centre 3 is voorbeelde van instellings wat begin het om ʼn groot korpus Afrikagefokusde sakemateriaal op die vasteland te skep, asook ʼn biblioteek met hulpbronne wat fokus op ontluikende-markbesighede en sosiale innovasie.…”