The dynamics of managing people in the diverse cultural and institutional context of Africa

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to introduce the special issue which considers some of the contemporary debates in managing people in Africa. Design/methodology/approachThe papers that constitute this special issue were selected from submissions to various events hosted by the Africa Research Group, a community of scholars committed to researching Africa, and from a more general call for submissions. FindingsThe papers highlight the changing picture of the African organisational landscape and provide both theoretical and empirical insights about the opportunities and challenges of managing people in a culturally complex continent. Originality/valueTaken together, the papers make an important contribution by engaging current debates and demonstrating potential new areas for further research.

International human resource management in the Arab Gulf States – an institutional perspective

“…In the same baseline, Scott (1995) defined institutions as regulative, normative and cognitive structures and activities that provide stability and meaning to social behaviour. In this view, MNEs try to achieve legitimacy and consistency in their HRM practices to suit the local cultural, societal and legislative environment and at the same time attain goals in the host countries (Kamoche, Siebers, Mamman and Newenham-Kahindi, 2015).…”

Developing human capital in Africa: carving a role for human resource professionals and practitioners

“…For example, foreign direct investment (FDI) into Africa grew from US$18 billion in 2005 to US$66.5 billion in 2015 (Africa Investment Report 2016). However, observers view the low level of Africa's human capital (Asiedu, 2004;Lumbila, 2005), its institutional weaknesses, and its ineffective organizations (Pedersen & McCormick, 1999;Renard, 2011;Schiere, 2011) as inhibiting the continent from realising its potential, yet, Africa's potential is now widely acknowledged (for example Kamoche, Siebers, Mamman & Newenham-Kahindi, 2015).…”

Guest editorial

“…In this connection, the Indian diaspora plays an important role in the global economy, being the main participants in the Silicon Valley and has begun to take on key leadership roles in some of the world's largest organizations as evidenced by the elevation of Sundar Pichai of Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Indra Nooyi of Pepsico among countless others. The government of India is also now actively targeting the Indian diaspora to participate in the Indian growth story by holding events such as “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas” (http://pbdindia.gov.in/), Not only is India becoming a magnet for inward FDI but it is also becoming a major investing country in less-developed countries in Asia and Africa (Kamoche et al , 2015), as well as an emerging investor in developed countries (Cooke et al , 2014), with major acquisitions in the automobile and steel industries by corporations in India.…”