Tribe and village in African organizations and business
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show that organizational behaviour and business relations in African countries reflect preindustrial social norms typical of kinship based, rural communities such as in-group/out-group differentiation, reliance on kinship and the use of gift-exchange to create and strengthen social bonds.
Design/methodology/approach
Two books on African management are interpreted using anthropological and sociological theory as the analytical perspective.
Findings
The analysis of the two works suggests that the preindustrial patterns described in the anthropological literature play a central role in African management and business.
Practical implications
The paper concludes that manager should recognize the negative effects that may follow from a rejection of these socio-cultural patterns of behaviour.
Originality/value
It introduces Marshall Sahlins’ theory of social distance and reciprocity showing how this theory explains behaviours in and between African organizations.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this paper was presented at The Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2012.
Citation
Kragh, S.U. (2016), "Tribe and village in African organizations and business", Personnel Review, Vol. 45 No. 1, pp. 51-66. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2012-0140
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited