Understanding African perspectives. “An amazing experience almost all western businesses face...
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Transcript of Understanding African perspectives. “An amazing experience almost all western businesses face...
• “An amazing experience almost all western businesses face whenever doing business with Africans is that although they dress and talk as Western people do, they are deeply influenced by their own cultural and traditional values” – Culture Africaine et Gestion de L’enterprise Moderne Marcel Zadi Kessy
OverviewOverview• In global business planning, Africa is the forgotten
continent – Outside South Africa there are few investment opportunities– Subsistence farming is continent’s main source of livelihood
• In the short term, a bleak view prevails– Poverty, illiteracy, disease, political instability, corruption
and tremendous foreign debt– Long term is much brighter as Africa is a major source of
natural resources– Chinese have discovered Africa in a big way!
contcont
• Belief systems– Islamic, Christian and traditional tribal beliefs– Most Africans are caught in a mix of Western
values and tribal loyalties
•Many of the cultures were formed by colonialism, but the cultures correspond to traditional kingdoms
or tribes
VS
Structure
Environment
Time
Action
Space
Communication
Power
Individualism
Thinking
CULTURALCULTURAL
ORIENTATIONORIENTATION
TO 10TO 10
VARIABLESVARIABLES
A Cultural ModelA Cultural Model
3.3.
2.2.1.1.
4.4.
5.5.
6.6.
7.7.
Competitiveness8.8.
9.9.
10.10.
EnvironmentEnvironment
• Dominant mode: constraint, even fatalism
• People see their lives governed by external elements: the climate, foreign governments, internal, often authoritarian governments
• Reasons for this are minimal educational opportunities and infrastructures, dependence on foreign aid
• Change has been mostly externally driven but this is changing as the West leaves Africa to its own devices SO…
Fatalism and the burden Fatalism and the burden of the sacredof the sacred
• In the Western world, the management of a modern enterprise rest mainly on rational considerations – clear standards of performance and productivity
• For many Africans, their progress depends on hidden and mystical forces. Their promotion is a result of the work of a magician or their chief – it is linked with magical powers
• Important decisions can be postponed or rejected as a result of fear or suspicion of hidden revenge that cannot be avoided
• Fatalism is used to explain economic failure of a company instead of checking real factors of inappropriate administration or lack of competition
GuidelinesGuidelines
• Be realistic – don’t raise expectations too high
• Don’t try to force change. Facilitate change by persistence
TimeTime
• In most of Africa, time is fluid, not linear• Relationships are more important than
time lines and schedules• Business is postponed by sitting and
talking until comfort is established and relationship built
• Patience is a survival skill, not just a virtue
Time (cont) - Time (cont) - Elderliness is not a Elderliness is not a
disease, but a wealthdisease, but a wealth
• Time is abundant
• The concept of future is foreign to much African thinking.
• Actual time is the present and the past – time moves backwards, not forwards
• Christianity and Western concepts are changing the concept of time, creating concern for the future, for education and for growth
• SO…
GuidelinesGuidelines
• Don’t show impatience or try to hurry – you may be seen as trying to cheat
• Slow down – don’t fight against local time• Show respect for traditions• Be flexible. Put your watch in your pocket
A patient man will eat ripe fruits.
Time is not money – The African Time is not money – The African hourhour
• In traditional society, time is measured by seasons, harvests, special events like births, deaths, funerals and other rituals
• This improvised vision of time and the incredible African patience is in contrast to Western thinking
• The employees arrive late and leave earlier to attend different rituals
• Wasting time for rituals is normal and natural
Action/BeingAction/Being
• In general, Africa is more being than doing oriented
• Work gets done only after trusting relationships have been built
• Urbanization is lessening this only slightly• Work is not the central component of life, leisure
and family are• Aggressive focus on the task at hand may seem
like a demonstration of superiority
Some guidelines …Some guidelines …
• Spend time developing relationships. Be sincere
• Don’t appear too task oriented – be sure never to seem condescending
• Expect to conduct serious business on a one-on-one basis only
• Always keep your promises
Because friendship is pleasant, we partake of our friend's
entertainment; not because we have not enough to eat in our own
house.
CommunicationCommunication
• Often high-context, indirect and unexpressive
• Politeness and protocol are highly valued and hospitality is generous
• Forms of address are often related to status and seniority
GuidelinesGuidelines
• Communicate formally and respectfully• Soften your directness and listen for indirect meanings• Be open to receiving and giving hospitality• Always use titles• Be assertive but avoid arrogance• Avoid political discussions• Show genuine interest in African culture and don’t
compare Africa with your own culture
The Oral TraditionThe Oral Tradition
• Very old tradition of spoken communication• “In Africa, when an old man dies, it is as if a
whole library has been burnt”• In the modern business this can cause many
problems:– Imprecision of management and
administration objectives– Lack of readiness to read relevant documents– Difficulties in writing– Difficulties in filing systems
SpaceSpace
• Personal space is closer than the West
• Space is seen as more public than private which fits in with the collectivism and sense of trust
• Friendly touching is common
GuidelinesGuidelines
• Be warm and genuine when greeting others
• Expect to shake hands a great deal
• Don’t refuse hospitality and remember to return it
• Show respect by professional dress
If you refuse the elder’s advice, you will walk the whole day”
• Home to authoritarian leaders “Big Man” – authority is rarely questioned and free expression is not highly valued
• Developing relationships with top officials will help business, as connections are the key to success
• Loyalty is highly valued and important in decision making
• Age can be an asset as it is connected to wisdom
Hierarchy
The obstacles of compliance The obstacles of compliance and submissionand submission
• In traditional Africa, an apprentice wouldn’t ever doubt the knowledge of his master because they were supposed to preserve the knowledge the way it was transmitted to them
• In modern companies in Africa, it is becoming more common to see younger executives occupying higher and more responsible positions than their elders
• This causes a double problem:– The younger person may have difficulty in
exercising authority over the older employees– They may not be promoted despite their
competence
The Lion King- The myth The Lion King- The myth of the bossof the boss
• Hierarchy is so strict that in some cases, you cannot address yourself directly to the chief or EVER go against his ideas
• In the modern African enterprise, the myth of the chief is felt by a strong submission of the employees and a strong hierarchical order
• There are deep barriers of communication – an employee generally will not maintain his own point of view
• There are privileged forums to attain decisions
• The managers and directors will cultivate this myth by numerous practices, behaving like demigods and building an organization with many hierarchical levels
GuidelinesGuidelines
• Show respect at all times
• Whenever possible, work through a third-party with high level connections
• Expect centralized decision making
• Don’t try to “equalize” people and be a friend to all
IndividualismIndividualism
• Mostly collectivistic; extended family and tribes shape behavior of the individual. Nepotism and kinship ties are encouraged
• Pressures of family/tribe obligations have been associated with the widespread corruption in many Afr8ican countries. Much of the bribe money may go to relatives in rural areas
• Tribes provide guidelines for most aspects of life. Laws derived from tribal customs may be more powerful than laws of a nation
• City is growing fast – people from collective rural tradition meet head-on with urban life and its more individualistic values
Home Sweet Home- Workplace as a Home Sweet Home- Workplace as a communitycommunity
• The main focus is to maintain the social equilibrium and to distribute justice and not the consideration of individual economic performances
• Relations between employers and employees are similar to those between an individual and his clan
• They are based on moral and emotional considerations that generate moral obligations
• This mentality has the tendency to transform the African enterprise from the administration of producing wealth to the administration of redistributing wealth
Shhh… The cult of secrecyShhh… The cult of secrecy
• The most important issues of the community are always conducted in a very small and secret forum
• This is true even when it concerns transmission of professional knowledge and skills
• In the business world this will lead to the retention of information and the concentration of information in the hands of a few
GuidelinesGuidelines
• Show respect for kinship and obligations
• Pay attention to tribal/family as well as national loyalties
• Expect rules to be applied in a particularistic rather than individualistic manner
CompetitivenessCompetitiveness
• In parts of Southern Africa, rapid change is increasing the emphasis on material success
• Elsewhere in Africa, competitiveness varies from low to moderate
• Guidelines• Be competitive, but avoid being seen as
exploitative• Expect to be asked for concessions and favors
StructureStructure
• Life in most of Africa is neither rigid nor highly regulated
• Bureaucracies on the whole are large and inefficient, with much red tape
• Guidelines• Build connections to navigate through the
complexity• Expect to work from a broad agreement rather
than a detailed plan or contract
ThinkingThinking
• Decision making is sometimes made on symbolic and mythological thought
• This encourages superstition and causes diffusion of symbol and substance: a world of “virtual reality” that Western business people may have difficulty relating to
• Guidelines
Withold your critical judgement
Present arguments in small chunks in clear, concise language
Expect decisions to be made on more than just data and facts