Understanding African perspectivesUnderstanding African perspectives

• “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