ORGANIZING THE AFRICA ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT 2016 CONFERENCE: CHAIRS' REFLECTIONS

摘要

Over the last few years there has been a feast of well-told stories about the continent of Africa moving from a hopeless place, one constantly consumed by wars, disease, poverty and struggling economies to a now much talked-about 'Africa Rising' (The Economist, 2011), an Africa now open for business (Kgomoeswana, 2015). When it came to choosing the theme for the Africa Academy of Management (AFAM) 3~(rd) Biennial Conference, we selected 'Managing Africa's Future: Prospects and Challenges'. This followed lengthy discussions of the theme's timeliness, appropriateness and whether or not it would facilitate critical conversations about managing organizations in the new emerging Africa. We wanted a theme that would allow us to explore questions of if and how management scholarship was contributing to the 'new Africa'. We arrived at this decision with a firm understanding and belief that if there was indeed an African Renaissance taking place, we needed to investigate what had changed in Africa, especially in those countries doing well and among the fastest growing in the world. What was happening in organizations in Africa? How had African countries that were now thriving managed to overcome the barriers that restricted their growth and impeded progress? Leadership, management and effective and sustaining implementation had for decades eluded organizations and reduced their potential to grow, partly limited by political instability and weak or disconnected institutions (Dia, 1996; Kiggundu, 1989; 1991). The question of whether or not there was a different, more progressive and inclusive leadership style and management practice taking place in Africa was intriguing and fascinating enough for management scholars to investigate (e.g. Kets de Vries, Sexton, and Ellen 111, 2016). We were interested in the question of the relevancy and applicability for Africa of management knowledge and practices developed elsewhere. We were, however, guided by the strong conviction that management matters and that advancing management scholarship in all its dimensions - theory, research, education, policy, practice and service -in and about Africa was necessary for sustaining the continent's economic growth, social and political development and transformation. These questions and considerations shaped and led to the conference theme for the AFAM 2016 Conference.