Globalisation and HR practices in Africa: When culture refuses to make way for so-called universalistic perspectives

The paper demonstrates and exemplifies how cultural paradigms and the political and socio-economic spheres and organisational life are intertwined in an African context. The paper examines how some factors that are embedded in the cultural and institutional framework in Sub-Saharan African organisations interact with global perspectives and the degree of resistance they present to changes in human resource management (HRM) processes. The paper considers aspects of the universalistic perspectives that have resonance for human resource practices in Africa. Furthermore, it evaluates the question of the tensions between the contributions derived from the indigenous and historical factors, and the inputs from external sources, to human resource management in Africa. rnThe research is based on a survey of 100 practicing African human resources professionals. The respondents were drawn from the major institutional actors in Nigeria. rnThe research found that, despite the impact of globalisation and the Westernisaion of training and development in Africa, HRM practices remain largely culture-bound. Many aspects of Sub-Saharan African cultures pervade organisational processes, e.g. collectivism and paternalism, that refuse to make way for change. However, the paper concludes that some of these temerarious cultural aspects that are often described as counter-productive in much of the literature, could actually be utilised for community and employee engagement. rnThe paper makes a significant contribution to the literature on HRM practices in Africa, an area under-researched. It provides an opportunity to African HR managers to be more pragmatic in identifying the contextual issues and for beginning to identify aspects of African culture that could be value-adding in a fast changing management landscape. The paper demonstrates that HRM policies have specific cultural orientations and reflect on both the societal predispositions of the region; this exemplifies how cultural paradigms, the political sphere and organisational life are intertwined in an African context

Resisting global universalistic practices - the endurance of culture and particularism in African HRM

Purpose This article empirically assesses the extent to which factors rooted in the cultural and institutional framework in Sub-Saharan African organisational contexts challenge and resist the penetration of global practices and how these dynamics impact on human resource management (HRM). This article examines universalistic perspectives are significant for African HRM. The article discusses the tensions between the contributions derived from local and historical factors, and that of other environmental agents, to African HRM practice. Design/methodology The study is based on a survey among 100 practising African HRM executives representing significant organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Findings The main findings established that, in spite of Westernisation and globalising trends in learning and development in Africa, human resource practices are still profoundly embedded in the African cultural fabric. Significant elements of cultures in Sub-Saharan Africa pervade organisational processes; such aspects include collectivism and paternalism, which persistently resist change. The article, however, concludes that the resisting parts of Sub-Saharan African cultures which are viewed as counter-productive, can have positive resonance if constructively deployed. Originality This article contributes to African HRM literature, a significantly under-researched field. The paper provides an opportunity for African HR managers to be more pragmatic in identifying the contextual issues as well as aspects of African culture that could be value-adding in a fast-changing managerial field. The findings demonstrate that human resource strategies and policies have specific cultural orientations and reflect the societal predispositions of a particular collectivity; this epitomizes the intertwining of cultural paradigms, political spheres and organisational life in Sub-Saharan Afric

The Employment Situation of Migrant Workers and Their Experience of Work Life Pressures

The chapters in this book cover different aspects of the migrant experience of social life and employment in contemporary societ

The conceptualisation of Employee Voice in Permacrisis: A UK Perspective

Research on the topic of employment relations often adopts analytical frameworks related mainly to the concept of ‘voice’. While originally defined as the effort to effect change by Albert Hirschman, the meaning and conceptualisations of the term ‘voice’ have evolved over the years. Later writers such as Freeman and Medoff describe the concept from the point of view of union monopoly of representation, i.e., union articulation of workers’ concern. In this chapter, we present a synthesis and overview of some of the early conceptualisations of employee voice and unionism in the United Kingdom. Our goal extends beyond simply sketching or cataloguing the historical analysis around voice, to using this analysis as an instrument for understanding the current state and projecting into the future of employee voice and unionism in the United Kingdom. The chapter reveals that the concept of voice has been significantly reinvented by modern-day scholars. The chapter will heavily depend on a review of extant literature. It would, however, be impossible to synthesise the entire literature on voice in this short chapter. Hence, there will be a significant focus on the United Kingdom experience and authors, howbeit, other authors based elsewhere may be selectively included. The study concludes that though employee voice is relevant today, in most cases it only serves the interest of management and where this is not the case management hardly pays any attention to it. The study revealed further that during permacrisis, there is little or no attempt on the part of the management to attention to or implement the demand expressed in employee voice

Voice in context: an international comparative study of employee experience with voice in small and medium enterprises

The study of employee voice in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across national contexts remains under-theorised and under-studied. This paper uses Kaufman’s integrative model of employee voice, and an exploratory study of 30 interviews with employees in non-unionised SMEs in the United Kingdom, Thailand and Nigeria, to compare the employee experience with voice, and the impact of this experience on voice behaviour at work. Findings show that the interaction between the external institutional context and internal SME context (organisational configuration, governance structure and internal contingencies in the employment relationship) impacts employee voice agency, the perceived levels of voice and, ultimately, employee voice behaviour. The paper contributes to employee voice theory by offering an analysis of voice determinants on voice behaviour specific to non-unionised SMEs from an internationally comparative employee perspective, presents these in an initial framework and explains how employees experience voice in small workplaces

Mission statement effectiveness: Investigating managers’ sensemaking role

Purpose – This study highlights the instrumental role of the mission statement as a tool used by managers to shape value congruence to achieve enhanced employee performance levels. Design/methodology/approach – A variance-based structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data obtained from a sample of 123 managers working in private organisations in Malaysia. Findings – The management sensemaking approach is useful in mission statement research. Managers’ involvement in clarifying the mission statement to various firm stakeholders, especially employees, is the strongest predictor of value congruency between employees and the firm, leading to improved levels of employee behavioural performance. Managers can influence value congruency through two processes: (1) guiding and shaping employees’ values and (2) adapting the mission statement’s contents. Research limitations/implications – Future studies can consider the impact of managerial role modelling on employees’ value alignment with the firm in longitudinal studies. Other aspects of alignment offer further research opportunities, for example, HR policy alignment and alignment of marketing and operation strategies with the mission statement. Practical implications – Managers should move beyond treating the mission statement as a management tool. Instead, it is a firm philosophy that reflects managers’ words and deeds and exemplifies their philosophical ideals. Originality/value – Despite three decades of research into the relationship between the mission statement and performance, the results have been mixed. Therefore, this study adopts a sensemaking approach to research the mission-performance relationship underpinned by the resource-based view (RBV) theory

Fragmented Democracy and Employee Participation in Nigeria

The chapter discusses the extent to which fragmentation in the democratic process in Nigeria has impacted on employee participation and in particular the roles of all the instructional settings in the countr

Management of Diaspora Business: Issues and Learning

The remittances of funds to countries of origin by diasporas has grown tremendously in the past few years, and will not only serve as important life line for millions of families but also contribute to economic growth if invested effectively. Nigeria was identified as the case study country because of its unique economic position in Africa and thus providing a significant amount of data used through the survey of some small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). The chapter points to the fact that diasporas through the platform of SMEs, can contribute significantly to economic developments in developing countries; particularly if respective governments make the necessary reforms and provide adequate infrastructure