Network for Practice and Process Management Studies Drawing on African Empirical Settings_backup
Network for Practice and Process
Management Studies Drawing on
African Empirical Settings
Our Network
The Network for Practice and Process Management Studies Drawing on the African Empirical Setting, is a joint initiative led by Warwick Business School (WBS) and the University of Stellenbosch Business School (SBS). Our aim is to scope out current knowledge about African management practices, to develop relevant theoretical perspectives, to enable networking among scholars seeking to carry out practice-based studies on the African continent and to strengthen capacity towards qualitative empirical research in Africa. We contend that such enabling activities are critical to unlocking future actionable opportunities for fruitful collaborations between qualitative researchers from the global North and South who are interested in understanding how management phenomena unfold in Africa.
Research Themes
Five decentralised working groups will have as their core tasks
developing systematic reviews – with practice-based sensitivity –
of existing empirical knowledge about African management phenomena.
Reframing existing knowledge about African management practices
within a practice-based sensitivity will offer foundational
understandings for the development of future empirical contributions.
Groups are led by scholars based in Africa and meet
online to explore the following topical areas:
Organisation and
work practices
The literature on organizational practices reveals that everyday interactions, shaped by local cultures and social norms in Africa, significantly influence work performance and provide an understanding of organizational change, leadership and inclusion contexts.
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Strategy-As-
Practice
The strategy-as-practice literature focuses on the micro-level activities that shape strategy development and execution, particularly in Africa, where local practices and community engagement influence strategic management in complex environments.
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Innovation
The practice-based literature on innovation examines how new ideas are developed and implemented, highlighting digital and frugal innovation as key strategies used by African entrepreneurs to create cost-effective solutions in healthcare, education & financial inclusion.
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Entrepreneurship
The practice literature on entrepreneurship focuses on the daily activities that sustain ventures, emphasizing how African entrepreneurs adapt to resource constraints and weak institutions while prioritizing social impact and community in their initiatives.
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Sustainability
The literature on sustainability practices highlights how African organizations adapt sustainability strategies using indigenous knowledge and community approaches, emphasizing the need for contextually relevant practices to promote sustainable development.
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Questions?
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions or feedback about the research themes or working groups.
Or just sign up to Our Network below.
Contact us
Telephone: +44 (0)24 7652 430
Email: ikon@wbs.ac.uk
Become part of our
Research Network
Get involved & sign up to the
Research Themes Working Groups.
Watch SBS x WBS Network Launch 2024 Webinar
Vision for the Network & Collaboration between Stellenbosch Business School & Warwick Business School partnership 2024.
Associate Professor Mira Slavova.
Stratigic Partnership Lead (WBS)
Professor Sibusiso Moyo
Deputy Vice Chancellor: Stellenbosch University
Research, Innovation & Postgraduate Studies
Webinar Invitation - 10th June 2025
Network for Practice and Process Management Studies: Drawing on African Empirical Settings
Date: 10th June 2025
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM (UK time)
Join us in person or online
📚 Featured Paper
Decker, S. (2014). Solid intentions: An archival ethnography of corporate architecture and organizational remembering. Organization, 21(4), 514–542.
👉 Please read the paper Link opens in a new windowin advance and share your questions and commentsLink opens in a new window! We are looking to enable sophisticated understandings, to stimulate dialogue, to allow for African points of view to be articulated and to shape future directions for research. Therefore, we will not be following traditional paper presentation formats and reading the article in advance is essential.We have invited Hamid Foroughi (WBS) to introduce the study of memory and history by ethnographic methods. Our discussants are two PhD scholars from West Africa -- Grace Asare (University of Ghana Business School, Ghana) and Charles Aigbona (Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria).
The session is intended to last 1 hour and 30 minutes with timings as follows:
- 20 min- Introduction: the study of memory and history (Hamid Foroughi)
- 20 min- Solid intentions: An archival ethnography of corporate architecture and organizational remembering. (Stephanie Decker)
- 20 min- Discussant questions (Grace Asare and Charles Aigbona)
- 20 min- Open discussion
- 10 min- Reflection
Featured Event
Upcoming Events
Don't miss out on
Our upcoming events
Stay ahead of the conversation by signing up
to Our Webinar & Events mailing list.
Past Events
Teaching Events
Journal Submissions Invite:
Journal of Management Education Special Issue - Management Education in Africa.
We invite submissions that engage, explore, and problematize issues related to management education in Africa.
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Launch Event
The Network for Practice and Process Management Studies Drawing on African Empirical Settings.
Hosted in collaboration with Stellenbosch Business School launched on Wednesday 13 November 2024.
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JME at Lagos Business School
Journal of Management Education at Lagos Business School.
Page features slides from the JME Special Issue Management Education in Africa presentation.
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JME at AFAM 2024:
We attended the AFAM 7th Biennial Conference at Stellenbosch Business School in Cape Town SA 2024.
The theme of this conference was: Transforming Organizations in the Digital Era: Dignity, Justice, and Prosperity in Africa
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Sponsorship to attend 2024 Warwick Summer School on Process & Practice Studies
In 2024, Dr Nobulali Dangazele (Lecturer, Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria) kindly sponsored the attendance of two individuals at the Warwick Summer School on Process and Practice Studies.
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North-South Dialogue on Practice-Based Approaches to Management Studies in Africa
Document to accompany the Series of Events in Cape Town, SA including:
North South Dialogue on Practice Based Approaches to Management Studies in Africa
All day event on 11 Jan 2024 at Durbanville Hills, Cape Town.
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Past Events
2025
12th May 2025,
Webinar - Cucchi, C., Lubberink, R., Dentoni, D., & Gartner, W. B. (2022). ‘That’s Witchcraft’: Community entrepreneuring as a process of navigating intra-community tensions through spiritual practices. Organization Studies, 43(2), 179–201.
presentation and discussion recording coming soon!
We held our first all-hands webinar for the Network for Practice and Process.
The paper discussed was: Delichte, J., Powell, E. E., Hamann, R., & Baker, T. (2024). To profit or not to profit: Founder identity at the intersection of religion and entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 39(4), 106403.
Listen to the presentation and discussion here!
2024
Launch Event for Practice & Process Management Studies, Drawing on Empirical settings
JME at AFAM 2024Link opens in a new window