Tribe and village in African organizations and business

The purpose of this paper is to show that organizational behaviour and business relations in African countries reflect preindustrial social norms typical of kinship based, rural communities such as in-group/out-group differentiation, reliance on kinship and the use of gift-exchange to create and strengthen social bonds.

Two books on African management are interpreted using anthropological and sociological theory as the analytical perspective.

The analysis of the two works suggests that the preindustrial patterns described in the anthropological literature play a central role in African management and business.

The paper concludes that manager should recognize the negative effects that may follow from a rejection of these socio-cultural patterns of behaviour.

It introduces Marshall Sahlins’ theory of social distance and reciprocity showing how this theory explains behaviours in and between African organizations.