Coming of age, seeking legitimacy: The historical trajectory of African management research

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical trajectory of African management research and managerial thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws from a review and synthesis of the literature from 1960-2012.

Findings

The analysis led to the identification of three distinct phases which reflect the difficult and uncertain beginning of a promising future. The historical pathway model also accounts for the evolution of management philosophies and thoughts and the current state of knowledge.

Originality/value

Although there is a burgeoning stream of African management research, a lack of comprehensive review and synthesis has obscured the enormous strides made. This paper advances a “novel” approach towards theory application and theory creation, building on the “convergence hypothesis” and “divergence hypothesis”. This analysis yielded a number of promising avenues for future research.