CSM member Dr Alex Wilson recently published a third book examining the global phenomenon of management education.  Written with Professor Howard Thomas and Dr Michelle Lee of Singapore Management University and Lynne Thomas, the latest volume covers the evolution of management education across Africa and its various challenges.

This is the first of the two volumes, written with strong support from EFMD (The European Foundation for Management Development) and GMAC (The Graduate Management Admissions Council), aimed at understanding and examining the challenges involved in the important growth of management education across the African continent.  The common perception of Africa is as a global growth region as well as a continent on the move, with a parallel, huge demand for managerial skills to leverage the potential for economic growth.

The authors used a fine-grained, face-to-face interview process to explore the perspectives and interactions between manangement educators and other business as well as government stakeholders as they seek to close the management education gap in Africa. 

Africa has no collective identity; what is Africa depends on which part of it you are talking about. Therefore, it is important to understand the diverse cultures, histories and contexts underlying the 54 member states. The book begins by “mapping” the diverse landscape of Africa to give account of such a rich backdrop for management education.  This “backdrop” provides the framework around which subsequent chapters can reflect sensibly on the past evolution of alternative management education approaches in Africa, and the current landscape and its challenges.  It concludes by questioning whether a more communitarian, less individualistic, African-focussed approach to management education should be created.

The second volume (to be published in 2017) will flow from the question of an African approach to management education to look towards the future. It will consider the role of institutions, political context, technology, influential leaders, and opportunities that will shape management education in Africa.