K Kamoche

Organizational Improvisation: What, When, How and Why

In this article, the authors review the growing body of literature on organizational improvisation in order to present an encompassing and systematic perspective on this concept. An integrative definition of its construct is presented together with a new way of measuring this phenomenon in organizational settings. The article further explores this construct by presenting its triggers, necessary conditions, influencing factors and major outcomes. The issues of improvisation’s growing legitimization in the organizational arena for practitioners and researchers alike are addressed in order to argue for the need for and interest in a fuller development research on this concept.

Knowledge creation and learning in international HRM

Interest in international human resource management (IHRM) has seen a rapid growth especially in the last five years. This interest has emerged from a wide range of perspectives, some of which reflect a piecemeal approach to improving certain aspects of the subject while neglecting to pay sufficient attention to the underlying purpose of international assignments. For example, the dominant socio-psychological theme is likely to give the misleading impression that IHRM is all about looking after the welfare and social needs of expatriates. This paper argues that the theory and practice of IHRM can be improved by bringing together the existing wide range of activities and perspectives within a framework of knowledge and learning.

Managing human resources in Africa

1. Preface 2. Human Resource Management in South Africa 3. Human Resource Management in Botswana 4. Human Resource Management in Zambia 5. Human Resource Management in Mauritius 6. Human Resource Management in Tanzania 7. Human Resource Management in Kenya 8. Human Resource Management in Ethiopia 9. Human Resource Management in Ghana 10. Human Resource Management in Ivory Coast 11. Human Resource Management in Tunisia 12. Human Resource Management in Libya 13. Conclusions: Toward a Research Agenda

Introduction: human resource management in Africa

This article introduces the special issue that seeks to spur the debate on the challenges of managing people in organizations in Africa. The debate on HRM in Africa has proceeded with tentative steps and now clearly needs to be located firmly within the international management context. It is not the purpose of this special issue to discover or develop an over-arching model of HRM. That has been attempted elsewhere. Our purpose is to bring together the various threads that characterize the on-going debate and hopefully move towards a more specific research agenda which captures the complexity of managing on the African continent. Some of these threads include the formulation of new perspectives on HR research, finding common ground with diverse disciplines and tackling enduring problems like ethnicity and discrimination.

Surprises in Management and Organization: Concept, Sources and a Typology

We discuss why surprises, defined as events that happen unexpectedly or expected events that take unexpected shapes, are important to organizations and should be considered in the organization and management literature as an umbrella concept, encompassing a variety of related phenomena. The concept of organizational surprises is unpacked and a typology is built around the (un)expectedness of the issue and the (un)expectedness of the process. This typology uncovers the several types of surprising events that organizations may face, and contributes to the literature by identifying how different types of surprises require distinct managerial approaches.

The integration–differentiation puzzle: a resource-capability perspective in international human resource management

This paper is concerned with the management of the human resource agenda in international business. It begins by examining the critical question of how to balance the organizational need for co-ordination and control (integration) at the centre and the increasing pressures for sensitivity and flexibility (differentiation) at the subsidiary or unit level. A resource-capability (RC) view is then offered to re-examine the integration–differentiation (IN–DI) debate, proposing how firms might resolve some of the dilemmas inherent in IN–Dl decisions by cultivating their stock of knowledge and expertise. This perspective also enables us to assess the underlying paradigmatic foundation upon which strategic decisions in international human resource management are based.

Developing Managers: The Functional, the Symbolic, the Sacred and the Profane

This paper offers a new perspective on international management by examining the role of culture and management development in creating international expertise, a sense of identity and realizing organizational control. A critical analysis of the culture transmission and management development philosophy and practice of a UK-based transnational reveals how the transmission of culture accomplishes management development objectives, while management development itself serves as a vehicle for the transmission of the desired corporate values. This recursiveness is sustained by a corporate ideology that urges the creation of integrative values and, in turn, is legitimized by the quest for favorable functional and symbolic consequences.

Rhetoric, Ritualism, and Totemism in Human Resource Management

This paper posits an interpretivist approach to the study of human resource management (HRM) by examining how organizational members construct meanings of HRM in everyday life through ritualistic behavior and the use of language. Concepts from language philosophy and socio-anthropology are brought together to develop an analytical premise upon which we can begin to appreciate the seemingly complex issues associated with expressive and ritualistic behavior in organizations. Propositions are posited and subsequently examined through an analysis of statements about teamwork in a Kenyan firm. A thematic analysis reveals that teamwork is a totemic device created by organizational members in everyday life. Through shifts in language games ranging from rhetoric to plain speaking, management uses the totem of teamwork to create and legitimize the desired pattern of power and social relations.

Competence‐creation in the African public sector

Reveals that the public sector in Africa is increasingly coming under pressure to justify its very existence through calls for financial accountability, operational efficiency, improvements in product and service quality, and so forth. Takes the view that any attempt to achieve meaningful reform in public sector management will have to consider seriously the question of skill development and the management of expertise. Ultimately, the effectiveness of the public sector product and service delivery will depend not only on economic and financial parameters but also on the availability of sufficiently skilled personnel. Focuses, therefore, on skill management in the public sector and, in particular, on the creation of competences which are based on the organization’s core strategic activities. Introduces recent developments in the management of organizations to the public sector debate.

New directions in the management of human resources in Africa

The last decade has witnessed a notable increase in the volume of publications on human resource management (HRM) in Africa, particularly in reputable management journals. Yet, within the broader context of the mainstream HRM debate, advances in research and theoretical sophistication have not quite kept pace with the actual practice of management. This is particularly notable when it comes to the progress that organizations in Africa have made in product innovation and service delivery, the creation and application of advanced technology, as well as in the adoption of progressive/innovative HRM practices. The six papers in this forum were drawn from an international conference on HRM in Africa held at Nottingham Business School in 2010. Taken together, they identify important new developments in theory and practice, and also open up avenues for further debate particularly in the areas of career development, knowledge appropriation, mergers and acquisitions, the role of HR professionals, the informal sector and the most effective ways to engage foreign investors.