Autochthonous management knowledge/knowledge management in Africa
Journal of Knowledge Management
ISSN: 1367-3270
Article publication date: 13 June 2020
Issue publication date: 10 August 2020
Abstract
Purpose
There is a growing desire for more scientific and technical knowledge regarding Africa. This is because Africa has the potential and opportunity to generate impactful research. However, this potential is not optimized because of several constraints, including the lack of systematic reviews and models of knowledge management and paradoxical trends in Africa. The purpose of this paper is to review studies on knowledge management and associated paradoxes in Africa and a paradox-conscious African knowledge management model. The autochthonous African model that the authors propose has implications for global knowledge management.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors review studies on knowledge management and paradoxes on Africa.
Findings
The authors propose a model and identify 12 paradoxes broadly categorized as industrial, political and social.
Practical implications
The paradoxical tensions characteristic of Africa may be considered integral to business and policy rather than local expressions to be solved through international “best practice.”
Originality/value
The model this paper propose enables theoretical and empirical studies of knowledge management sensitive to the paradoxical tensions associated with autochthonous management knowledge and autochthonous knowledge management.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Emanuel Gomes and Miguel Pina e Cunha would like to acknowledge financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (UID/ECO/00124/2013) by LISBOA-01–0145-FEDER007722 and Social Sciences Data Lab, Project 22209.
Citation
Zoogah, D.B., Gomes, E. and Cunha, M.P. (2020), "Autochthonous management knowledge/knowledge management in Africa", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 1493-1512. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-10-2019-0554
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited