Riding the Tide: Management in Africa and the Role of High-Impact Research

Abstract

The increased interest in the potential of African countries to rise from their current states of underdevelopment is matched by concern about the lack of scientific and technical knowledge. Given the role of management in national development and the contribution of high-impact research (HIR), we identify drivers, processes, and outcomes of HIR based on a broad definition of scholarly impact. Using management scholarship and management practice dimensions we also identify four types of HIR: autochthonous, heterochthonous, cosmopolitan, and global. We argue for autochthonous HIR as a source of competitive advantage as well as growth and identity of management in Africa.