For Professor Annemarie Davis, University of South Africa, the conversation about Africa’s place in strategic management research goes beyond geographic diversity and recognizes a continent whose importance to the future of management research continues to grow.
A Continent the Field Cannot Afford to Ignore
Africa is often discussed as an emerging context for research. Annemarie argues that perspective understates the continent’s significance.
“We need to recognize that Africa has the most youthful population in the world. If you look at Europe, it’s an aging population, but on this continent, we are the fastest growing population. If you think by 2050, more than half of the world’s population will be on this African continent. So, we cannot ignore the importance of what we call Africa’s demographic dividend.”
Despite its importance, Africa remains underrepresented in strategic management scholarship, professional communities, and publication. The growth of Strategy as Practice scholarship in Africa has largely been driven by personal connections, institutional champions, and grassroots efforts.
Unique Contexts, Unique Opportunities
For researchers looking for unanswered questions, Africa offers an extraordinary range of contexts.
“We have unique contexts like war-torn countries, conflict situations, and huge poverty. We have environments where organizations function and operate outside the regulatory frameworks in an informal manner.”
But the opportunities extend far beyond challenges.
“Imagine the research potential of research on management practices or strategies on how to curb rhino poaching or how to preserve the wildlife going forward. There are many different contexts that are very unique that warrants research, and that should pique the interest of a broader community to do research on this continent.”
These settings allow scholars to test assumptions, refine theories, and discover practices that may not emerge in more frequently studied environments.
Moving from Research On Communities to Research With Communities
One of the most powerful themes throughout the conversation was Annemarie’s emphasis on co-creation.
Reflecting on a colleague’s experience, she described a familiar pattern:
“As a young kid in the village, they would always have all these researchers coming in with their fancy English accents and asking and doing all this research, but then they would leave. And what remains is unanswered questions.”
The lesson is simple but important.
“There is a wealth of research to be done in this unique context but let it not be on one side only. It needs to be in conjunction with researchers and communities here and promote the co-creation of new knowledge and insights on the practices.”
Inclusion is often discussed in broad terms, but Annemarie points to practical and financial realities that can create barriers to participation. What might be seen in a North American context as an affordable price point might be a week’s pay for a junior lecturer at a public university in Nigeria. These are the barriers that need to be address.
Building Community in Africa
One of the most promising initiatives Annemarie describes is the creation of an international database of Strategy as Practice researchers.
What began with a handful of contacts has grown into something much larger. The database creates opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, reviewing, conference participation, and ongoing scholarly exchange.
“We had about 50 or 60 when we started with that process. We actually have more than 150 contacts on that list now. We are working towards building a community of like-minded strategy practice researchers and postgraduate students.”
SMS Strategy Practice Interest Group
Annemarie sees the value of this Interest Group reflected not only in conversations, but in concrete initiatives such as mentoring programs, writing clinics, scholarships, and outreach efforts.
“This group is doing amazing things to be inclusive of everybody. Not just inclusion from those in underrepresented areas, but also inclusion from practitioners.”
And ultimately, that commitment is what keeps her engaged.
“It’s really been a home, a nice home for me to find my feet in.”
