Word from the Guest Editors International Management Research and Africa — An Action Research Perspective

While multiple indicators reveal the economic awakening of Africa and several analysts predict that the world’s strongest economic growth over the next few years will take place there, this continent is experiencing a growing interest from both political and economic actors, and management researchers, such as the editors of the Academy of Management Journal, who consider Africa to be a particularly promising context for management research (George et al., 2016). In this general context of increasing attractiveness, more and more research has been devoted to managing organizations in the African context over the past decade (Abodohoui et al., 2018; Diaw et al., 2020; Kamoche et al., 2012; Zoogah, 2014; Zoogah & Beugré, 2012). Yet, despite this growing amount of studies, understanding the nature, determinants, and outcomes of African management still needs more research efforts. For example, little is known about what international management research can bring to Africa and what the managerial practices in Africa can bring to international management research. This dual question is specifically what is addressed in this special issue entitled “International Management Research and Africa.” The conceptual framework of this special issue is a combination of concepts and models rooted in International Business/International Management (IB/IM) and African Management (AM). IB/IM selected concepts and theories include those of Prasad et al (2008) for a diachronic analysis of IB/IM, Werner & Brouthers (2002) and Contractor (2000) for their definitions of IM, and Wright & Ricks (1994) and Werner (2002) for their comparisons of IB and IM. Selected concepts and theories for AM include those of Amankwah-Amoah (2018), Amankwah-Amoah et al. (2022), Holtbrügge (2013), Inyang (2008), Jackson (2013), Jackson et al. (2008), Kamoche (1997), Walsh (2015), Zoogah (2008), and Zoogah et al. (2015). The conceptual framework is extensively developed in the introductory article by the Guest Editors. First, it critically recalls the central characteristics of IB/IM as a field of research. Second, it presents how Africa is studied in this field. Third, it presents AM as one response to some of the criticisms of current research in IB/IM. Fourth, it shows some crossover between IB/IM and AM. Fifth, it shows how Africa-focused publications in the journal Management international/ International Management/Gestiòn Internacional illustrate some of the foundations of the cross-fertilization conceptualized between IB/IM and AM. The methods adopted for this special issue is an action research perspective, integrating action and research as a way of ensuring that research impacts practice for improvement (Rowell et al., 2017). All four Guest Editors are among the leaders of SAM (Society for African Management; Serving Africa by Management), a network of academics, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders from social and community-based organizations interested and/or involved in the development of good management practices in Africa. Since its inception in 2012, SAM holds annual conferences throughout Africa and the rest of the World in cooperation with local host institutions and enables partnerships to advance new knowledge on management. It is in this vein that SAM proposed this special issue “International Management Research and Africa” to International Management. It was in 2016. After acceptance, the call for papers was published in 2017. It was the strategy of SAM to use this opportunity as an incentive in all of its research activities (25^th International Conference of Strategic Management, Hammamet, Tunisia, in 2016; 5^th African Management Conference in Libreville, Gabon, in 2017; 26^th International Conference of Strategic Management, Lyon, France, in 2017; International Entrepreneurship Forum, Nancy, France, in 2018; 27^th International Conference of Strategic Management, Montpellier, France, in 2018; 28^th International Conference of Strategic …