The impact of South African culture on the management of people

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Management. 1994There is a perception that the Colonial culture has achieved a dominating status within the South African environment and organisations while the African culture has been under-valued and people within this cultural paradigm feel alienated within traditional organisational structures. The research findings further indicate that African culture emphasises the value of the humanity of the individual. However, the individual cannot be separated from the his community. These features of African culture which are evidenced in the concept of ubuntu as well as the inclusive nature of this culture create a need to integrate the concept of community into organisational management. The research results indicate the necessity for a shift of emphasis within the human resource management cycle to a humanist approach which enables performance through the development of people and which recognises the organisation as being both a community in itself and of the greater community