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Exploring OD in Africa: a response to David Lewis
Abstract
Organization development (OD) has become an increasingly popular
approach among international donors who are eager to improve the
impact of their aid to developing countries. Major questions, however,
have been raised as to whether this is not another example of
'technique peddling' by Western donors and consultants. Many argue
that this participatory, imported, Western approach to organizational
change relies on cultural assumptions of open discussion that are
simply not present in many developing societies. Taking up Lewis's
challenge in his article 'Organization and Management in the Third
Sector: Towards a Cross-Cultural Research Agenda' (NML 2002), this
article explores the veracity of such concerns. Using practitioner
experience of implementing OD with African NGOs, this article reveals
that many principles of OD are pre-existing within African cultures
and are not a new foreign import. It concludes that, as with any
culture, there are aspects that undermine and reinforce particular
approaches to management and change. An anthropological perspective
can assist in understanding the local culture sufficiently to be able
to identify, avoid, or overcome cultural resistance, while at the same
time using cultural symbols as levers for change.
Journal
(2004)
vol14
no3
pages313-324
Categories
-
Financing and Evaluting NGOs
