Development in sub-Saharan Africa: Cultural influences and managers' decision behaviour

We explore the relevance of national differences in values to development i n sub-Saharan Africa using data from two recent global surveys. The evidenc e indicates a shared black African culture that emphasizes hierarchy, embed dedness and mastery in contrast to egalitarianism, autonomy and harmony, in keeping with the literature on Africa. Further evidence reveals that Afric an managers stress reliance on formal rules and superiors in reaching decis ions, as predicted by their cultural profile. Comparisons with Western Euro pean samples indicate that these nations have the opposite cultural profile and that their managers stress self-reliance and consultation with subordi nates. Implications of these contrasts for development in Africa and effect ive collaboration within donor agencies and multinational firms are discuss ed. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.