Perspectives on management training of women managers in Africa

Abstract

This paper is based on a series of workshops and seminars held in Africa on issues of management training for women managers and trainers. Like many third world countries many nations of Africa have focused on economic growth through industrialization. Industrialization leads to creation of formal organizations. This entry confronts women with new interfaces with people and systems. The traditional processes are inadequate and insufficient to interface with structures, systems and people in formal work settings. Organizations employ women based on task requirements. But they get caught with dilemmas of assigning women tasks and the expectations of their behaviour anchored in social structures and processes. Management training programmes require space to explore these new interfaces which both women mangers and organizations face. This paper identifies some of the broader societal context of Africa in which these issues exist. It highlights some of the findings from the research and seminar with both men and women employers as well as women managers. It then identifies implications and directions for further research and training so that both men and women managers in organizations can evolve relevant models of learning.