Attributes of Success in African Management Development Programmes: Concepts and Applications

Three case studies demonstrate areas in which management development programmes are successfully carried out. Management development of Kenyan building contractors through seminars and practical remedial assignments; management development of Ethiopian consultant‐managers involving all group levels in the firm or factory; and development of black entrepreneurs in South Africa by hands‐on training in regional and vernacular languages. Thirteen postulated attributes of success have been distilled from this research, and from an examination of the cultural and environmental factors affecting black managers as trainees, consultants, and businessmen. They include a discussion, of concern for immediate improvement, of in‐house supportive groups, integrating experienced managers into the programme, a system of rewards and penalties, learning‐by‐doing, total commitment and enthusiasm, an expanded range of visual aids, follow‐up coaching on the job, team work, outside evaluation, etc.