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Management in developing countries is frequently characterized by reactive response to crises and firefighting. This reactive stance can be modified if managers incorporate the concepts and techniques of strategic management into their implementation toolkits. This article provides both a rationale and a suggested approach for integrating strategic management and operational administration in developing country organizations. The constraints to strategic management are also discussed. The application of the approach is briefly illustrated in the case of helping an African public sector agency build strategic alliances.

Reviews 94 articles published between 1956 and 1981 on organizations in developing nations, examining the articles' methods, topics, geographic coverage, the author's institutional affiliation, and degree of fit between Western-based administrative theory and the data reported. Found degrees of fit strong for organizational tasks but weak for organization-environment relationships. (Author/RW)

The informal economy is an important phenomenon in African countries, accounting for up to 90% of the jobs in the lowest income Sub-Saharan countries such as Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Management research about Africa, therefore, cannot be complete without a closer look at and a better understanding of the informal economy on the continent, the opportunities it brings and challenges it faces. Research on the informal economy started during the early 1970s has been conducted mainly by economists and sociologists. Managerial and organizational knowledge of the informal economy in Africa, however, remains largely underdeveloped. We reviewed the literature on the informal economy taking a pan-African approach by surveying 102 studies published from 1992 to 2017 in English, French and Portuguese language outlets. We summarize the current state of the literature, identify seven general themes, raise pertinent research questions, and suggest directions to further advance research about the informal economy with a focus on management and organization knowledge in all of Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws upon the most recent literature on administrative theory and practice in developing countries to develop a theory of market imperfections and organizational structure. It advances the proposition that market imperfections are a significant determinant of organizational structure in developing countries. Three mechanisms (culture, organizations and markets) coordinating socio-economic transactions are discussed and compared with one another. Market imperfections in both developing and industrialized countries are compared and contrasted. It was noted that differences between these two types of countries and within developing countries result from two factors: the strength of the drive for self-sufficiency and the density of market transactions. Therefore, in the market imperfections model, apparent qualitative differences between organizational structures in developing and industrialized countries are ultimately due to differences of degree rather than quantum differences. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This discussion of the limitations to the application of sociotechnical systems (STS) in developing countries (25 case studies) focuses on the determinants: organizational closed systems management; anti-risk dominant governments; varying sources of motivation; specific developing country organizational characteristics; frameworks inadequate for technological innovations; inapplicability of American management principals and vague performance-goals measurements. STS theory and management interventions can be successfully applied, after significant adaptations of change agents and adaptations to the country of application.