Context

This is a book that is timely for the current set of challenges facing companies which find their beginnings in the African environment. The authors have taken great pains to bring to light business frameworks that have been largely part of high-performance companies for quite some time, but are largely absent as part of management philosophy and discussions in Africa. There is no doubt that the challenges in managing companies in Africa present a unique problem because of the peculiarities of the varied culture across the continent. Some of these peculiarities are also present in other developing economies so instances can be found elsewhere where great companies have emerged. The ones that are unique to Africa, on the other hand, need to be understood in a much more fundamental way that allows formulation of effective solutions. For that to happen, businesses in developing economies have to be familiar and highly conversant in management frameworks that have been a result of years of problem-solving. The authors have done exactly that, bringing together a set of management frameworks and insights gathered from experiences dealing with challenges within the context of a developing economy. Context, the lack of it or the prevalence of it, is what determines successful outcomes from applying these frameworks. Having an understanding of the context and how to execute strategy however depends on having a fundamental understanding of the frameworks the authors bring together in this book. Executing strategy without context is a recipe for failure of a company's strategy. This is the unitary lesson from this book, one worth taking seriously.