IGBO CULTURE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN MANAGEMENT THEORY

Abstract

The impression that Africans had no roots or contributions to modern-day management practices has persisted for a while. However, the Igbo people in Nigeria had their own management practice and leadership styles that were peculiar to them before the emergence of the management theories, which was why the Igbos were able to survive the indirect rule and brutal economic exploitation during the colonial era, and immediately after the civil war. This study, therefore, examined the role Igbo culture played in the development of management theories. The study specifically identified some specific Igbo cultural practice and their managerial implications and aligned some Igbo cultural practices to existing modern-day leadership theories. The literature of the study looked at the Igbo race as a people, examined culture, explained some management theories, the Igbo cultural practice and leadership theories, Igbo cultural practices and their managerial implications and Igbo cultural practices and modern day leadership theories. The study used the matching methods as the research design. The idea involved was to basically find commonalities between chosen management theories and the leadership styles of the Igbo people in southeast Nigeria. Mostly secondary sources of data were deployed for this purpose.  The study also employed a qualitative methodology and a narrative analysis technique. It was revealed from the findings that before the introduction of modern-day management theory, Igbo culture had been practising the relevant leadership style that was propounded by great thinkers of management such as management by objective (Izuora), Management by exception (Izundiichie), Motivation (ituni muo/ Ikwanye ugwu), Transformational leadership (Ibezimako), Contingencies Leadership (Igbo enweze) and Transactional leadership (Echichi/ochanja/imapu na iwu). Keywords: Igbo, Culture, Southeast, Nigeria, Development and Management Theory.