Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces the African context and discusses the change drivers in this context. It discusses the change drivers in the African macro-economic and socio-political environment. The book proposes a circumstantiated model of organizational change and development in Africa. It adopts a strategic human resource management approach which is grounded in the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities perspective. The book highlights the importance of business elites in driving change in Africa, and presents an empirical study whose results suggest a number of the facilitators of culture change in Africa. It argues that virtuous leadership, compared to other types of leadership, makes a unique contribution to our understanding of organizational change in Africa. The book also presents an interview with Mitchell Elegbe, the CEO of Interswitch, an electronic payment company, with operations in three African countries.