Decolonizing International Management (1)

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Decolonization Analysis and Importance Decolonization is defined as the process of a government or state removing their influence and control over another territory or group of people and allowing it independence. Though we usually refer to decolonization simply as the “giving of land back” to the native peoples that originally lived there, as it was just defined, decolonization can also apply to educational, mental, spiritual and cultural freedom. For indigenous groups of people, this also means regaining the autonomy and self-determination they once had over their culture, politics, and government. In broader terms, decolonization is the act of instating policies that encourage the financial, social and cultural sovereignty of minority or indigenous people (Belfi, 2021). All over the world, thousands of territories and their respective populations have suffered generations of trauma as their identity was stripped away from them. They lost their traditions, family structure, religious freedom, and political indepdendence. Though there have been efforts on the part of national and local governments to remedy the situation, many nations have continued the cycle of oppression by simply not mentioning the horrors thay have committed and refusing to acknowledge it. This is why decolonization is so vital. If we all do not make a genuine effort to both restore the cultural, political, and spiritual socieities that used to thrive in hundreds of countries around the world, and to acknowledge the damage we have caused, we all loose parts of our humanity and identity. Without it, we allow generations of living people to disappear, along with the unique perspectives, knowledge, and traditions they brought with them. We will loose an appreciation and respect for other cultures and, most importantly, we will begin to become one single, bland culture with no diversity. However, it should be noted that decolonization is not a simple fix and is not completed in a quick twenty-four hours. Because the colonization we have done has taken generations to completely infiltrate the societies we conquered, the decolonization process will take just as long and will involve many painful steps and conversations. It may even not be possible to fully restore the vibrant cultures and societies that used to inhabit the communities around us. Steps to Decolonizing Business Education There are multiple ways we can begin to decolonize our educational systems, specifically our business schools.The first of these is to adjust our reading and teaching material to include authors and perspectives from throughout the world, especially those that may not practice business using the systems we are comfortable with in North America (Banerjee, 2021). By doing this, business students will gain a global understanding of business practices and widen their perspective on the the many ways business is performed across the world. Similarly, teaching courses that have a specific focus on the business systems and practices around the world will allow minority and colonized groups to have a larger voice in education and will begin to undo the repression of diverse cultural practices, especially those that are business-related (Banerjee 2021). This can also be achieved through an increased focus on hiring with diversity in mind. Professors and educators from a variety of cultural backgrounds bring a new and unique perspectives to the classroom and can provide for more open and thought-inducing conversation in our business schools.

One of the last ways our business education systems can be decolonized is through the constant and persistent effort to take consideration of every student’s experience and perspective. This can be achieved through quarterly or monthly surveys that will ask students to rate their level of satisfaction with the current diversity in their classrooms and extracurricular activities. Steps to Decolonizing International Management In General One of the greatest and most efficient ways to decolonize international management in general is to foster partnerships and relationships with business leaders from across the world, both on large multi-management scales and smaller scales, such as simply increasing diversity in the workplace. By providing greater multiculturalism in management, our business practices and models will become more efficient as we are able to have more intelligent, in-depth, and sensitive conversations about how to better the systems we already have in place (Krishna, 2012). Addressing current power imbalances is also an important step in decolonizing international management. Though much of this relates to simply hiring with greater diversity, it is also vital for business leaders to consider the racial and cultural backgrounds and make-up of their managerial employees and supervisors. When doing so, it will often become apparent that muny of the leaderships positions help by upper management are held by those with majority racial and cultural backgrounds. If this is the case, companies around the world should take the ethical initiative to hire and support the development of their minority employees so there will be greater minority representation in our companies on a global scale. A final way to do this is to encourage entrepreneurship in third-world countries, especially those who have been greatly affected by colonialism in the past (Krishna, 2012). By supporting and fostering an environment of innovation, communities that may suffer economically will not only improve, but will experience a radical increase in self-dertermination and confidence, as their citizens realixe their capacity for success and self-ownership. Decolonizing Business Education in the U.S., Mexico, Germany, Nigeria, and India In the United States, a large part of decolonizing business education will include the many steps discussed previously, which include increasing diversity in the classroom through educators and teaching materials, incorporating the perspectives of minority and indigenous groups, and fostering an attitude of inclusion in our workplaces and schools. By increasing the cultural and racial diversity amongst our educational spaces, students gain a greater understanding of business models and practices around the world and strengthen their ability to function in multicultural business meetings. These practices also allow for minority groups to have a greater voice in the education system and allow their culture to be passed on to younger traditions so it is not lost. As for decolonizing in Mexico, it will be vital to encourage the growth and support of new business ventures and teach students entrepreneurship (Everett,2023). Both of these steps provide self-determination and autonomy to flourish and allow communities that may feel repressed and studnted by colonial pressures and influence to have a chance at starting their own businesses and setting their own rules and boundaries.

In addition, considering and developing case studies that focus on successful businesses already functioning in Mexico will create a clearer picture on the lessons and cultural practices that should be emphasized and enhanced in Mexican schools so students can match their cultural traditions with business practices that work well in their culture and country. In Germany, it is vital to implement student exchange programs that may provide students with an opportunity to experience other cultures for short periods of time (Everett,2023). This allows students to live and learn in an environment of cultural diversity, without being forced to accept and adopt the cultural practices of the foreign country. This is especially successful for Germany, as their culture is not so different from the U.S., that students will not be able to complete the temporary adjustment successfully. Like the U.S., it will also be helpful for German business schools to encourage the hiring of diverse staff members, specifically those from differing cultural backgrounds to the German culture. This will allow German students to grasp a greater understanding of cultural practices around the world. In Nigeria, one of the most successful efforts that can be provided in the goal to decrease the effects of colonialism is teaching and encouraging sustainable and ethical business practices (Everett,2023) .In Nigeria, the often limited resources and extensive effects of western influence make it difficult for aspiring entrepreneurs to formulate their business plan and keep it running. By teaching sustainability and encouraging business owners to consider the efficiency and ethical bachground of their business model, specifically by training about the many cultural practices affecting Nigerian business, such as Ubuntu and communalism, the environment will flourish and communities will much more likely to engage in entreprenuership. Lastly, in India, encouraging the connection between business schools and indigenous cultural values and practices will allow business students to relearn their traditional business methods and will allow silenced and repressed voices to play a larger role in the education of the younger generation of business students, building up a stronger and more knowledgeable future workforce. Impact of Colonization on International Business in Africa Today The most obvious way colonization has negatively impacted business in Africa is the large depletion of natural resources and economic exploitation. Resources such as timber, agricultural products, and a variety of minerals were all removed from the land in such austoudning amounts that Africa still suffers today in being able to keep some of their top exports. This makes it difficult for them trade with other nations and maintain a strong and competitive economic status. Their social and political structures were also heaily influenced by western ideals and because of that, now greatly struggle to find a financially stable economic structure. Entrepreneurship was discouraged and past systems of trade and production were destroyed through colonialism, so much so that it is difficult for many African communities to feel any sense of autonomy or self-determination and as such, their economy suffers greatly. Additionally, the colonial prioritization of infrastructure negatively impacted the many cultural and social practices of pre-colonaial Africa and still has its effects today. As previously

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discussed, western influences often focused on the extraction of natural resources from African territories and as such, did not focus on the development of local industries or business. This has had a very negative impact on trade, as African communities struggle to find plentiful resources for use in production. Most Iluminating Aspect of the First Article One of the most illuminating aspects of the first article is the very detailed and in-depth way in which the authors considered the negative affect of the management philosophies used by western sociesities on African culture (Osiri, 2021). The discussion about how many business philsiphues used in Africa today do not have the well-being of African communities at heart was intriguing. As a member of western society, we tend to believe our cultural practices are “the way” and guarantee success in any other country. It was eye-opening to read our destructive those philisphies had been to African culture. Most Iluminating Aspect of the Second Article One of the most illuminating aspects of the second article was the authors’ discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of using Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension scoring for a variety of countries, specifically Africa (Osiri, 2021). I thought it was intriguing how the authors’ mentioned that due to the natural process of cultural evolution, the scores provided through Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension are often not an accurate representation of the country, as old scores are often used and very outdated and do not account for the possible dramatic cultural shifts over the past several years. Criticisms of the Decolonizationg of Business I do have several criticism about the decolonization of business. First of all, though the many systems and changes suggested above sound encouraging, implementing policies to make those changes possible is a lot more difficult than one might imagine. Massive efforts to decolonize would require the combined effort of hundreds of countries around the world, an effort that is difficult due to the many different political aliances and economic conditions. Secondly, even if the changes in policy and possible reparations were made, decolonization is not a simple and easy fix. Just because a country may make an effort to undo the horrors hundreds of communities have faced does not mean that people’s culture, religion, politics, and language are immidiately restored. Decolonization takes several generations and unfortunately, it can often not even be completely restored, despite the many efforts that are made. Additionally, affirmative action and legal policies like it often hurt the progress and growth of institutions, especially in the world of education. By focusing on diversity in hiring and admissions in schooling, majority groups begin to feel underrepresented and minority groups who are elevated in admission processes feel self-doubt and confusion when they are not chosen for positions based on merit, but rather their racial or cultural background, because their effort and hard work is suddenly de-valued.

References Banerjee, S. (2021). Decolonizing Management Theory: A Critical PerspectiveSub. Journal of Management Studies . Belfi, E. & Sandiford, N. (2021). Decolonization Series Part 1: Exploring Decolonization. In S. Brandauer and E. Hartman (Eds.). Interdependence: Global Solidarity and Local Actions. The Community-based Global Learning Collaborative. Retrieved from: https://www.cbglcollab.org/what-is-decolonization-why-is-it-important Everett, S. (2023, February 28). Decolonizing the Business School Curriculum . AACSB. https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/articles/2023/02/decolonizing-the-business-school- curriculum Krishna, S. (2012, October 8). Decolonizing International Relations . E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2012/10/08/decolonizing-international-relations/ Osiri, J. K., Francis, J., John, E., & Taylor, J. (2021). Decolonizing Cross-Cultural Research: A Case For National Heterogeneity and the Configured Cultural Framework. Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics, Innovation . Osiri, J. K., Amaugo, A. N., Francis, J., & John, E. (2021). Decolonizing Management and Leading Change Through African Philosophy . Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics, Innovation .

Decolonizing International Management (1)

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