Date Added: February 19, 2014 11:16:37 PM

The management style used in South Africa is one of the most difficult to understand. Taking management courses Hemsley Fraser offers on their site www.hemsleyfraser.co.uk may not even be enough to appreciate the intricate business culture in this country. Because South Africa is a place of diversity, the approach to business management training here can be varied as well.

Team Management

Coming from a history of an infamous racial segregation, South Africans have learned to become highly inclusive people. This particular trait has influenced the way managers run their businesses. In South Africa, organizations recognize everyone who is part of the team. There is normally no boss mentality among managers when it comes to their relationship with their employees. As a matter of fact, most businesses encourage collaboration among members of a team, regardless of their rank or position.
Participatory management is apparent in South African businesses. Here, employees are free to take part in the development of their company. Whether it's through suggestions or more concrete contributions, employees can play whatever role in the team they belong to. However, managers often direct team members to participate in a particular area. This is to ensure that their skills and knowledge are used in the appropriate venue.
Most modern South African businesses apply the democratic management style. However, the more traditional managers are still autocratic by nature. This particular approach is a remnant of the pre-apartheid era, when companies were still dominated by white people.

Time Urgency

In general, South African businessmen strongly value time. They pay high respect to time boundaries that they themselves had set. Because of this, they are known to adhere to schedules despite any conflicting circumstance. When deadlines are not met, managers will opt to increase work hours rather than adjust the timeline for a particular project.
While proper time management is a key value in South Africa, it is not quite universal in the country. In Cape Town, there is a notable lack of time urgency. Here, managers operate in a poorly detailed schedule. These schedules themselves are flexible and are often vague. In cities like Johannesburg, on the other hand, business is fast paced. There is also a clear desire to meet deadlines at the soonest possible time.

Business Etiquette

The South African way of dealing with business can be pretty unpredictable. This is still due to the diversity in the country. Generally speaking, South African businessmen are very considerate. They strive to reach a consensus, so that all parties involved will benefit from a given venture. They are also realistic and straightforward.

South Africa's management style is quite difficult to grasp. It may take some management courses Hemsley Fraser offers on their site www.hemsleyfraser.co.uk to understand the business culture in this country. In general, though, the management training practices here are based on the country's racial sensitivity and cultural values.