Communitarian norms and employee performance management in Africa

The paper draws on research undertaken within an Ugandan-based agricultural research organization. A case study approach was used to facilitate an understanding of everyday organizational practices and context. The paper uses ethnographic research and grounded theory, with methods including interviews and observation of work practices.  The findings provide a nuanced understanding of how performance management and control plays out in practice and show that the unquestioning imposition of Western practices that ignore traditional norms is unlikely to result in desired outcomes.