The Routledge Companion to Improvisation in Organizations

11 Improvisation in Africa

Emanuel Gomes

DOI: 10.4324/9781003171768-15

Introduction

The 2019 Covid crisis has reminded scholars and practitioners from developed western markets of the critical importance of improvisation. In contrast, the critical importance of improvisation on the daily lives of organizations and individuals has long been acknowledged in emerging markets, especially in Africa, where it is recognized as a sine-qua-non condition for survival. Although environmental dynamism has accelerated in western markets only more recently, African markets have long been characterized as fast-changing, complex, unpredictable, and turbulent. Despite the enormous efforts devoted to improving African markets’ institutional, regulatory, and ...