Postcolonial Perspectives in Management and Organization Studies
Summary
Postcolonial perspectives in management and organisation studies interrogate how colonial histories, power asymmetries and epistemic hierarchies continue to shape organisational theory and practice. This field challenges the uncritical adoption of Western management paradigms by foregrounding the voices, experiences and knowledge systems of formerly colonised societies. Researchers emphasise the enduring influence of colonial institutions in governance, labour relations and education, and advocate for decolonising methodologies that centre local contexts and indigenous worldviews. Key concerns include the critique of universalist assumptions in leadership models, the rediscovery of suppressed organisational narratives and the promotion of epistemic justice by recognising diverse ontologies and value systems. Practically, this body of work informs more inclusive strategy development, culturally attuned leadership training and policy reforms that acknowledge historical injustices. By highlighting pluralistic approaches—from African ubuntu ethics to Asian relational philosophies and Latin American solidarity networks—postcolonial scholarship offers fresh insights into sustainable development, ethical decision-making and global collaborations that transcend North–South binaries.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Postcolonial Perspectives in Management and Organization Studies publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in postcolonial perspectives in management and organization studies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Postcolonialism: A theoretical lens examining the lasting effects of colonial rule on societies, institutions and knowledge production.
Decolonisation: The process of critically dismantling colonial power structures and reasserting indigenous epistemologies in theory and practice.
Epistemic justice: The fair recognition and validation of multiple knowledge systems and voices, especially those marginalised by colonial legacies.
Hybridity: The intermingling of local and foreign organisational practices, producing new, context-sensitive management approaches.
Indigenous theories: Management and organisational concepts rooted in the values, traditions and social structures of specific cultural communities.
References
- Chinese Management Studies: A Matched-Samples Meta-Analysis and Focused Review of Indigenous Theories. Journal of Management (2022).
- The Challenges of Evolving and Developing Management Indigenous Theories and Practices in Africa. International Journal of Business and Management (2009).
- Challenges and Insights from South Asia for Imagining Ethical Organizations: Introduction to the Special Issue. Journal of Business Ethics (2022).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.