Exploring how Research and Organisational Culture of African Universities may hinder or facilitate networks of innovation and societal impact

Researcher Academy and Students’ Union are co-hosting this presentation by Dr Bill Puplampu, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Central University College Ghana.  Bill will present a research project that he is leading in conjunction with Stella Nkomo from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.  The research project focuses on the African situation, and asks:

• How do the cultures of African universities enable these institutions to tackle the current challenges around globalization of research, funding limitations, and increasing need to use multi-disciplinary and multi-national research and teaching teams?
• How are the cultures of universities in Africa negotiated by academics, academic leaders, and postgraduate students? 
• How/do the institutional cultures facilitate or hinder research?
• What policy and structural changes are necessary in order to surface and embed networks of scholarly innovation, productivity and impact?

During Bill’s presentation he aims to:

1. Discuss extensively the issue of organisational and research culture of African Universities and explore how internationalized networks of research and innovation are fostered, nurtured and sustained in African Universities
2. Present a model for intervention towards reinventing research culture in African Universities
3. Present a conceptual model to guide research into organisational and research culture of African Universities
4. Discuss and surface issues from different countries which would inform the design, method and analyses approaches to be adopted by this research
5. Launch a 24 month research project targeting 5 countries in Africa focusing on the research and organisational culture of African Universities

This presentation is particularly suitable for doctoral students undertaking research in Africa or considering wishing to pursue an academic career in Africa when they have completed their doctorate.  Bill will also talk about his own academic career journey as a researcher working in Africa.