Classical Management Theories in an EmergingEconomy Context: A Documentary Case Study of the Dangote Group

Abstract

This article examines the continuing relevance and practical application of Henri Fayol’s Administrative Theory and Max Weber’s Bureaucratic Theory within the Dangote Group, a major African industrial conglomerate operating in a volatile emerging-market environment. Although classical management theories are frequently criticised for their mechanistic assumptions, hierarchical orientation and limited attention to human and environmental complexity, their core principles remain visible in large-scale industrial organisations where coordination, standardisation, accountability and control are essential. The study adopts a qualitative documentary case-study design and analyses the organisation’s publicly available corporate reports, governance disclosures and sustainability materials alongside established management literature. The analysis indicates that classical principles are particularly useful for division of labour, formal authority, standard operating procedures, governance, technical competence and organisational control. At the same time, contemporary evidence from Dangote’s reporting shows increasing attention to employee development, sustainability, stakeholder engagement and governance, suggesting that the organisation cannot be adequately understood through a purely mechanistic lens. The article argues that the practical value of classical management at Dangote lies not in rigid adherence to hierarchy, but in the combination of structural discipline with adaptive and human-centred practices. The study contributes to management scholarship by demonstrating how classical principles can remain relevant in an emerging economy when they are selectively integrated with contemporary approaches to organisational agility, human resource development, sustainability and strategic adaptation.