In today's constantly changing global economy fostered by advances in technology, management is in a flux. Hierarchical structures that were dominant part of management in the past are history. Today, collaborative cultures are the in-thing in management. Thus the manager has become a facilitator not a controller. Hence, into the future, responsible management would be needed for organisations to sustain and compete effectively. This kind of management is the adoption of a more ethical approach in balancing the manager's role between the corporate demands for profits, goals and results with that of the employees' needs, especially for motivation, feedback and personal development.
But the Center for Responsible Management will also focus on research that will focus on the development of current and future managers in Africa to manage the increasingly complex challenges but also the opportunities business in Africa and globally present. The Center will also focus on the new kind of African manager who can "think globally but act locally." It will also deal with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues.
The Center for Responsible Management at the African Graduate School of Management and Leadership will undertake research, publish, and hold conferences and seminars on Responsible Management in general but in particular as it pertains to Africa and its growth and development efforts.