Lakou: an exploration of humanistic culture within the Haitian context

Keywords: Culture, Humanism, Performance, Lakou, Corruption

Abstract: The extant management literature has established that organizational culture may be associated with certain organizational outcomes (Schein, 1985; 2010). The purpose of this empirical study is to investigate the role of a specific type of culture namely a humanistic approach to management on firm performance for organizations in a developing market context. Extant literature has explored the role of humanism in the past, linking it to productivity, cohesion, and mutual respect within the organization (Mangaliso et. al, 2018). Although empirical studies have been conducted, less is known about how humanism can have societal, and economic impacts particularly in emerging market contexts. Thus, we develop a theoretical framework of humanism along with linkages to how managers utilize this approach to deal with external challenges in developing markets, specifically the challenge of corruption. The theory presented is tested through a qualitative study in the country of Haiti through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The empirical results suggest that the humanistic approach of ‘Lakou’ has impact on business activity. The theoretical contribution is the formulation of the Lakou cultural construct and delineation of its impact on related organizational aspects.