A reflective note: AJOM Inaugural Junior Faculty Fellowship

ABSTRACT

In recognizing the persistent publishing challenge among African-based scholars, the African Academy of Management (AFAM) and the Africa Journal of Management (AJOM) joined forces to explore various alternatives to address the challenge. The creation of the Junior Faculty Fellowship is the outcome of that collaboration that seeks to build academic relationships between institutions and Faculty. This paper captures the reflections of the inaugural Fellow, Dr. Juliana Mulaa Namada. As we follow her journey between 2017 and 2019, we learn about relationship building. She shares details of her participation at the Academy of Management (AOM) conference in Chicago, Ill., her engagement with colleagues at the host institution, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and the opportunities to test her skills in writing and publishing. In doing so, we learn of the benefits and challenges of a truly global Fellowship whose value extends beyond the immediate mentor-mentee relationship.

KEYWORDS:

• Africa Academy of Management (AFAM)
• Africa Journal of Management (AJOM)
• AJOM Junior Faculty Fellowship
• Faculty development
• mentoring

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank AJOM and the Executive of the Africa Academy of Management (AFAM) for the opportunity to participate in the inaugural AJOM Junior Faculty Fellowship. It has been an enriching experience for all concerned.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Juliana M. Namada is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Management at United States International University-Africa, School of Business. She holds a PhD and Masters in Business Administration specializing in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi, School of Business. She teaches and supervises students in Business Administration at undergraduate, Masters and Doctoral levels at the university. She has published in refereed journals both locally and internationally. She has published four book chapters. Her research interests are in strategic management with a bias in strategic planning. Dr. Juliana is a member of the Academy of Management and Africa Academy of Management. In terms of service to the profession, she is an editorial member of two peer reviewed journals and reviews for several refereed journals. She is an expert in student centered learning, strategic planning, program assessment and program reviews in institutions of higher learning.

Carol Brunt earned her PhD at the University of Manchester, UK. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Her research focuses on human resource management (HRM) policy and practice in nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, and on program growth and development in nonprofit management education (NME) in the USA. Carol's academic research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences worldwide.

Joshua R. Knapp is an Associate Professor of Human Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His PhD was granted by the University of Cincinnati. His primary research interests relate to understanding how employees navigate the organizational environment, including topics related to social exchange, social cognition, and employee-organization relationships.

ORCID

Carol Brunt http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2337-7009

Joshua Knapp http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1130-7246