Probable differences among the paradigms governing conventional and Islamic approaches to management

This is an essay on the perceived differences that underlie the conventional and Islamic approaches to management studies. It defines the contours of both these approaches and discusses their growth and antecedents. That the conventional approach is at a crossroad is argued on the basis of three trends. Two of these are positive: the heightened focus on soft issues and the emergence of alternative schools of management thought and one is negative: proliferation of management fashions. A review of literature describes the antecedents and growth in the Islamic approach. Some causes of the differences in the paradigms are then highlighted ascribing them mainly to the cultural contexts in which these approaches developed. Twelve points are then explained to illustrate how the paradigms governing the conventional and Islamic approaches might differ. Indication of the need and exhortation to explore further the impact of these paradigmatic differences on practice of management in organisations concludes the essay.