Abstract
Managing multicultural teams is a com- plex and crucial problem, particularly in Africa. It involves difficulties that are connected - not to cultural differences - but to stereotypes, misunderstandings, and the neglect of differences between local managers and expatriates. This article explores the matter by looking at the case of Socometal, a mixed firm, in which an Afro-Western team of managers was observed. Although this particular situation takes place in Senegal, the case is representative of numerous other situations of multicultural teams observed in Africa (and probably in other developing countries), where the shock between the local "Circulatory Management Model" and the models imported from the West is often poorly managed.