Interrogating the applicability of Henri Fayol’s administrative principles to the management of cultural festivals in Nigeria.
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Date
2025-12
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Theatre and Film Studies Department, Faculty of Humanities, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworokwu, Port Harcourt.
Abstract
The application of theoretical approach to verify certain phenomenon in science, humanity and management field of academic endeavours cannot be over-emphasised. This is because applying theoretical postulations to actualise, experiment, establish or define certain concepts is germane to widen the scope of knowledge acquisition. One of the earlier theories in the field of management is Henri Fayol's administrative principles which has been applied by different management experts over the years. Fayol's administrative theory has been said to be obsolete but its relevance to contemporary management cannot be quantified. For this reason, the paper interrogates the applicability of Henri Fayol's principles of administration to the management of selected cultural festivals in Nigeria to establish its relevance to contemporary management. The paper employed qualitative research method. Interview and participant observation were employed to gather data from culture custodians, festival management committee and members of the traditional institution. The paper revealed that some tenets of Henri Fayol's administrative principles such as division of work, authority and responsibility, centralisation, unity of command, unity of direction, scalar chain and esprit de corps were overtly or covertly applied in managing the selected cultural festivals. The paper further revealed that other administrative options were integrated to complement Fayol's administrative principles. The paper concluded that Fayol's theoretical postulations were merely coincidentally reflected in the traditional system of festival management as portrayed in the selected cultural festivals. Therefore, Fayol's theory is partially applicable despite the criticisms that surrounded its application to contemporary management.
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Keywords
Patigi Regatta, Durbar, Agan, Culture, Management, Festival
Citation
Rufai-Ahmad, K. (2025). Interrogating the applicability of Henri Fayol’s administrative principles to the management of cultural festivals in Nigeria. Elegbakna: Journal of Theatre and Film Studies, 5, 177-188.