I have found in Southern Africa that the view by management is often "we're management, we know what we're doing - you're supposed to do as we say, not question our decision process".
That that view is flawed is quite clear. This is not limited to the air industry only... it is quite alive and well in all sectors of industry. It's just that in others it might work, but in the airline industry it does not. Pilots are highly trained individuals and as such should be given the respect they are due.
When I look at some of the dubious decisions in management I've experienced in unrelated industries in Africa, I really wonder sometimes whether that's why Africa ended up where it ended up.
S.