Jamaica’s national fruit, the ackee, in its various stages of development and use, serves as the metaphor to reveal key elements of this island nation’s national culture and, by extension, its business and organizational environment. Four stages of the ackee are employed: (1) the TREE, which, in its seeding and growth, exhibits an intrinsic resilience reflected in the country’s ability to overcome adverse environmental conditions; (2) the CLOSED FRUIT, which is poisonous, but, like this developing nation, has a transitional toxicity; (3) the OPEN/RIPE FRUIT, exhibiting its multifaceted diversity by being externally colorful, functionally resourceful, and dependently cooperative, representative of Jamaica’s ethnic diversity, its industriousness and ingenuity, and its affinity for foreign counterpoints, respectively; and, (4) the COOKED FRUIT, which, in the experience of the traditional communal ackee and saltfish breakfast, fosters a ritualistic identity that promotes social cohesion, engenders pride, and reinforces shared identification as Jamaicans.
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