AbstractIn an analysis of the administration of government in the British Virgin Islands the Deputy Governor's use of team or collective management techniques stands out as an important factor in the success of the Islands in coping with problems of small scale and of sparse resources. This method of reaching general decisions may be rooted in the country's African heritage, which was little touched by the brief attempt of English planters to develop a colony in the Islands. In any event, this heritage may be reinforceable as a bulwark against Americanization.