Managing service productivity in Sub-Saharan African banks: the case of Nigerian knowledge workers. Managing service productivity

This book chapter presents the key results of a research project that explored
managing service productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa through the lens of
lived experiences of bank executives employed as ‘knowledge workers’ in
the Nigerian banking sector. The study adopted a qualitative phenomenological
research design. Data was gathered from 16 Nigerian top bank
executives purposively selected using semi-structured face-to-face interviews.
Trans Positional Cognition Approach (TPCA), a new phenomenological
research method, was used to analyse the data gathered. The
study data analysis yielded five themes; micromanagement practices, use of
dysfunctional strategies to drive service operations, deposit mobilisation
target as a productivity measure, managerial indifference to potential nescience
economy issues and master-servant (power culture) strategy, which
epitomises fundamental managerial approaches adopted in the sector. The
study identified critical service productivity management issues grounded
in reality that influence the capability and potentiality of the study knowledge
workers. It also contributes the novel, ‘official knowledge worker
lived experience of service productivity model’ for use by decision-makers
in the banking sector. Thus, it sets an agenda for these ‘knowledge workers’
line managers’ and bank regulators in the research setting. The study
extended the viable system model by applying it in this phenomenological
enquiry and using it to explain/deepen our understanding of the findings
that emerged. The output of this work contributes to scholarly knowledge
on service productivity management from the sub-Saharan African banks’
perspective. It can be generalisable in countries with similar financial and
economic characteristics like the research setting.