AFAM Biennial Conference, 5TH BIENNIAL CONFERENCE - Nigeria 2020

Font Size: 
Strategy execution issues in Nigerian organizations
Nkemdilim Ezenwa Iheanachor, Azuka Elvis Ozegbe

Last modified: 2019-08-02

Abstract


This paper is designed to inundate policymakers, scholars and readers alike on the overwhelming importance of the concept of strategy execution in all fields of human endeavour and unveil the issues militating against effective strategy execution among companies operating in Nigeria using a particular bank as a case study. Strategy execution is germane in corporate organisations because its success or failure rate may have a significant effect on the success and sustainability of their business. However, the success of strategy execution is not assured. It is on record that strategy execution has an unsatisfying low success rate in most Nigerian companies. This paper is also interested in creating a greater understanding of why strategy execution so often than not fails in Nigerian companies and how such companies can succeed in swimming out of these murky waters of failure and leverage on continuous successful strategy execution. The paper adopted a case study where primary data was gathered using the interview guide. Data obtained from the interview were analyzed qualitatively to derive findings, conclusions and recommendations. Findings reveal that human resource issues can be a cog in the wheel of strategy execution among Nigerian companies. Empirical evidence from this inquiry reveals that the reasons behind strategy execution failure among corporate organizations in Nigeria include; weak Communication, Inadequate monitoring, insufficient senior leadership, inadequate skill, insufficient details, no approved strategy, poor accountability, limited reward and consequences system, leadership style as well as conflicting priorities. However, there is a need for organizations to put measures in place to ensure improved communication at levels, improved strategy development, reward system, performance monitoring, accountability and goal re-assessment where necessary. The measures as mentioned above will aid the process of bridging the gaps in the overall performance of the organization.


References


Zook, C., Allen, J., Earle, N., & Keen, P. (2001). Profit from the Core. Boston, MA: Harvard  Business School Press.

Hambrick, D. C., & Cannella Jr, A. A. (1989). Strategy implementation as substance and selling. Academy of Management Perspectives, 3(4), 278-285.

Noble, C. H. (1999). The eclectic roots of strategy implementation research. Journal of business research, 45(2), 119-134.

Olson, E. M., Slater, S. F., & Hult, G. T. M. (2005). The importance of structure and process to strategy implementation. Business horizons, 48(1), 47-54.

Andrews, R., Boyne, G. A., Law, J., & Walker, R. M. (2011). Strategy implementation and public service performance. Administration & Society, 43(6), 643-671.

Hrebiniak, L. (2005). Business strategy: execution is the key. Financial Times.

Rosenzweig, P. (2007). Misunderstanding the nature of company performance: The halo effect and other business delusions. California Management Review, 49(4), 6-20.

Wit, B. D., & Meyer, R. (2004). Strategy: process, content, context. An international perspective, 2.

Kihara, P., Bwisa, H., & Kihoro, J. (2016). Strategic Direction as an Antecedent between Strategy Implementation and Performance of Small and Medium Manufacturing Firms in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies (ISSN: 2321–2799), 4(03).

Griffin, E. M. (2006). A first look at communication theory. McGraw-Hill.

Rajasekar, J. (2014). Factors affecting effective strategy implementation in a service industry: A study of electricity distribution companies in the Sultanate of Oman. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 5(9).

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2010). The truth about leadership: The no-fads, heart-of-the-matter facts you need to know. John Wiley & Sons.

Igbaekemen, G. O., & Odivwri, J. E. (2015). Impact of leadership style on organization performance: a critical literature review. Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 5(142), 1-7.

Bossidy, L., Charan, R., & Burck, C. (2011). Execution: The discipline of getting things done. Random House.

Andrews, R., Boyne, G. A., Law, J., & Walker, R. M. (2011). Strategy implementation and public service performance. Administration & Society, 43(6), 643-671.

 

Umukoro, F. G., Owalobi, L. K., & Sulaimon, A. A. H. (2009). Matching strategies to situations: Programmed and adaptive implementation approaches. Serbian Journal of management, 4(2), 259-272.

Goromonzi, W. O. (2016). Organizational culture, strategy implementation and commercial bank performance in Zimbabwe. International Review of Management and Marketing, 6(2), 307-316.

Zook, C., & Allen, J. (2010). Profit from the core: A return to growth in turbulent times. Harvard Business Press.

Lindøe Pedersen, K. (2009). Cracking the code of strategy execution.

Abass, M. K., Munga, J., & Were, E. (2017). The relationship between strategy implementation and performance in county governments of Kenya: A case study of Wajir County government. International Academic Journal of Human Resource and Business Administration, 2(3), 381-401.

Aremu, M. A., & Oyinloye, O. O. (2014). Relationship between strategic management and firms' performance in Nigerian banking industry. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 33(2576), 1-14.

MWANIA, W. N. (2017). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROWTH STRATEGY AND PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN KENYA q (Doctoral dissertation, SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI).

Rigby, D., & Bilodeau, B. (2013). Management Tools & Trends 2013. Bain & Company. URL: http://www. bain. com/consul ting-services/strategy/fundamentals-of-growth. aspx.

Mintzberg, H. (1994). The fall and rise of strategic planning. Harvard business review, 72(1), 107-114.

David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2013). Strategic management: Concepts and cases: A competitive advantage approach. Pearson.

Pearce, I. I. JA, & Robinson, RB (2009). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation, and control.

Porter, M. (1998). E.(1985), Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New York: The Free Press.

Tait, A., & Nienaber, H. (2010). Exploring the strategy-to-performance gap: the case of four South African life insurers. Journal of Contemporary Management, 7(1), 271-289.

Beer, M., & Eisenstat, R. A. (2000). The silent killers of strategy implementation and learning. MIT Sloan Management Review, 41(4), 29.

Sandy, J. D., Neame, P. J., Boynton, R. E., & Flannery, C. R. (1991). Catabolism of aggrecan in cartilage explants. Identification of a major cleavage site within the interglobular domain. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 266(14), 8683-8685.

Grant, R. M. (1991). The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: implications for strategy formulation. California management review, 33(3), 114-135.

Schaap, J. I. (2006). Toward strategy implementation success: An empirical study of the role of senior-level leaders in the Nevada gaming industry. UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, 10(2), 2.

Novicevic, M. M., Davis, W., Dorn, F., Buckley, M. R., & Brown, J. A. (2005). Barnard on conflicts of responsibility: Implications for today's perspectives on transformational and authentic leadership. Management Decision, 43(10), 1396-1409.

Crittenden, V. L., & Crittenden, W. F. (2008). Building a capable organization: The eight levers of strategy implementation. Business Horizons, 51(4), 301-309.

Homburg, C., Krohmer, H., & Workman Jr, J. P. (2004). A strategy implementation perspective of market orientation. Journal of Business Research, 57(12), 1331-1340.

Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2011). Managing, analyzing, and interpreting data. C. Marshall & GB Rossman, Designing Qualitative Research, 5, 205-227.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2013). Manual de investigación cualitativa/The sage handbook of qualitative research (No. 303.442). Gedisa,.

Richards, L., & Morse, J. M. (2013). Choosing a method. Chapter 3. A Users Guide to Qualitative Methods, 49-86.

Seymore, S. B. (2012). The Presumption of Patentability. Minn. L. Rev., 97, 990.

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative and mixed methods approaches. London and Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Collis, J., & Hussey, R. (2009). A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students. Priest, J., & Hallebone, E. (2009). Extending the repertoire of research approaches in a professional doctoral program. The place and shape of a critical perspective. Julie Wolfram Cox, Tony G. LeTrent-Jones, Maxim Voronov und David Weir (Hg.): Critical management studies at work. Negotiating tensions between theory and practice. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 144-159.

Henning, E., Van Rensburg, W., & Smit, B. (2004). Finding your way in qualitative research (pp. 19-22). Pretoria: van Schaik.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2013). Manual de investigación cualitativa/The sage handbook of qualitative research (No. 303.442). Gedisa,.

Perry, D., Thompson, J. M., Hwang, I. H., Butchers, A., & Egan, A. F. (2001). Relationship between objective measurements and taste panel assessment of beef quality. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 41(7), 981-989.

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Leech, N. L. (2007). Sampling designs in qualitative research: Making the sampling process more public. The qualitative report, 12(2), 238-254.

Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field methods, 18(1), 59-82.

Babbie, E. (2007). Quantitative data analysis. The practice of social research, 11.

Perry, D., Thompson, J. M., Hwang, I. H., Butchers, A., & Egan, A. F. (2001). Relationship between objective measurements and taste panel assessment of beef quality. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 41(7), 981-989.

Ansoff, I., & McDonnell, E. (1990). Implanting Strategic Management, Prentice Hall. New York.

 

Langereis, M. (2015). The link between strategy and performance of municipalities in the Netherlands (Master's thesis, University of Twente).

Aremu, M. A., & Oyinloye, O. O. (2014). Relationship between strategic management and firms' performance in Nigerian banking industry. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 33(2576), 1-14.

Waititu, J. W. (2016). Relationship between Strategy Implementation and Performance in Commercial Banks in Nairobi County Kenya. International Journal of Business and Management, 11(9), 230-253.

KAMAU, A. M. (2018). EFFECTIVENESS OF STRATEGIC DRIVERS ON PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED CHANNELED PRODUCT ICT FIRMS IN NAIROBI, KENYA.

Kihara, M. P. (2017). Influence of strategy implementation on the performance of Manufacturing small and medium firms in Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, COHRED, JKUAT).

Elwak, R. (2013). Challenges of strategy implementation at Mazars Kenya. Unpublished MBA Project, University of Nairobi.

Hilman, H., & Siam, M. (2014). The influence of organizational structure and organization culture on the organizational performance of higher educational institutions: The moderating role of strategy communication. Asian social science, 10(13), 142.

Srivastava, A. K. (2017). Alignment: the foundation of effective strategy execution. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 66(8), 1043-1063.

Van der Merwe, M. M., & Nienaber, H. (2015). Factors hindering strategy implementation as perceived by top, middle and frontline managers in a South African electronics organisation.


Conference registration is required in order to view papers.