Bridging the Research–practice Gap in African Management Research: The Case of the Nigerian Banking Sector

ABSTRACT

Although significant resources are invested in research through the delivery of management studies graduates in Nigeria, uncertainty exists as to whether, how, and how effectively Nigerian universities engage with the Nigerian banking sector regarding research. This article adopts the interpretivist/constructivist research philosophical paradigm to empirically study a hypothesized research-practice gap and possible barriers to research uptake between Nigeria’s universities and banking sector. The study involved two sets of questionnaires to staff members of 21 Nigerian banks (125 responses) and Heads of Department (HoDs) from seven Nigerian universities. The questionnaire data were analyzed through thematic content analysis of qualitative responses to open-ended questions. The study attempts to provide the necessary information to university researchers in the area of management to enable alignment of research projects with the needs of banks and to facilitate dissemination of their research findings to prospective users in the banking sector. Findings reveal that opportunities exist for Nigerian Universities to work more closely with the banking sector. A need exists for nurturing reciprocal research relationships through more intensified direct engagement mechanisms and for an intermediary role to be played to facilitate engagement and develop relational capital between these sectors

KEYWORDS:

• Nigeria
• university
• research utilization
• management research
• banking sector

Acknowledgements

The first author was supported by DfID to complete her Masters studies under the Development Research Uptake in Sub Saharan Africa (DRUSSA) grant from UKAID.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical statement

At the time of conducting the primary research, the first author was employed at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Although the University had ethical committees in the Faculties of Health Sciences teaching hospitals, there was no process required for other faculties and departments in the universities when this research was conducted. Care was however taken to conduct the research ethically with engagement with the human resource departments at the banks to get permission for surveying their staff – this was done ensure that the process conformed to high ethical standards.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the DFID [GB-1-202004].