Study on Factors Influencing Middle-Level Managers’ Involvement in Strategy Formulation in Zambia- A Case Study of Indo-Zambia Bank

Abstract

Strategic formulation process is one subject which has extensively been discussed and researched in academic literature. Scholars of management have repeatedly been called to explore the strategy work of individuals beyond the senior management team as part of the open strategy concept. Within this, involvement is a way to prompt the input, contributions and feedback of various stakeholders across the organisation establishment. Further, there has also been a lack of understanding of the broader process of strategizing, particularly that it is collective process. The purpose of this research is to investigate factors which influence the level of middle managers’ involvement in the strategy formulation of a single organisation (Indo Zambia Bank.). In doing so, it evaluates the impact on the organization of not taking on board key stakeholders, who are middle managers in the strategizing process. The study adopted an exploratory path and is qualitative nature. Data for analyses was collected through formal interviews with three (3) focus groups of the case organization. The focus groups are composed of experienced middle managers who have worked for the bank 10 years and above. Some of these are in charge of bank branches while the remaining are stationed at head office in various functional units. These stakeholders were selected based on their involvement in the strategy implementation process from within Indo Zambia Bank. A key informative interview was also conducted with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indo Zambia Bank. The CEO is directly involved in the day to day running of the Bank business and is also one of the core stakeholders in strategy formulation process. The literature review revealed that middle managers are perceived differently by different management theories. However, their critical roles in the strategy formulation process are evident and cannot be ignored. All authors agree that this intermediate management group is stationed between top level and lower-level management which is very broad definition. There is a considerable overlap between elements of middle management roles, and the extent of the roles depends on the context of the organisation, time, and attitudes of middle managers. A review of the
literature also found that middle managers play critical roles in administration, leadership, decision-making, and communication, although most researched literature consider middle managers as mere strategy implementers. This research enables Scholars to articulate the process of participation in the strategy making process, using the framework to explore the nature and levels of participation in other strategy environments.